https://www.therhinos.co.uk/article/197 ... ith-rhinos Good business, developing into one of the best Second rowers in country

https://www.therhinos.co.uk/article/197 ... ith-rhinos Good business, developing into one of the best Second rowers in country

Good player, who has more than earned an extension. My only concern is how we fit all these players in the back row.

The one year makes sense. If he has another good year we should be trying to get him on 2-3 years.

Excellent news. Close to player of the season for me last year. A massive asset to the club.

He is a very similar profile to Bentley, I suspect this will be a case of one gets retained beyond 2025 but maybe not both.

Very good news we have him for a couple of years. There would be a number of other clubs interested in him it probably says we’re in a semi-healthy place that he’s willing to stay at Leeds a couple more years without guarantee of starting.

I think It could be martin whos let go. Not due to performance but to free up a quota spot in the front row.

Martin is due next year - we also have Gannon and one or two academy prospects coming through, something has to give.

McDonnell and Bentley could play in the same side maybe but we’re going to have to rationalise that back row.

Think I read something other day about a new team in NRL might want Martin ?.
He will be nearly 32 by end of next season and Donaldson shouldn't be needed when we have McDonnell, Bentley,Gannon etc.

There’s a train of the thought that the next impending NRL franchise will be PNG based and if that’s the case they’ll target people like Martin, Ipape, Lam etc.

I actually think Martin would be a big loss, but understand that quotas are at a premium.

I'll caveat this all with should this materialise. He'd be a massive loss all round, work ethic, availability, kicking, nouse and ability. We couldn't, and perhaps shouldn't, compete with the lure of a PNG based franchise, certainly not at this stage in his career. As far as I'm concerned it'd be a thanks and the very best of luck. It would free a quota spot, so perhaps, in that rarest of moments in professional sports, it'd be a case of everyone wins.

If the PNG franchise does come about I suspect Rhyse would view it as a dream way to end his top level career. A loss to us no doubt but I think everyone would understand and wish him well

We have good back row options if he does move back home.
Couple more coming through the academy as well.
Releases a valuable OQ spot too.
It's more the goal kicking we'll miss.
Do Miller and/or Frawley kick goals?

Miller does, but not to the level required of a regular kicker. Unless Sinfield somehow establishes himself as first choice half next year we'd really have to look at recruiting a kicker. We'll have to think long and hard about letting Martin go (I'm sure there would be interest at other SL clubs) because he might not have been a superstar, but he's been amongst our very best for a number of seasons.

Martin should look better with better quality around him - he’s a decent running threat but he needs help from the half backs to shine (like everyone).

For 2025 we’d have a bunch of kicking candidates I wouldn’t worry too much.

Who'd be your kickers for 25, assuming Martin does leave?

Even though there are a couple of players who can kick, there are not many in the sport who can kick as well as Martin.

Young Sinfield looks the deadliest with the boot after Martin, but where would he fit in on a weekly basis? Who do you drop?

I actually can see us retaining Martin another year but Croft, Momirovski can kick and Edgell I think? In addition to Sinfield but he won’t play if the starting halves are fit obviously.

True Martin is the best kicker at the club, it will be interesting to see what happens this year. Fus is still one of our best players but if he can’t stay fit he’s likely to be our next OS quota spot for 2025.

Fusitu'a hasn't performed for me. Not entirely his fault, as I also don't think the team has utilised his strengths or give him enough opportunities. And of course the injuries haven't helped.

He hasn't looked like the NRL lead try scorer we were promised, and I feel we'd have faired better with a steady home grown winger who would have been much cheaper.

Fus wouldn’t be in SL if he was in top try scorer form for NRL. We picked him up bc he was under a cloud or two, like most players who come over here.

The big thing with him is getting and staying fit, although any player can get injured. Like I said I guess the club will be making a decision on him this year; but we do have a couple of decent prospect wingers coming through.