Just back in after a round trip to the capital today, and what can be said but oh dear! Today's performance was due simply to the fact that we went into the game with only one recognised prop, and boy did it show in that disastrous first half. There was absolutely no punch or structure to the team because there were no props out there, to build any sort of platform for the backs to work off. Also, far too much possesion turned over to Quins far too cheaply, plus some pretty questionable defence as well. That was a very weak team we fielded today, (arguably for the right reasons?), and when we had Burrow and Smith on the bench as interchanges that took the biscuit for me.
There was something of a spirited fightback late on in the game, but far too little, far too late. It really offers the argument that we should have just gone full strength today and kept the momentum going, because the game plan to cover the rested players was not executed at all, but give credit to Quins for some good organisation in defence for that.
As for next week, god only knows, although I presume we will have some props on duty for the cup final, but today was an abject lesson in how not to approach a Super League game, if you want to win it.

Wigan also rested two props last night (Mossop & Coley) plus have two (Fielden & Cross) out for the season.

We should have gone all out.

Yet another bad move from McSh*tnuts.

Look at wigans performance. That's a team that's gonna win the cc final.

We shouldn't even be there, i can't think of many super league seasons where leeds wouldn't have contested the final with the draw we've had.

All making the final does is give is buy McDurrbrain lots more time and leeway in the job.

If we'd made an early exit our season would be practically over and major questions being asked, but a cc final papers over everything.

You forget that wigan are a better team with a better coach.

Well I guess that speaks volumes about both sides respective strength in depth, and with next week in mind, we, and more importantly, the powers that be, should find that a major concern, for next season and beyond.

Blue peter badge in post.

blue peter badges dont get awarded for ner ner nerner ner ners

It has to be one of the worst first 40 minutes play I have seen for a long time! Lee Smith was also playing in the Acadamy game and must have been shattered.

I notice there is very little credit given to Quins performance

Mac knows how to coach a team to lose at The Stoop-He mastered it for 3 years

Very good

Can we play you every week ?

Wigan still fielded a respectable looking Lima, Hock, Prescott and O'Carroll as their prop rotation.

Leeds presumably tried going with Leuluai, Kirke, Pitts and Lauitiiti as theirs V Ward, Temata, Wilkes and Ambler. Only ever likely to be one winner in that mini battle given Leuluai is the only bona-fide prop amongst the Leeds quartet and he's lucky if he lasts thirty minutes most weeks over his two stints.

There was another masterstroke by our slow learning coach. On 35 mins Burrow is stood on the touchline with his replacement number waiting to come on; Sinfield is binned I thought for a quick 22m tap interference, Burrow is then told not to go on so goes and sits down. Burrow starts the second half, Sinfield returns five mins after the break. During Sinfields absence Quins scored 12 points. We lose by 10 in the end.
Burrow should have been on at 12 nil and certainly at 14 nil. We were pedestrian all the first half and we needed some pace injecting into our game and a score before half time.
The final score flattered us, only Delaney and Pitts when he was on can escape critisism.
On the final whistle the team came over to applaud supporters in the away stand which was about threequarters full I feel because it is the done thing to save further critisism not because they appreciated the following. Their appreciation should have been shown by producing a determined effort; our forwards were awol throughout the match it was the backs keeping the ball alive in the last 10 mins when Quins were tiring that got us the final 18 points. Quins were nothing special, they did the basics right and were organised. We hashed up a glorious chance to finish fourth I only hope we don't perform the same next Saturday.

Except Webb who sculked off into the changing rooms, hoping, I presume, that no one noticed. He does this most weeks

Good summing up of the day......I can't argue with any of that. It must be an increasingly frustrating situation for Rob Burrow, as it is for us supporters, to be left on the bench until the sitation is beyond help as he was against Quins. Mac has to start Burrow at Wembley, and accept he got things badly wrong against Quins regarding team selection and tactics.

I'm going to go against the grain here. BM did the right thing IMO - picked a reasonably strong line-up to try to keep momentum going for the cup final. I would argue he should have picked his first choice 17 (i.e. including the absent props), but.....

That result has nothing to do with BM and evrything to do with the attitude of the players. Had BM known they'd play like that he would quite likely have picked an Academy side. I'm sure the team would have reassured him that they intended to build on recent improvements with an eye to taking some form into Wembley. As it is -IMO - they barely turned up, played soft and got beaten badly.

Is there a reason why Mac doesnt pick Burrow at 7, McGuire at 6 and Sinfield at 13 with Webb at 1 and Buderus at 9 a formula that has stood Leeds in good stead for years.

He is a bizarre character. Puzzled me for 3+ years in London

He has his favourites, your one of em, your in clover, your not............ your stuffed.

Sinfield has decided he wants to play 6 - McDermott has to keep him on side or else what happened to Smith and McClennan will happen to him. Once he does that either Burrow or McGuire has to drop to the bench and we have no LF.

Hang on - so you're telling me Sinfield got two of the most successful coaches in the club's history sacked because neither would play him at six every week?

Seriously?

Even by your standards David that's some conspiracy theory you've got there.

Can't wait to see Ian Kirke's stats this week given his role in that 17 selected.

It will also be interesting to see how Richard Moore got on given he's been brought in next season to take up some of the prop slack.

oh you tease

I've seen them now. Jaws will be dropping all over Leeds when the weekly thread goes up.

did 'Gentle Giant' make double figures???

I have no real idea what his stats were, but he was completely ineffective on the day. It goes without saying that he didn't break a tackle or make an offload. Seeing as our kicking game was appalling and we didn't force any drop-outs, he didn't get his usual easy yards from that.

I'd guesstimate 10 drives for 48 yards.

As an aside: given Brisbane Rhino absolved our coach for the Quins performance (and maybe it would make more sense if the performance was untypical) as the players had "one eye on Wembley", I'd like to know why the players who should, by form, be clinging by their fingernails to a place in the Wembley team, or pushing for inclusion in it (Clarkson, Pitts, Lauititi, Kirke) were so terrible too. Unless, in a masterstroke of man-management, they already know the favourites and the team and have no motivation to perform.