Just wondering with his good pal Leon coming home that maybe Elliott would be getting homesick. Stuck in a foreign country with only Aussies for company. Should we be interested if he did want out?

Offensively you can't ignore a 2nd rower who has got 17 tries this year. Defensively though he's 5th in the league for missed tackles, well above any Leeds player even though we've gathered a rep for missing a few tackles this year.

Along with the links to Chan and Kirmond etc. it doesn't seem the position that is of most urgency.

Good player, a try scoring second row like that is pretty rare. His defensive stats may be something to do with Catalans structure.

He's big and seems to have a good engine. Got to be worth a look.

Granted it could be a case of Catalans defence being the issue.

Would definitely be worth a look if he was interested in leaving France but we've got a few on the verge regarding the back row so tricky to fit him and all the others in.

Would also depend on wages, we've got to tie up Hardaker and Watkins plus a lot of young guys to good deals so the money might only stretch so far.

True but we've also got Peacock and probably Leuluai leaving in a years time.
I don't think salary cap would be the issue, our wage structure and IF Whitehead actually wants to leave France would be bigger factors in my opinion.

But because they're leaving soon, perhaps better to try sign a prop for 2016 with a decent chunk of change from the wage bill? We won't just need a prop, we'll need a lead prop and that won't come cheap.

He's the best offloading second-row in the league and something we've missed since Ali. No reason to think he's not happy in France though, and he's probably on a better wage than we could give him.

Oh I agree we need a prop in addition to Cuthbertson, and that's on the assumption Cuthbertson is more of a Leuluai and less of a Ben Cross/Mark O'Neill. Unless Bailey & Kirke step up. Lol.

I think he's improved a lot since he left the Dulls but I doubt he will leave there and as Printer pointed out I think our squad have recruitment/retention priorities elsewhere.

If we got him at a reasonable price I would say yes.
Although I still think he is still a bit raw. Then I would expect Mac to bring the best out of him.

Hes always had high missed tackle stats, even at Bradford, plus im pretty sure he hates Leeds, so doubt he would come us

Whitehead is also Catalans top tackler in terms of numbers. So he's missed a few, but he's made plenty. People run at him because he's targeted. But does plenty with the ball to make up for it.

No real reason to think he's unsettled in France. I doubt he only went there because Leon Pryce was there. Looks like a man enjoying his rugby.

I am still not totally convinced by him. He has an eye for the tryline, but sometimes seems to drift out of games a bit. He's a good player, but I think there's potential for him to be better than that. I'd want to know what's holding him back.

Besides the above issues, I also don't think back row is somewhere we need to spuff a load of cash at the moment.

I'd agree with El Diablo on this one, back row isn't a position I think we need to strengthen, especially with some of the younger lads who are coming through. Would like to see any potential funds spent on new deals for Watkins and Hardaker.

Isn't the rumour that he left West Yorkshire (and indeed the Country) because of problems Drinking with Mates etc.... I think him coming back might kick that off again?

Think his defence is the reason he's not cemented his place in the England squad. Physically, he's for everything for a SR. Big, strong, fit and faster than some wingers.

I think he has improved at Catalans, maybe a year or two in NRL to sort out his defence, he would be an outstanding second-rower.

What's happened to Stevie Ward for you guys. When he first broke through he looked like the real deal. Don't watch Leeds every week but he doesn't seem to be living up to his potential. Had a look at stats for Cas game and he missed 7 tackles and made 32 metres. Was it a blip?

Regarding Whitehead I think he'll end up moving away from Catalans in the not too distant future. With back row not having any real standouts for England then he's got a shot of making the squad this year. That along with the unlikeliness of Catalans offering realistic trophy chances will see him make the move to a stronger team.

Regarding Ward. Couple of issues, he's not used much as a ball handler more just a run hard 2nd rower. Problem is he's not got the physical build for the role he's being asked to perform. He is someone though I think is worthy of being patient with as his physical build at such a young age has been hampered by spending the previous 2 off seasons recovering from serious shoulder injuries. If he can end the season injury free and hit the off season hard then it could be the making of him in 2015 and the long run.

Dint know Leon had any mates

Got Ablett, Delaney and Achurch for the long haul in the back row, plus Walters, Minchella and Foster all coming through. Add Sutcliffe & Ward fighting over the LF spot and we're fairly well covered.

That said if we do see Delaney going towards prop / battering ram LF more and want to use Achurch for impact from the bench then Whitehead would be a good shout - lots in his locker and he's still only 24.

As has been said though, we need a pack leader to replace JP (would be worth looking at Luke / George Burgess or even FGB for that).