According to Frosties thread, there are 7 players OoC at the end of this year who's future isn't yet decided or hasn't been announced:

Carl Ablett
Brett Delaney
JJB
Jimmy Keinhorst
Anthony Mullally
Jordan Thompson
Josh Walters

If we can get replacements for them all they could leave for me. In Furner we trust...

A few HullKR bound me thinks , but I can't see an overhaul of the squad all at once . I think Sinny and Furner will have already identified the positions that take priority

Agreed.
Ablett,jjb and Delaney have already had a year or two more than they should. Loyalty wise I think they have been given a fair deal.

BMD always favoured workhorses in every position over any other quality. We are crying out for some power in the props, strike ability in the BR ,leadership and organising in the halfs.
Because that has been neglected for so many years we now have to do that in greater numbers and accept it will take far longer to be a top 4 team again.

All will retained - one year extension. if you listen to the muttering from the club 2019 isn't expected to be a lot better than 2018 i.e. top 8 but not top 4. 2020 is where they think there will be significant improvements

Dangerous strategy, could lose a lot of supporters that might be hard to get back if the Elland Road lot get promoted.

I think leeds will be back in top 4 before united are in premier league, but stranger things have happened. Not sure that LUFC crowds affect us that mych, united draw fans fron across the region, i know plenty of Fev/Cas fans who support united.

To me we simpley cannot keep JJB Ablett and especially Delaney, bettween them that play less than one player should and are all probably bigger earners. There must be players around worth a punt, i would rather sign Hock than keep these 3. All been great but they are all finished.

I'd say we are looking at 2 or 3 more signings for next season, which would mean either promoting kids, or 4/5 of those OoC going around again. The following season we will see more changes (and have more players OoC).

I'm not necessarily expecting LUFC to get promoted, but if it happens it will affect all the local clubs, but Leeds especially given the cost to attend in the new stands and the likely product on the pitch.

Hello, new poster here.

I was reading the thread and considering the squad and players OOC. Without squad numbers and using players who are confirmed arrivals squad could look like this.

1. Walker
2. T Briscoe
3. Watkins
4. L.Sutcliffe
5. L.briscoe
6. Lolohea
7.myler
8. Garbutt
9. Parcell
10. Singleton
11. Ferres
12. Ward
13. Cuthbertson

14. Dwyer
15. Oledzki
16. Peteru
17. C Smith

18.golding
19.Crosby
20.Thompson
21.Mclelland
22.Trout
23.Newman
24.Handley
25.A Sutcliffe
26.Holroyd

This would mean we get rid of or loose

1. Ablett
2. Delaney
3.Hall
4.JJB
5.keinhorst
6.Moon
7.Ormondroyd
8. Walters
9. Mullally

I would say if the above transpired we should use funds for two key areas.

A big hitting, meter making prop who plays most games
A quick offloading wide running second row who can also defend the edge well.

Appreciate it could all be fantasy but keeping experienced players around is only worth it if they play, at the moment our experienced back row is very rarely fit.

Welcome on board, it's a fun ride, especially when we are as bad as we are right now!

Add in a Centre to replace Sutcliffe and I think you are pretty close to what will actually happen in this close season.

Where it will impact the Rhinos is on corporate side - Leeds Utd in the PL is a much bigger draw than the Rhinos in any league.

Which is exactly the kind of £ we are desperate for with the new cost structure of the stands. Like I say, dangerous game not to maximize the product on the field for a year...

I would say it is probably too late to recruit real quality for 2019 - hence why they are saying 2020 plus the North stand wont be ready until May/June at the earliest

I think Sutcliffe with retain the number 4 shirt, in fairness he did show promise in that position at the end of 2017.

Not saying he should keep the shirt but I think that's what will happen.

When you look at the team posted above it should be goof enough to be challenging top 4 IMO, if we can get walker fully fit and a full year out of Garbutt thats like 2 new signings. The overall squad is light though so I agree a prop and second row added to that and I'll be relatively happy.

Christopher in what way do you believe that squad should be good enough to challenge top 4? Just a question.

If you look down it and compare to the top four, i.e Saints, Wigan, Cas, Warrington, how many do you truely believe would get into their teams? Personally I would say probably, Watkins, Lolohea, Myler, Garbutt, Ward and Parcell, although not in all of the top four. Possibly there may be a spot for Cuthbertson, Peteru, and I would guess all before now would have developed Smith better.

But that is only 6 maximum certainties. And remember they would not all be in the same team, so would require good players around to back them up. What you have left in the Leeds squad is not that standard for that challenge.

Not the squad, but the first 17, mainly because I don't think they are playing to anywhere near their potential, remember the majority of that team won the GF and finished in 2nd place the year before this one.

Also flip the question around, do you think all of Wigan's, Was, Warrington's and Saints players would get in our first team? I'd say not but because they are playing well as a whole they look better than the sum of their parts, that happens in team sports.

Darryl Powell gets praise heaped onto him for getting what seem like below standard players playing like superstars, so just saying hardly any of our players would get into their teams seems a little simplistic to me.

Well

FB: barba(may leave) Tomkins (escare) Roberts, ratchford. I would take Walker over Roberts, Escare and possibly Tomkins. Ratchford is ahead of Walker IMO

WG: makinson and grace, Davis and burgess, minikin and Eden, linehan and Charnley. Would take T briscoe over grace, Davis, minikin and probably charnley, L briscoe however would be near bottom of a list of those players IMO.

CE: Percival and Morgan, sarginson and gildartt, Shelton and wardle( Webster is leaving) Atkins and Goodwin. I would take Watkins over anybody else in that list. I would take Sutcliffe over Morgan, probably over wardle, over sarginson, over Atkins. However it really depends how you play, the correct structure can make an average centre look great or a brilliant centre look average.

HB: lomax and Richardson (fages and smith), Powell and Williams, Ellis and gale (trueman) brown and Roberts (appreciate Roberts is leaving and Austin is coming in) I think it’s all pretty even here, as a combo I like myler and Lolohea.

BR: LMS taia and peyroux (Wilkin gone), o’loughlin Farrell and greenwood, Milner mcmeekin and Holmes, b currie, j Hughes and BM masilla. Don’t really rate the saint BR, Wigan has some age and injury issues now Bateman has gone, cas is a decent BR. Warrington BR is very impressive. If Ward and Cuthbertson stay fit and ferres can get even fitter then I think those 3 are decent.

HK: leuluai, Toby, mcshane and d Clark. Parcell is in that mix but it would be tight.

Prop unit: walmsley amor Thompson and Douglas, hill cooper akauola and g king, millington moors sene-lafao and Watts, club flower Sutton and tautai. I think Garbutt, Singleton, peteru and Oledzki isn’t a bad fit on that.

Long winded response but the 13 and 4 subs probably aren’t that different to the top 13 and subs for cas, wire, Wigan or saints. I thin kwhere we drop massively is fitness, structure and back up players. Now Furner could fix fitness and structure and a couple of young lads could step up with even further additions the year after

Someone has got very rose-tinted glasses on - Walker is a great prospect but to say he is a match for Sam Tomkins - really.

Parcell as good as Roby/Clark?

Myler/Lolohea how can you know at this stage one has never played in SL

Cuthbertson/Ferres/Ward - one never plays, one gets on the field and does nothing, one thinks he is a half back!!

Parcell is better than Roby. And he is about 2.6 million times better than Darryl Clark.

He really didn’t say any of the things you are saying though did he

All about opinions.

On Walker I think yes I would prefer him to ST. He has had numerous injuries, lost his pace and I wouldn’t say he was a super attaching threat, he isn’t anywhere near the England team. Put walker in the Wigan structure and I think he looks better than ST. I respect if you don’t share that view.

Parcell was better than both roby and Clark the season before this. Put him in either saints or wire and I think he gives the same, as I said it is tight. The point is you wouldn’t have a huge issue with either of those three being you starting 9.

Myler/Lolohae fair point one hasn’t played but neither had Roberts at wire or will Austin next year. My point was as a combo I think they could work and I don’t personally think any partnership is miles ahead. Powell at Wigan isn’t great imo, lomax isn’t a half, Richardson is developing and I don’t see him doing much when saints aren’t on top on the forwards.

Cutho/ferres/Ward I did mention the fitness issue. If Ward is fit he is in the England squad and possibly team, every time he has been fit and played games they have looked to include him. Cuthbertson as a 13 with a good structure looks good in super league, to be clear I don’t see him as a prop as he can’t do heavy hard work for sustained periods. Ferres I mentioned fitness, he was an England back rower. If he is injury free and fit in furners south Sydney structure could do well.

Main point was starting 17 wouldn’t be miles away from the other four teams mentioned. Point I made remains, fitness structure and squad depth are the issues. Furner should be able to improve two of those things

Yes he did - as he has just posted - perhaps you are once again struggling with the English language

Leeds starting 17 is way off being top 4, back row especially is dreadful. I can’t see a great deal of game management in Myler and Lolohea, they’ve 1 centre, Briscoe T is pretty average and Briscoe L is below that.

That Leeds starting 17 hasn’t played or been fit to play all year. Also we are looking at this with an unfit and unstructured team, with limited confidence who lost a coach mid season.

That backrow I mentioned, it fit as I mentioned is imo a match for the back row of saints, Wigan are reliant on oloughlin who is what 36 now? Cas I don’t think are a million miles ahead but I accepted wire were impressive in that area.

Myler/Lolohea, IMO myler can manage a game and would in that combo. Limited managing halves in the super league. Managing a game behind a pack on the front foot is different to doing it behind one on the back foot.

1 centre who is the best centre in the comp.

Briscoe might be average but so are most of the outside backs in the SL?

I honestly don’t think the 17 I mentioned earlier are a bad 17. A coach with some structure, game plan and a really fit team goes ok with that 17. The issue comes when that 17 have injuries and that is where I think we would and will have problems.

But as I said it’s all opinions

Cas with Holmes, Mcmeeken, Milner, plus JSL, Foster and Wardle are miles ahead. Wigan have Bateman and Farrell who are way better than leeds options plus Isa and Hamlin who’s going well.
Leeds have 1 average winger and 1 quality centre, that’s miles behind, there are more than a dozen outside backs better than Briscoe.