And what if the youngsters don't make it at all or get burnt by being overplayed when they are not physically ready and what if the club has money in the bank and space on the salary cap and on the quota?

Do you really want to see Leeds return to the gallant runners-up of yesteryear?

This period of relative success we are enjoying at the moment won't last forever and it's up to the Leeds management to make the best of it while it lasts.

I personally think Leeds should maximise everything at their disposal to attempt to successfully defend their title. They've already come up short once this season and I don't want to see a repeat later on when our understrength squad is shot to pieces for a lack of bodies albeit with healthier balance sheet.

If Eastwood is done then replace him with a centre, which is where the team needed strengthening last season after Toopi was busted and yes I do realise we upset the bookies and every pundit in the game by winning the GF.

what about smith our no. 3?

I'm confident in a fully fit squad he is more than capable than pulling his weight

Centres are irrelevant. The spine of the team 1,6, 7, 9, 13 are what brings success. You spend your cap and put quality players there and fill in around them.

That is what someone very wise said.

Our centres this year are good enough to win the league just as they were last year.

Just imagine Saints without Gidley - no drop in performance or attacking potential!!

I disagree with gareth - the centres are your most potent attacking weapons and amongst your strongest defenders - quality centres are hard to find - the reason why Ablett/Watkins can fill in is because there are no decent centres - Gidley apart in the league - as soon as they came up against a couple of serious centres in Lyon and Matai they didn't look quite upto.

I'm confident he'll give his all in his third choice position at Leeds also. I'd still rather see him on the wing in place of Hall when Webb is back up to speed though.

I'm also confident that I've yet to see him start a game for Leeds at right centre (and only twice at left), so perhaps you'll allow me to hold off from anointing him as the new Syd Hynes just yet.



And I would agree with every word that poster said, he sounds a handsome fella as well.

I would still add though, that when a team is deficient in a position and when salary cap space is available, that I would like to see that money used in that area rather than sat in the bank gathering dust and not much else.

Another issue, besides the fact that we're developing what I believe are two of the most gifted young backs in the country, is that as previously stated, good centres are a pretty rare commodity. [u:20ddljzo:20ddljzoIf:20ddljzo[/u

What's happened to him?


I was really disappointed when he left Wigan scholarship for Leeds.

I disagree with G1 here.

Last year we suffered when Toopi was missing during the regular season and CC IIRC for two reasons. One was defensive exposure - clubs started to target our right side defence and it started to pay off for them. Another was a lack of attacking options. We were over-reliant on the Senior-Donald combination on the left, and offered little on the right, particularly in bigger games such as the Saints CC defeat. Clubs soon realised that if they were able to stop our left side combination the Leeds attack was severelly weakened.

I agree on the importance of 1, 6, 7 and 9 in the modern game (not sure of the importance of 13 outside Sinfield's role at Leeds), but saying that the outside backs and forwards don't matter is ridiculous. Without Peacock and Senior Leeds are IMO a much lesser team - your model misrepresents the situation.

St Helens didn't just hand over Martin Gleeson to Warrington but the move still happened. Players still occasionally move when contracted. I'd be looking towards Castleford (currently looking for funding) to see if Shenton could become available anytime soon for the right price.

Apparently the WCC is a big money spinner to the English club involved (I think someone wise said that on here recently) it would be a shame to see those proceeds just sit in a bank account somewhere losing money.

If looking overseas Australia is literally full of players better than Gibson will ever now become. Plenty of Aussies seem to like giving SL a look up for a couple of seasons.

Didn't he go to Doncaster?

6,7,9 and 13 have been the consistents in this Leeds team since 2004. Outside backs and props have come and gone. 6,7,9 and 13 are contracted for some time to come.

Of course you want quality players in the front row and centre position. However, they're not essential to winning league titles.

We won one with Danny Ward, we won one Chev Walker and we won with Carl Ablett. None of these are the greatest in the world at the positions they play.

Just imagine Saints WITH Gidley - no Grand final wins. Just ghow essential is a centre again?

If quality centres are so hard to find then why are we having this discussion? Oh, and luckily Ablett and Watkins won't have to face Lyon and matain again.

And if Lyon comes back to SL maybe we could get a solid 2nd rower like, say, Chris Mckenna to do a job on him in a playoff game.

If you think Alex Ferguson plays young English players to ensure future success for England then you're having a laugh.

GF Harry Sunderland Trophy winners to 2004.

2008. Lee Smith. Full back.
2007. Rob Burrow. Scrum Half.
2006. Wellens(?) Full back- help TVOC [size=59or shut up if it doesn't help my point[/size.
2005. Pryce. Winger moved to stand off during game.
2004. Diskin. Hooker.

1, 6, 7, 9 & 13 people.

Where's the 13?

I don't disagree with the principle, but Aussies have not proved easy to get over here of late, and even there, the kind of really world class import we're always saying we need to insist on to avoid diluting standards is quite rare and would want a huge amount of money to tempt them here.

Otherwise we'd be relying on prising someone like Shenton away from a rival club, who would no doubt not be keen on weakening themselves to strengthen us and hence we would no doubt end up playing a grossly over-inflated price for the player who came in. There are very few players of anything like Gleeson's quality around, and the Wire approach of chucking huge amounts of money at them to get them in has little track record in terms of providing success.

I'm always in favour of the right player at the right price, I'm just unconvinced that those 2 factors coincide very often, especially at cnetre.

Lance Todd trophy winner 2005.

Man of the Match WCC 2008.

Like you said, he's only vital to us

Last man up the steps to pick up the trophy on three of those occasions.



To answer the question of our Wigan visitors about Ratu - went on loan to Fax but apparently had problems adjusting to the prevailing "culture" at the club. Be interesting to see how he goes back in a more professional environment. although Watkins and Gibson seem to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Keith Senior has also been a consistent during this period. What happened following his last major injury in 2005 - we lost the CC, failed in the play-offs and were dire the year after as a team. Coincidental with Senior's worst patch of form with Leeds since joining the club? I too can be selective with the facts

Just where do you think this discussion will go if you're going to be self serving and selective with the facts?

Not in my direction and that is just not on.

10th October 2003
Headingley
17,264
Steve Ganson (St Helens)
22 - 23
14 - 10

Leeds:
Danny McGuire
Richard Mathers, Gary Connolly, Keith Senior, Francis Cummins
Andrew Dunemann, Rob Burrow
Matt Adamson, Matt Diskin, Barrie McDermott
David Furner, Chris McKenna, Kevin Sinfield


Who won MOM in 2003?

?

Are you asking who was MOM in that game from Headingley you've posted? Was it a final of some sort?

I note, btw, that our right cenrte in that game was an ageing about to retire player who was actually signed to play full back. Top line centres are really essential aren't they?

That ageing full back filling in at centre won MOM in the 2003 CC Final playing his natural, important role at full back.

Carney?

Possibly, was that the night of his two spectacular tries as well as the Danny Tickle drop goal that wasn't?

Yes.