If you wanted to watch Tennis at Headingley, you could not get any worse than this flat high scoring game. There was no singing in the southstander, we were just expecting our 8 defeat from 12. Now it's deferred the sacking for 1 more week. Cas are going to rip us apart if we play like that again - SAD TIMES

no chance.

I usually enjoy close scoring games but with this one it didn’t bother me too much when Wakefield took the lead as I knew with five minutes we’d score again. The reverse also applied.

One of the worst defensive games I’ve had the misfortune to witness.

More of the same come Sunday.

More of the same except Cas aren't good enough to score the same number of points.

Another case of wallpapering over the cracks after the next couple of games, but don't worry, a win like that is very encouraging, especially if your job is on the line....

'cringe' covers it for me.

half-d effort.

Never seen the ground empty as quickly.

In game, no-one is grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Well apart from Ali.................

Watching Ali play on Monday really makes you wonder why we let him go.

I saw absolutely nothing from Ali on Monday to make me think we should have kept him.

The issue that he was better than we had out on Monday shouldn't hide the fact that it is our recruitment and selections that are the problem, rather than Ali been the answer to the issues.

I didn't see the game on Monday so can't comment on the specifics, but your point is valid. The decision to not retain Ali was probably correct, but the decision to not recruit a replacement was not

I always assumed Hauraki was brought on board as a potential replacement for Lauitiiti, trouble was and still is - barring a Manu or a fit Solomona - replacing what Lauitiiti offered was never going to be easy now that the NRL is becoming increasingly out of bounds.

I'm glad that's the case re the NRL generally - even if it's coming about via their administrators and the Bank of England's policy of printing phoney money rather than the actions of our own governing body. They perhaps would have got there eventually but outside events have had a bigger impact on the policy than the policy itself was having.

Which is exactly my point - why release a player only to replace him with an inferior product?

I'd rather have Ali now than Hauraki now.

One has quality one doesn't.

At the moment yes, and its not like Hauraki is playing much at the moment or has been particularly free of injuries. However, Ali is on a limited time frame and may not have wanted on a 1 year contract from Leeds. Hauraki is more of a long term player

Can't teach quality and he's not great at the grunt, so what's the point?




Let me just go do some cartwheels now.

I just don't think we were expecting to get him on the park enough to justify him.

I was speaking to a friend post match who is a Wkefield fan. His view is Ali is better quality than he has seen before and the Wakefield players aren't good enough to read him.

How many offloads did he put out on monday that hit the floor before being collected by a Wakey player? Other than JJB, who has different qualities, Ali is still better than anything we have in the 2nd row. I'd have liked to see him doing those offloads for us, with McGuire or Burrow on the end of them. A large part of our success was our offload game, taught primarily by TS. We regularly led the league in offloads.

We don't seem to have any forwards who have that skill right now.

Ali played some decent minutes against us, ok he looked like he had. But he was easily the biggest threat on the fringes. Even when the off-load wasn't on he made some hearty metres, with a simple head down drive.

It's the second phase that isn't there which is a huge problem. We seem to be relying on a Burrow break in mid-field, or half a scamper, to get things going. We have some threats out wide in the centres and wing, they just need looking after with some quality ball.

Re-sign Ali?

Replace him better.

But I'd have Ali's threat now (even if he's our 10 minute cameo player) over some of the averageness in our likely 17/19. We are crying out for a threat.

Had GH know that Ali would of stayed this injury free in 2012 i'm sure he would of kept him, that was always the issue never his ability.

Lauitiiti still managed to play in 21 of 35 (2010) and 21 of 36 (2011) so I'm not altogether surprised he's played in the high percentage of games I think he has this season.

Pleased for him that he got to end his Headingley career on a high at =#0000BFOld Trafford (while also reaching a personal milestone - 200 Leeds Appearances.) I doubt he'd have got =#0000BFto do that had he stayed any longer, although I imagine his presence around the club could only have helped.

And if I remember correctly he was held up over the line with only a couple of minutes to go. Would have been an extra special moment for him had he scored the last try in a winning grand final on his last and 200th appearance for the club!

As a game it was a shocker, in fact walking away from the ground for some reason I felt embarrassed - Leeds have gone beyond backwards, buy hey ho, we've had a damn good run!!

At the risk of knowingly repeating myself and incurring the wrath of the Southstander gestapo I have to question the wisdom of allowing Ali and Amor to represent Wakefield while Leeds consider Kirke/Hauraki and Moore/Griffin to be the better options to retain/sign.

I can certainly see your point regarding Amor would be a better addition to our front row than most of what we have. Strange decision not to keep him.

I think I can understand the rationale in getting rid of ALI. I think the issue is not replacing Ali with like for like (or as close as) the last few years his injury record was not good and I can understand why they didn't renew him.

Hauraki is a puzzle to me. He doesn't do anything well. Doesn't run the ball up hard and do the dirty stuff but equally is nowhere near the ability of ALI regarding flair. A complete waste of time and a poor signing