So the season is finally here! Anyone missed it?

This should be a tough, physical opener against a much strengthened Hull team. I'm hoping home field advantage plays a big part next week and thank god the weather is improving.

For Hull, new club captain Gareth Ellis returns to play his 1st game back on English soil against the team that he gave 4 years to, winning 2 SL titles in the process. It's good to have a player of his standard back in the Super League and I am sure he will get a good reception when he runs out onto the newly laid Headingley pitch at about 7:30 on Friday evening. Hull, of course, are coming off of a bad loss to their near rivals Hull KR in last weeks preseason friendly. This though means nothing and anyone reading into last weeks game will have a shock coming their way. Hull will be pumped up for this game. They are playing a rival club in the opening game of the season, who happen to be champions and will want to start the season in a positive manner. A big crowd with a good Hull following will only help them too.

For Leeds, there is little change from last year. We have the 2 new signings in Mitch Achurch and Joel Moon, plus the late arrival of Joe Vickery, who will bolster the strength of both the run on and the the 25, but for me I am most looking forward to seeing how the younger guys develop over the course of this year. Kallum Watkins had a very good year last season which started with a crucial try against Manly where he turned Matai inside out and was capped off when he broke into the England team, scoring 4 tries in 3 games. This is a big year for him now. He has established himself but needs to kick on and become dominant in every game. He has the skill set to become the best centre we have produced in a long time. What impresses me most though is his attitude. He knows he is good but he isn't arrogant and looks like he wants to learn and improve, even if he has just come off a hat trick game.

Zak Hardaker is a young guy who I already think is the best out and out full back in the country. Does he have the same attacking threat as Sam Tomkins? Maybe not, but he is one of the most dangerous runners in the league and as awkward as he sometimes looks, he always manages to beat the 1st man, a bit like Paul Wellens used to do. The difference between those two though is speed! He must be the quickest white guy since Allan Wells! Once he finds the gap it is game over. Add to this his safe hands (people who went to the testimonial last week need not comment) and his defense and he makes us a much more dangerous prospect than we have been since Brent Webb's back went.

The biggest question for me, however, is how will our aging pack go this season. We have a couple of props who are very close to retirement, Ryan Bailey and then the quality drops off. If Leuluai and Peacock have any problems I could see the pack struggling against the bigger teams and as history shows us, when we are beaten in the pack, we don't go too well.

Anyway, Friday is week 1. This is the time of year where the "shocks" happen and although Hull beating us won't be a shock, it will be an achievement, given they are playing a team who rarely loses these opening home games (have we ever lost a week 1 match?).

I am looking forward to this already but remember, if we lose, it doesn't matter... the season doesnt start for another 8 months



Im going for a 22-14 win to Leeds.

Going to be a tense, close game though I reckon we'll win by a couple of scores, our quality will come through towards the end, not expecting us to tear the ground up though, will be relatively slow build up to WCC.

Our props are the biggest concern for me aswell and i hope we rotate more this year plus i wouldn't have Kylie and JP in the same 17 anymore.
I hope we will line up like this..
Hardaker
Vickery
Watkins
Moon
Hall
Sinfield
Mcguire
JP
Burrow
Bailey
Jjb
Delaney
Ablett

Mcshane
Achurch
Griffin
Clarkson/Kirke

It may sound like a broken record but i wouldn't have kirke in the 17 especially going by the Testimonial performances

Dare I ask what the supposed logic in that is? It's not even like they are interchangable, they have quite distinct roles in the team.

Im assuming Rhinoms meant on the field at the same time, not in the 17 at the same time.

Looking forward to the game and the season arriving. It's been to long. Going to be a close game.

He said in the same 17. It was pretty clear. I too am interested in the logic behind this.

He also mentioned rotating. That's where I think his meaning was, if you rotate Peacock and Kylie by playing each week and possibly out the next, then only one will be in the 17.

It's not really that bad a logic for the regular season games.

Think Peacock is well capable of playing more than that though. Although I do agree with rhinoms, that he should get much more rest time this year when possible.

I am all for a bit of rotation, but every other game seems OTT.

Both JP and Kylie would be in my first choice 17, spelled with other forwards as appropriate. I'd give both a few weeks off at strategically planned points in the season (allowing for other injuries) but I'd expect both to feature more often than not if they're not out injured.

I would agree with the comment that they play differnet roles. Peacock has always played longer stints than Leuluai, and I would expect that to continue.

Can't think of any coach, anywhere, ever who's used their frontline props on a week on/week off basis. I certainly can't conceive that Brian would do so.

Really looking forward to Friday.
It's always a good game when our "friends" from East Yorkshire arrive.

Neither can I, I was trying to understand the point. But then again, I also can't recall seeing other clubs have two such battle scarred and aged props as their frontline props each week. So it does need putting in perspective.

At the end of the day, when Kylie was given a new contract for another year, there was a lot of critisizing of the deal on this board. Infact, I don't recall one poster applauding the decision. Therefore if you looked at it from a point of view of his contract might not have been renewed, it does not look such a bad statement to question both Peacock and Kylie been in the same 17 each week, if a poster wants to do that.

Darrell Griffin is an England international, Richard Moore has been around the block a fair few times, Ryan Bailey is an international and has won numerous Super League titles. Kirke and Achurch are also capable of filling in at prop with Singleton to come back during the season too.

Realistically there is more than enough talent there to mean we don’t need to run Peacock and Kylie into the ground during the season.

I would hope we see more minutes from Griffin, and more games from Moore, which should mean that not only can we rest Peacock and Kylie from a few games, but we don’t need so much from them during the games we play.

From what I've read about his injury and the fact that he's had no pre-season, would be very surprised if Kylie played in this game. Imagine we'll line up:

Hardaker
Vickery
Watkins
Moon
Hall
Sinfield
McGuire
Peacock
Burrow
Bailey
JJB
Delaney
Ablett

Griffin
Kirke
Then two of Achurch/Ward/McShane/Clarkson (depending on whether Ward is fit or whether we're going to have a hooker on the bench)

Totally agree with your last bit, the board would be a boring place if posters didn't propose their own solutions to possible problems faced by coaches.

All I was doing was pointing out that there's no evidence that rotating between JP and KL from week to week would work, given that no-one's tried it before. In fact it could be detrimental to the form, if not the fitness, of both. That's not to say I'm opposed to resting players but I'd be more tempted to go down the more tried and tested path of resting them when their form/fitness suggests they need resting, rather than on the basis that one is in the squad hence the other one should be omitted.

Personally, I think you'll have too much in attack for us, we don't have a settled partnership in the halves (and even when we eventually do, we've recruited far from the required quality), it will be close as it's the first meaningful game for both sides.

I hope everyone enjoys the game, and the Sky muppets don't ruin it for those watching at home.

There are many ways to skin a cat. Personally, I would say have peacock doing smaller stints, and less minutes over all, but keep the quality high. Kylie has only ever done 10-15 minute stints, so as long as he can still manage that twice a game no problems there. Kirke, Griffin and Bailey all need to step up, and the coaches need to have faith that they can do that

Don't think Kirke is up to that.

I know the arguments about how many GF rings, etc. But I was thinking more specifically doing a different role than what he has been doing, which would be the case if Peacocks time is reduced.

At the moment he does a specific job which is whilst Peacock is off the field normally. I peronally don't think he has it within him to fill the role of doing more.

Given that we have virtually the same team as last year, with (relative) stability in the 9,13,7,6 & 1 axis I would expect us to beat Hull.
But they will be fired up & Ellis as skipper will want to put in a big performance.
Is McGoldrick still there? Pity if not since I always enjoyed his eccentric behaviour.

I think Kirke has it in him, it just needs to be brought out more often. He's a decent athlete for a guy his size and I think the fitness is there. Mentally is another question of course)

I don't think you can limit Peacock's involvement while he's on the field (this bit's not responding to you Gotcha, somebody else suggested it). He isn't made that way. If he's on the pitch, he'll be involved.

I get people having a down on Kirke when you compare what he does, to what he potentially could do - a better version of Chris Feather/Wayne McDonald almost.

What I don't get is people having a down on what he actually does.

I can't remember too many games when I've come away from it thinking "blimey, Kirke had a shocker today", in terms of errors, penalties, missed tackles etc he's got a very low error rate.

I'm sure I read something a while back to the effect that he was one of the players that Vievers had lined up in the event that the proposed takeover went ahead. Just goes to show what terrible consequences there can be when clubs face financial uncertainty during the off season.

Just to clarify my point re-Kylie and JP although we ended the season in fine form and had some good games (Manly CC semi) where both were integral and fulfilled their roles far too often they looked their age and got battered
Imo at the very least 1 wont be here beyond this season so i say lets start rotating both now.
Maybe on a game by game basis is too regular but i honestly think Griffin should get more gametimne and i think Bailey should be back at Prop and hopefully Singleton will get chances to be in the 17 when he returns from wakey.
Not only that its clear that Mc still rates Kirke so he's bound to get some gametime so that's enough to regular rotate and give the 2 older props more time off.
Whatever views are we cant keep pushing JP for an hour a game he loses consistency as was proved last year play offs aside.

P.S I forgot about Moore aswell and given the new u 19 rules id expect him to get more gametime with a better rotation policy.

Yeah, we have the options, but I just think the quality drops off massively after the front 2. Im not sure I would rotate them weekly, as others have said, but I would maybe think about bringing Leuluai off of the bench and starting Bailey or Griffin. Rest them maybe once every 4/5 weeks too, but obviously not at the same time.