I don't think anything can be read into this and it clearly doesn't reflect selection thinking.

The long servers get 1-13 irrespective of position etc, and so there is no instance like last season where platt got a clear and public demotion. At the same time the younger players don't get squad numbers and so a clear message of 'earn the shirt' through the season.

Basically a continuation of the pre season recruitment and public messages: nobody has a guaranteed right to be in the side and the whole squad has an opportunity.

So all good...

I don't believe that




You're right about Platt though, I'm sure someone posted it at the time (your good self??) we played wigan that maybe that was a Potter suggestion on selection to St Hilaire? And he did do well, but putting him back at 1 would bring him under the spotlight again after he did so well at last year.

Fair enough, but IMO Platt is better suited to playing at Centre or be used as a utility back. So whatever number Kearney has got on his back he is the best full back at the club, with Royston probably second with what i've seen of him.

My team for Leeds would be:

Royston
Ah Van
Sykes
Walker
Raynor
Kearney
Herbert
Hargreaves
Diskin
Lynch
Elima
Whitehead
Langley

L'Estrange
Scruton
Donaldson/Addy
Kopczac

I'm as excited as anyone about Ainscough and I think he will become a very good player for us, but I think that Leeds would target him all day.

The Donaldson/Addy decision to be made on fitness and pre-season form.

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere at the time we signed him that HKR were planning on using Walker more and more in the second row before he was injured... I think he'll get a run in both positions, and will probably start at but long term I can see him playing second row for us or maybe of the bench to fit in the backs or forwards as required?

And I agree with that. Platty IMO is a quality centre, but we all know at fullback he had a tendency towards the "brainfarts" which got the fans on his back. I personally would rather he remained at centre and we used Kearney or Royston at fullback. But as I said at the time (and you're right Duckman it was me), it seemed a lot like Potter had asked for Platt to be played at fullback against Wigan so that he could see how he went, so it was obviously in his mind somewhere, even if it was right at the back.




Yeah that's right. They even went as far as giving him the number 12 shirt (when he was number 3 the previous year), but of course then he had that horror leg break which scuppered it.