Details...... www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/l ... 5323744.jp

Details...... www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/l ... 5323744.jp

Once again, good news if you ask me.

Still no sign on Smith?

Not yet!!


The union rumours seem to have gone quiet though!!

I like Kirke. He does a lot of work and doesnt generally get the plaudits. Im happy he decided to stay.

Everything seems quite on the Smith front, is GH working his off to get his signature or has the deal with Wasps been completed

The statistics would seem to indicate otherwise.....

Started well, gone backwards and in a poor run of form at the moment. Needs to up his work rate substantially.

Any chance he could have been carrying a knock? He always seems to do alot of work in defence and always runs the ball with some meaning unlike some of our other forwards.

Another distinctly average player signing a contract not based on his form this year - clearly Leeds new strategy is "don't worry about performance your contract is on the table".

Kirke/Kylie, next I await the 5 year contract for Gibson!!





I can't wait for the £22 admission fee next season!!

You seem a little moody lately. Has somebody broken into the Money Bin or something?

Good news I think, he's been steady away for most of the season, and was arguably our best player in the first month or so.

Great squad player, glad he's staying.

Smiths going to Wasps RU i mean have u not heard?

I don't understand the sections of our support criticising the re-signings of Leuluai and Kirke.

Form by definition is temporary and we can't expect all our players to be in it throughout the season. Both players have shown enough in the past to suggest they are worth hanging onto at least. I doubt either are on massive contracts considering that they are not current internationals for England or NZ.

The alternative to re-signing them would be to let them go, which would require the club to bring in two forwards from elsewhere at a time when quality available prop forwards are hardly ten a penny. I doubt we could afford to replace both with World Class prop forwards anyway, even if such players were available. Even then there is no guarantee that the team would be successful - see failure of recent attempts by Wigan and Warrington to sign success. Maintaining stability in the team is key. If we had a pair of promising prop forwards on the verge of making it big at Leeds then there would be more of an argument for not retaining them or keeping them on reduced terms, but this is not the case.

On the re-signings front I'm hoping that further announcements will be made in the next few weeks regarding Smith and Ablett...

Agree 100%, it's only the numptys that think we can fill every position with a world class international, Kirke is about as good as it gets for a 4/5th choice second row/prop in SL.

Kirke interview..... www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7356.php

Kirke interview..... www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7356.php

Listen to what you have put. And then look at the truthfull situation we are seeing right now.

There is a huge difference. Kirkle is indeed a very good squad player. What Kirke is though right now is a first choice selected 13 player. He is in the team week in week out now. On that basis IMO and it appears others, he is not good enough for that role. Squad Yes.

spot on,although players like kirke are needed for the squad. none of them should be getting resigned when they're playing currently like sh*t, sends out a great message to everyone else. as long as you put in a few good years at the start of your contract, you'll be fine to get another.

Aye, Leeds should be spending a quarter of their salary cap on a back row like Solomona, Morrison and Menzies.

Then they'd be ripping up the competition rather than languishing two points behind the leaders.

You have a point to a degree.

My criticism of his form earlier in the thread doesn't mean I don't think he should've been re-signed. For the right money and the right role then yes.

Point, completely missed.

Let's not under-play the significance of Ian Kirke.

2 Grand Final rings, and he had Wilkin in his pocket in both of those.

He's not as good as JP, but after JP I'd say he's the next best front rower. In terms of ability and form he's impressed me more than Kylie, Bailey and Burgees this season.

And he plays well at second row on the fringes.

For me he is a player who is still developing, he's adding attacking plays to his game, we've seen numerous offloads and breaks from him this season. I believe he's learnt a hell of a lot from JP. Why not learn from the best?

Ultimately his size is his main tool. When driving he attracts 2/3 players every drive, with the aim to get a quick play the ball. He does this quite effectively.

In every great team you need a core backbone, and Kirke is part of that. He does his job in a proffesional manner. And the big games seem to attract his solidness, so very worthwhile. Good squad player? No, he's more than that. Good member of our 17? Yes. The benefit of Kirke seems missing on some, but I see it, and so do the coaches. And he has the Grand Final rings to back it up.

Not difficult with your inane ramblings.

Irrespective of whether a player starts on the field or off the bench, it's a 17 man game if you want to be successful.

He was in the 17 week in, week out during 2007 - seemed to go alright, ask him to show you his GF winners ring sometime.

He missed a chunk of 2008 injured, but came back strongly enough to pick up another GF winners ring featuring regularly in the 17 during the second half of the season.

And you're implying he's not good enough to be anything other than a fringe player? Have a word.

Point completely missed again. Show me where I said that?

Disagree with that. He is a first choice 17 player but not a first choice 13.
The reason he is first choice 17 is because of the ptoblem in bringing Eastwood over and the consequential lightness of the pack.

IMO heis behind Peacock, Leuluai and Bailey at prop (about level with Burgess) and behing JJB, Ablett and Ali in the 2nd Row. If Eastwood had been here he would have struggled to make the matchday 17.

I completley disagree.

How has he managed to fluke his way into the last 2 grand finals then? Explain in your own time.