To the Huddersfield Giants for once again winning the Man of Steel and Coach of the Year awards. Big well done on their success.

I thought Brough was a certainty for MoS.

The coach of the year is always a tricky award, being announced before the GF. If Wigan do the double I think it would be hard to argue against Wane's achievements. If Warry win then it could be argued that Smith, Wane and Anderson have been roughly on a par and that Anderson deserves it.

Anderson's achievement in winning the league leader's title has been impressive but I don't see how it could trump a challenge cup and GF double.

Perhaps - but homegrown Bristish coach, only recently appointed after picking up a team suffering a slump in form comes top of the league in his first full season. The only problem is if he continues to do well then we might see out top coaches joining the players in the rush to the Oz beaches?

Man of Steel but still not good enough for a McNamara side?

Says it all really.

Has much as I'm keen on Huddersfield I think both Paul Anderson and Danny Brough have defiantly deserved there awards , Brough has been outstanding for them this season, how he is not in the England squad I don't know and Paul Anderson has really taken the club to a new level and will be hoping to go one better next season.

Baloo definitely deserves the award. While I can understand a call for Shaun Wane, I think any coach who has turned a team of bottlers into a top of the league side, whose captain has won Man Of Steel, has to get a massive amount of credit.

As far as Brough goes, I can see an argument either way. But if Man Of Steel is about the best player over the course of the season, it's difficult to argue with it. There's a reason he won the Albert Goldthorpe medal, and that's because he stood out in almost every game he played.

Can't argue with Baloo getting the coach award, but I thought Peacock was a shoo-in, given the final three, to be honest.

Brough deserved to win. Anderson deserved coach of the year too, however if Wigan win the Grand Final, my coach of the year would be Shaun Wane

Brough should be in the England squad,simple as that imo.He has been the best stand off all season.Can't for the life of me understand why he is not.

Not in the England side because, yeah, when he's good he's good, but the reverse of that is when he's bad he's nondescript. Plus we have better, and more consistent, players available.

who?

Danny Brough

With him been named Man of Steel that would suggest he's bang in form,he should of been in the squad from day one,instead we will have a kiwi,who is obviously talented,but who will run up his own more often than not.Nobody will know what he's gonna attempt to do and the kiwis and Aussies will smash him all day long

Big mistake

Indeed. I am intrigued to see who Bulliac has in mind here.

Congratulations Danny Brough and Paul Anderson and other Winners.

I wouldn't argue with the two incumbents, Burrow and Sinfield. They've both had injury problems but have come back OK and you pretty much know what you're going to get with them. They also come with the added advantage of being a club pairing, which means they already know each other's game. With the sort of pack we seem to be putting together they have the class to really dominate games imo.

I'd definitely have Gareth Widdop in front of Brough too.

But that's the accusation laid at all great players; if their team isn't dominant it's their fault. When mediocre players are mediocre it's because the forwards haven't laid the platform. Brough is only playing 6 to accommodate Robinson at 7, Brough is the best scrum half in this country by a million miles. If O'Loughlin is fit I presume Sinfield will be 6, with Chase at 7, though I'm not sure where Widdop fits into that equation.

I like Burrow(pace) and Sinfield(vision-kicking game),but I am a great believer in playing half backs at half back,so Sinfield would be loose forward in my team.But I am afraid I would still put an in form Danny Brough at half back as he adds zip/pace/vision/kicking game to the middle of the park and we have had years of playing our loose forward at stand off against the Aussies and it hasn't worked then,so why should it work now as we lose PACE in the middle by following that route.We should be able to compete up front with such as the Burgess's playing regular NRL week in week out and we have Tomkins steaming in from full back so IMO we need regular half backs to knit this lot together and Brough would have been great.To not even be in the squad is a HUGE mistake imo.I just hope we ain't counting the cost later on in then tournament.

You're a great believer in playing half backs at half back, so you'd play a half back at Loose Forward? That makes sense.


This argument that Sinfield is a loose forward hasn't held water for ages. He's played 6 for Leeds for years now. In fact, it's probably a long time since he's even played loose forward. And yet those who say he shouldn't be picked out of position, all want him playing there. Think more people need to pay attention to where people actually play at club level rather than just the number on their back.

Incorrect,

where do you think Danny Maguire has been playing?Sinfield plays stand off when Maguire has been injured.Sinfield always was a loose forward first and foremost.IMO he hasn't the speed to play at Test stand off.

Danny McGuire plays at 7 (although 6 and 7 are essentially interchangeable these days), so Sinfield & McGuire play both really. Rob Burrow plays hooker almost every week (at least when everyone is fit anyway).

Sinfield has played a little hooker this year, but only a little (while Sutcliffe was in the halves with Burrow). He has played absolutely no loose forward. HTH.

Just because I enjoy proving people wrong when they say I'm "Incorrect", I've just had a look at Leeds' starting line ups for this season.

Danny McGuire has played in 23 out of 33 competitive games. All 23 of those, he was named at Scrum Half.

Rob Burrow has only missed the one game this year. He has played 10 games at Scrum Half, and 22 at Hooker.
Coincidentally, every single one of the games he played at 7, was when Danny McGuire was injured and not playing.

Kevin Sinfield has played in 28 out of 33 games. 3 of them were at Hooker. 25 of them were at Stand Off. Absolutely Sweet F.A. of them were at Loose Forward.

That combination of Sinfield at 6, McGuire at 7 and Burrow at 9 was also the lineup for both Leeds' games against us this year. You obviously didn't notice.

Just hang on,I thought you meant where they actually played when the game started,sweet fa to do with where they were named before the game .Of the games I have watched Maguire took the stand offs role in most attacks and Sinfield was where I would expect a loose forward to be and in defence Sinfield tackled as a forward not a back.

What are you on about?

It doesn't really matter where a specific player is named on the team sheet IMO. Sinfield may be picked at stand off, scrum half or loose forward but his role is the same - to guide the team around the pitch and provide composure and leadership. I guess McBanana wants him to do the same for England. Chase is there to run a bit wider and link up with Tomkins. Same applies to Widdop if he gets picked.

Brough isn't as devastating a wide runner as Chase or Widdop so he's up against Sinfield IMO. Is he a better leader? Is he more composed? More reliable under pressure? I don't think he is. He may be better in other areas but I reckon McBanana has gone for Sinfield because of he provides the things in the middle that Brough isn't as strong at and complements the rest of the team.

Watch Sinfield get picked at hooker now to explode this theory into smithereens!

I was thinking that, but Roby needs maximum game time to be effective. I think McIlorum is massively overrated; he has a big physical game & nowt else, I expect him to be on for the first 20 to mix it a bit then hopefully removed from the field to allow Roby more space.

Because he decided in June to play for Scotland?