We have 3 injury prone second rowers. Ferres is on a huge contract at Giants, but he can't stay there for (ahem) reasons relating to extra curricular activities. So, should we take Ferres on loan for a year? Yes we should. He was excellent against NZ, and all I'm bothered about as a Rhinos fan is that the players give 100% everytime they put on the blue & amber.

Would you have him at Leeds? If not, why not? Please don't use the excuse regarding Huby's missus. These guys are not holier than thou.

He's a very good player. If everything else could be worked out to the satisfaction of the management I'd be happy to have him.

Why should we ignore something so incredibly serious? If he'd cheated on his wife with a random that's one thing, but he broke an absolute rule - you do not do screw your team mates partner. Full stop, end of story. These guys go out every week and put their bodies on the line for each other, if you can't trust him to do something as simple as not put his penis in your wife how can you trust him to have your back when the chips are down?

A thousand times no. We win because we are a team and he clearly has no idea of what that really means.

Yep.In no way condoning what he has done, but that is for him, his family and others to sort in thier own privacy now.From a rugby stand point if it is deemed he would improve us, which i think he would, then get him.I will probably get shot down for having that view but hey ho.

This ^^^^^^
SFT!
It wasn't just a team mate he betrayed he was his best man FFS all this "but he had a good series & all you care about is what happens in a Rhinos shirt" is totally underestimating the effect/impact of Team Harmony and 100% trust amongst the squad.
He's crossed the line wrt his betrayal and if that's good enough for the Giants to ditch him it should be good enough for us not to touch him with a barge pole.

This

Leeds' success has been built on stupendous unmatched 'teamwork' .....it's a formula that should not be ignored for the sake of an individual that might indeed be better as an "individual" rather than as a much more valuable mutually trusted team member.

Oh please. The amount of people that actually believe the "Rhinos family" nonsense. There will be players who don't get on with one another. Like any other work place. Sheringham and Cole hated each other at man utd. But they won the treble.

Ferres is a brilliant second rower. I don't care a toss what he does outside the 80 minutes he plays rugby. And neither should you!

And the prize for completely underestimating just how important team work and team ethic has been to the Leeds Rhinos for the past decade goes to you. Bravo. Your lack of understanding of why this might be an issue is quite something to behold.

Yes, there will be players who don't get on with one another and if they're not professional enough to get passed that one or both will be gone. That's all true and I have no issue with that.

As for not caring what they do outside the 80 minutes? Well as they are always a representative of Leeds Rhinos I actually care quite a lot. If they do drugs I don't want them at the club. If they're cruel to animals I don't want them at the club. If they habitually beat people up I don't want them at the club. And if they have so little respect for all of their team mates that they're willing to completely shatter the vital bond and trust that is vital to any successful team by betraying a team mate in just about the worst way possible then I don't want them at the club.

Why would you want someone at the club who you categorically can not trust? Because he's a slightly better than average second rower?

I'm glad that the standards the club sets are closer to mine than to yours which are clearly in the gutter.

Genuine question, would you work with someone who shagged your wife/someone you thought was a likely candidate to try to? And if you would - and I suspect you would - would you put your body on the line for him in the same way you would for someone who you knew would smash anyone who would betray you in such a fashion?

if Ferres slept with his best mates mrs and his best mate didn't happen to play in the same team as him he would still be a Huddersfield player and apart from people saying what a prat there wouldn't be much else said.

What Big Jim Slade said.

It really depends on what kind of person Ferres really is.
Is he an &rsehole or is a regular guy who made a mistake (admittedly a pretty bloody huge one).
I'm 100% behind the team ethic and I know Leeds are very keen to find out what kind of person a player is before they sign them. It's not just playing ability that is factored into decisions.

Players and coaches who've interacted with Ferres will know (as much as you ever can) what he's like.

If the club determine he'd fit in with our way of doing things and that the recent incident is an aberration and not a true indicator of his personality then I'm all for us signing him. He's a very good player and would fill a role for us.

However, if they can't fully satisfy themselves of this, then I would be against us signing him, regardless of how good a player he is.

In the end perfectly decent people can do pretty sh|tty things and make horrific mistakes but still be decent people.
Or they could be &rseholes. It depends what category Ferres falls into.

^^^^

pretty much in a nutshell. I always hoped we was never in for Hock because of the fact it was clear he is a bad egg and wouldn't be changing his ways.Is Ferres generally a problem? who knows but aside from this big cock up (pardon the pun

) he may well be a solid hard working player, which is what he has come across to me as aside from this.The only side who had to take the morale high ground were Hudds which they have.

I'd have Ferres, very good player.

All this stuff about what's gone on privately between people who were obviously very close to each other is of no relevence other than he can't keep working with Huby. He's commited no crime, he's done nothing to disgrace the game, it's a private matter between work colleagues and their families. It doesn't make him a bad person or suggest he'll start after anyone elses wife.

FWIW plenty of sporting legends have done worse and more often. Half the kids in Manchester could call Ryan Giggs "Daddy" if they wanted to.

Couldn't disagree more. I think it says a lot about a man that he's prepared to do that to a team mate, it suggests he's neither a team player nor a trustworthy man. Would you invite someone into the dressing room who'd stolen from other players? I doubt it. Having a player you can't trust is terrible for morale.

People are talking about private lives and the team like they're mutually exclusive, they're not generally and in this case there is a very direct relation. He broke the code, he betrayed all of his team mates by doing that and to my mind that has incredible relevance to whether you'd want him as part of your team.

If team morale/trust is the one big question then their's a simple solution to whether we should sign him or not.......ask the squad their feelings about it. If they aren't bothered by what he did then go for it, if they say no thanks we don't want him in the squad then don't.

For all the opinions on here about what he did and his trustworthiness, we aren't the ones who have to share the pitch and dressing room with him.

I agree, except for the fact that in this case his best mate and the "victim" for want of a better word was a team mate.
If he weren't a team mate then I agree the decision would be a lot easier.

But in general I agree, the club just has to satisfy itself regarding his character which has, at the least, been called into question.

No. But he hasn't.

Look, people are complicated, their private lives are complicated and relationships are too. What went on between 3 people is their business and "blame" in these situations is not something that is easily apportioned.
The simple fact is two guys who were very close friends now can't work together because of some personal issues. Ferres has been a solid part of that Hudds team for years and has brought a professional attitude to the England side when he's been included. What's gone on between him, his former best mate and his wife would not bother me in the slightest if I were a Leeds player.
Obviously it would bother you.

I would be disgusted if my team (or any team) signed him. The same applies to Salford and Carney. Every team has players that have done regrettable things but that is one line you DO NOT cross. Leeds' team morale would decrease significantly if you signed him. Send him to Leigh

Do you think that all of the professional RL clubs worldwide will share your views and refrain from signing a very talented International player for making one grave error?
I certainly do not condone his actions but I'm sure that he has also been through a traumatic time in dealing with what has happened and in being so weak as to betray his best friend in this way, although there is certainly more to the story than what has been reported in the media

Everyone deserves a second chance in life and Ferres certainly deserves the chance to move on with his career and I'm sure that he will wherever he eventually ends up

Would you invite someone into the dressing room who had stolen from the players?
Leeds did!!

Given that he did sleep with his team mates Mrs and that's EXACTLY what makes it such an issue, I'm not sure of the relevance of the point you're making here.

It wouldn't sit well with me if we signed him, I never really liked him as a character prior to this. But then I'm not the one taking to the field with him.

Leeds have a job to do, and that's assemble the playing squad that has the best chance of winning all the available trophies in 2016.

Would Brett Ferres - from a playing perspective - enhance that? Of course he would. He's on a level with Ward and Ablett as the best second rowers at the club.

It's alright taking the moral high ground, but you don't get medals for that. If the management at Leeds think he could be integrated into the squad, then they should make enquiries about bringing him in.

As it is, I think it's something of a moot point as I can't see Huddersfield letting him go on loan to another contender for trophies.

Big Jim, you need to stop being hysterical. I pay my hard earn money to watch Leeds Rhinos for 80 minutes a week. I want to see my team win matches, win trophies. Give us great memories. Would Brett Ferres improve the squad? Yes, he undoubtedly would! Has Ferres broken the law? No! What is your view on Zak Hardaker? Ryan Bailey? Chev Walker? I have no interest in any aspect outside of the 80 minutes on that pitch. I trust Messrs McDermott and Hetherington to deal with that side of things!

I think you're missing the point.

It's got nothing to do with the law. It's got to do with team atmosphere/ethic/whatever you want to call it.
The "problem" with Ferres isn't that he had an affair, or that he betrayed his best mate. It's that he betrayed his team mate.
If you want to watch your team win trophies then you have to have a squad that are willing to give their all for each other, see the last 16 minutes of the Grand Final.
You should have an interest in aspects outside the 80 minutes on the pitch. The stuff that happens off the pitch is often what turns good players into great ones and good teams into winning ones.

See Salford for what happens when you get the off-field aspects very wrong.

It's up to Leeds to decide whether Ferres will adversely affect the team or not, as they will be able to contact players and coaches who will know a lot more about Ferres than we do.

Has it occurred to anyone that some of the Leeds lads may be pals with Craig Huby? Surely that would be taken in to consideration as it would be hugely damaging to the dressing room.

I think you have got that big all wrong, and as a result are giving a character assassination without viewing all sides.

It is the fact that they are so close that this happened. Team mates didn't come into, it would have happened under the same circumstances were they both working together as welders, or designers, etc. Things happen in life that you don't expect, and people need to get a sense of reality here.

Was it just a quickie after a drink, I fully understand your point. But it wasn't, and it was because of a direct result of how close these two families are, that two of them got closer than should.