As a wire fan i feared the worst for you after 50 minutes, but full credit for making it a decent game against a superior side. The best team won, but Lee Smith was amazing and if you fancy swapping him for king, we'll throw in Monaghan too.

I also thought Smith had a great game.

I hear Wasps has first dibs................. he should stay at Leeds, perhaps now Eastwood is looking unlikely GH can make a better offer to keep him.

Smith is showing his true talents week in week out but what surprises more is that he’s our second choice full back!

I guess when we get Webb back we’ll see what the young lad can do in the centres.

I will belive it when I see it. Surely by now RU has had enough of poaching players from RL only to discover that for whatever reason they flop in RU.

IMO it's too much of a gamble for wasps to put a big money offer on the table only for him to turn out like Harpe.

However, I will say this, I am an idiot who is frequently wrong.

If he does ever leave he should go to the nrl like ellis. In fact we should send all our england squad for a stint and we might stand a chance of beating the aussies.

He had a great game but he needs to stop leading with the knee or he'll get in trouble.

He showed real true determination and passion for his hometown club today, got to say well done to him he was one of the best performers for you guys today. I also thought Sinfield had a good game

If we get Webb back!!! I keep looking for an update on him but cant find one, any idea how much longer he is out for?

BTW Smith was Leeds MOM for me.

Last i saw him mentioned after the KR game it said at least a month.

Almost a proper compliment for the "slow coach".

he's head and shoulders our best player from 1 -5 (until webb gets back).

Lets hope we keep him then!!

He's in a rich vein of form over these last 6 games for sure.

When Webb gets back he'll be our 2nd best winger, unless he takes the rumoured cash on offer elsewhere.

I dont want to get into arguments again about Smith, and wont be sucked in.

But how can anyone sane possibly say he will be our second best winger? He is head and sholulders above any of the backs we have out there at present, and not just for these last 6 games.

And that is not a critisism of any of the backs.

Fielden built a career around it, he'll be OK.

That will depend largely which wing he is given.

Donald is completely wasted on the right, IMO.

Where does Hall fit in. I think long term he will be moved in field. He is a big unit with decent pace and a good scoring record. I wouldn't say he has the wow factor however.

Once Smith is in the reckoning for a non-fullback spot, I'd move Donald to left wing with senior again.

i agree

Isn't the plan for Smith to play at Centre?

It was and at this point probably still is. Leeds need to form some sort of threat on the right and that doesn't come from Ablett and it's asking a lot of Watkins to perform at this level week in, week out.

Firstly, if we're going to discuss this you need to add more clarity as you've contradicted yourself right there.

I was specific. I said these last 6 games which dates back to last season. What did you mean by "at present"?

Generally speaking, he is a vastly inferior wing man to Scott Donald. Overall he is a vastly inferior full back to Webb.

He is a vastly inferior centre to Senior and is actually a lot less experienced and achieved a lot less in the centres than Watkins and Gibson, though the jury is still out. Smith as a centre remains a hypothetical.

So, despite his rich vein of form these last six games when all the pieces are back he will remain our 2nd best wing man.

Would I like to see us retain him? Yes, he's shown his versatility and shown he can play at a very high level and he's the right age. Should we break the bank to retain him? No, not when there are better players than him in all the positions across the back line?

Now, that was a rational, well thought and constructed post. Feel free to rebut with a difference of opinion.

But don't question my sanity. I am not the one who invents conversations with Phil Daly.

I agree and Mclennan needs to ditch this ploy because our defensive frailties aren't solved by the wingman. They're further in field. If we can't fix that might as well reap the rewards of Donald and Senior on the left flank.

Most of Manlys breaks were made in the middle of the field last night, and those that were made down our right side were due to having a man over out wide from fantastic running further infield.

I for one am glad Leeds won't be playing Manly every week. The skill level was way above ours.



Smith is now a fully fledged international which should automatically move him up the pecking order in Leeds' much vaunted pay structure, if they wish to retain him. Despite that it seems almost certain that there will be more money on offer elsewhere. I for one have always been in Smith's corner and would be disappointed if he moves on but that's between him and the club and what will be, will be.

Like I said, I dont want to get into arguments again about Smith.

However, he is not vastly inferior to Webb at fullback. Webb is a "proven" more consistent player, because Smith is much younger, that I agree. But Webb could have done nothing in those 6 games you mention that Smith has not done, and if anything Smith probably brought more to the table in a couple of those games.

Smith is certainly not inferior to Donald. That is a matter of opinion. But what Smith lacks in finishing speed he more than makes up for in the fact that unlike Donald he does not have a pea for a heart, and Smith is far better defensively, along with been far superior under a high ball. Thats where I struggle to see how he is second best, and that is not critisizing Donalds worth to the team, because he is a very good finisher.

As for Centre, you are probably right. There is no proof that Smith is a better overall centre than we have. He needs games there to prove that.

The only thing for certain is that Smith should be, and probably is, the first name on the team sheet when listing from 1 to 5, where ever that may be.