So I was just looking through the haves and have nots for next year. We will have 7 30+ year olds in the squad. Although this may sound like a lot, the majority are in the pack where you need the experience. The 30+ year olds are Webb, Sinfield, Peacock, Leuluai, Griffin, Moore and JJB.

What I like about the look of next years team is the 3/4 line! If it can stay fit and healthy I dont think there will be a quicker, more exciting one in the SL. You have BJB, Watkins, Hardaker and Hall. How many opposition 3/4s could honestly say they'd look forward to facing that?

Webb is still here and even though he has a few "senior" moments now and then my opinion on his 1 year extention has changed. He showed me in the last month or so of the season that he still has something to offer to this team and with the inexperience of the 3/4 line it will probably be good to have someone who's been there to be around them.

As for the halves i'd keep it as it is with Sinfield and McGuire at 6 and 7. We looked much more fluent and better organised like this and it would be silly to change things.

My team for next year would probably go something like this at the moment...

Webb
BJB
Watkins
Hardaker
Hall

Sinfield
McGuire

Bailey
McShane
Peacock
JJB
Ablett
Clarkson

Griffin
Leuluai
Delaney
Burrow
------------
Hauraki
Kirke
Moore
Smith
Ambler

Decent strength and a good mix between youth and experience. You may look at that and think that there is no depth in the back line but we have players who can change and do jobs elsewhere like Ablett and Delaney so we shouldnt be short on options.

Is the team good enough to repeat though? Only time will tell, but with that backline i'm confident we will see some points next year.

Yes, it can. It has a fast, exciting young back line, experience and depth in the forwards and big game players who know how to hit peak at the right time.

The only question mark is how the hooker role is handled.

I'll say this. If we finish fifth again I bet clubs won't be picking us in club call.

For me, we lack a dynamic forward who can put a big 10/15 minute stint in at the end of the half, or give a killer offload. I still think we will sign a replacement for Ali who will play a similar role. I wouldn't also grudge another outside back, but only if it is someone who will really add something to the team, not another Delaney who wouldn't add to the backs. How feasable that is I don't know.

I'd say we have a better chance than we did this time last year with both Peacock and McGuire being fit (fingers crossed).

I don't think age is as important as it used to be, players like Menzies, Senior, Peacock, Morley etc have shown that you can play consistently at the very highest level if you look after yourself and the improved medical/physio services just help that.

Hahahaaaaa Too right!

It'll be difficult...again, but if the form over the closing couple of months of the season is indicative of what McDermott's coaching methods have been able to achieve, there's no reason to suggest it can't be carrried into 2012.

shall we try from 8th

that would wind up the pies

It's has to be. After the hudds play off game whatever happened we had enough to take into a good preseason and polish it up. Now the lads should be on fire! The line in the sand has been drawn! Recalibration complete. Faith restored without doubt! This team must! This team will kick on.

Depends if Peacock and Sinfield are fit at play-off time.

As my "knee jerk" posts during last season show my only doubts were the coaching staff and for me they've been ramming humble pie back down my throat since Wembley.
The back line have so much potential to take this league by storm for years to come and whilst i question what Moore will bring i do like the addition of Griffin.
I also think we will see 1/2 more come from the production line and get some 1st team games next year which hopefully will be start of their paths to regular 1st team spots.
IF we are to sign anyone then i would like to see an ALI esque replacement if possible otherwise i don't see any need for signings just to add numbers.
I understand G1's concern re-9 but i think with Hood and Burrow(if needed) we can cover that role soundly.
This squad still has stacks of potential and now after doing "mission impossible" they will alwyas have the belief no matter what the season throws at us which makes us even more dangerous.

don't no why people get hung up on players over 30. most of the players mentioned or just over 30. up to 33-34 don't see the problem. and even after this age as long as they are fit and injury free no reason why they still can't compete. appreciate not everyone is a steve menzies. we should easily get 3-4 years out of Griffin Sinfield JJb etr and a couple more out of Peacock. and with plenty of youth coming through think we look in good shape.

I agree with your comments and in the YEP this week Gary H also said that there's always room for quality signings from the NRL or other SL clubs within the salary cap. It's only an offer to Senior and he might turn it down. I still think there will be 1/2 quality additions to squad for 2012. We should be aiming to finish top of SL and also win another Grand Final (plus the Challenge Cup).

I Agree, 34 is the new 30.

Pretty much agree. I'll be a lot happier once we've cloned Peacock though. He, more than any other player IMO, is going to be very difficult to replace.

It's possible. But I think a lot of your confidence comes from 'Grand Final Superiority syndrome'. A lot of teams get this, I remember back in the day Saints won a GF and everyone was saying we'd win it every year from then on. Bradford won it the following year I think and everyone said they'd dominate.

You watch a team win a final and then the season closes shut. You abiding memory is of Leeds being great in the final. You kind of forget the guff that went on for much of the season before that.

One thing in Leeds' favour is the disruption at the other clubs. Saints are in mourning over the departed Jammer. Will we even have a pack next season? It's hard to imagine us without him. Wigan with King Kong installed as the new coach. Will he have the cunning Maguire had?

Warrington will think it's their year again and I'd have them as favourites for top spot.

but we re not going to go overboard about prospects for 2012.Not like the chamions of 2011

Surely 34 is the old 30.

I don't see how people can justify not having Delaney starting in the second row. I'd argue he has been one of our most consistent and important players this year. Makes lots of good hard yards and is solid as a rock in defence.
I can understand people wanting both JJB and Ablett to start, but if anyone has to drop out to accommodate that, it should be clarky (although I am a massive fan of his also).
Delaney has been all quality, all year. Very much an unsung and underrated member of the team.

If Leeds are 4th or 5th towards the end of the 2012 season, I doubt bookies will be offering 20-1 and more!!

Leeds will be artificially short odds now they'e proved it can be done.

Leeds have set 2 records now that will be hard to surpass.
3 titles in a row and winning from 5th



Never write Leeds off

In that team I put down this was my major dilemma. I wanted to put Delaney in the starting line up as im a massive fan of his, but I like Clarkson and if he doesnt start he doesnt get a spot IMO. Ablett and JJB are still ahead of Delaney IMO but Abbo can always go loose and Clarkson drops out fully. You also have Weller who after the 2nd half of the season could be argued is worth a spot in the 17.

Isnt it good we have these problems though?

I think I'd go with JJB and Delaney in the second row, with Ablett at loose. Clarkson is a great player, but I think the others offer more to the team going forward. If Clarkson can run some better lines and promote the ball a bit more when going forward I see him as our loose for many years to come. I like having Sinfield at 6 with Burrow coming off the bench as we look more of an attacking threat that way.

Of course they can!



Good points as always saddened. The thing with leeds is they normally put up a stern defence, only in 2010 we didn't make old trafford to defend the crown and to be fair that was after 3 on the bounce.

We have some great talent coming through in the backline and although moore and griffin are obviously not world beaters they add depth and experience to the pack.

I don't see any reason why leeds can't push for a top 3 finish next year and from there give old trafford another good crack.

I would expect the team to put in much better efforts early season. We've got the WCC which (whilst I hope we don't go overboard which we seemed to under Bluey) ought to provide some early-season energy. To me the most interesting thing for next year will be the Challenge Cup. I still think the senior players in this squad really want it, and next year we're unlikely to get as easy a ride to the final as this year. If we won the CC I'd doubt we'd challenge for the Championship.

For whatever reason I'd probably back Wire to win the championship next year. Pessimism is after all the hallmark of long-term Leeds fans.

I'd rather bet my life on predicting Saturdays lottery numbers correctly than making any judgement on Leeds' potential achievements next season.

All I will say is that one poster will predict that the squad is foooked - again (one year he'll be right and we'll spend the entire off season being told so), two posters will argue over the legacy of Danny Buderus on McShane and Hood, someone will postulate that Huddersfield are more future thinking, another will think it's all over after 8 cans of Stella one Friday night in April after a crap performance (that's me in case you're wondering), someone from Wigan will post their entire trophy haul over the last 100 or so years, someone else from Wigan (who acts like a total dong - I know, doesn't narrow it down much) will appear with a new logon id for the 30 seconds it takes McF to identify and ban him (if Damo doesn't spot him first like last time), "Mammywhammer" will become the most used adjective when describing any great performance by a Leeds player, some posters will think Rob Burrow is going to Cas and Rangi Chase will replace him, one poster will call for Ryan Hall to be moved to centre, and one poster will spend the entire season trying to wind everyone up and will continue to get more bites than there are on my computers 500 gig hard drive (really, bwahh, shag etc...etc...).

Until then we will have the joy of every other clubs fans venting their frustration at the mighty Rhinos winning [ianother[/i Championship by blaming all the rubbish Leeds players in the England squad for the country's awful performance in the 4 nations.

Quality DHM.