Who is this Lee Gaskell? I don't recall seeing him...

Ask the club physio.

So I know two members were discussing it earlier but just what percentage of games has Gaskell played in the last two seasons?

Games played in 2015 - 19 of 34 games = 56%
Games played in 2016 - 11 of 24 games = 46%

Is there any other team in this league that has played half of their games without their stand out player?

He's not he's a realist. Hull are top of the league the Giants are crap and getting worse.

He clearly wants to play first team football and he won't get that at Hull.

He also has a family and wants to be closer to home and family. Travelling to Hull every day from Lancs would be a terrible journey. Huddersfield are half an hour closer so makes sense.

Gaskell's physio is near Huddersfield, and there's a handy Premier Inn round the corner with very keen long-term room rates, and no steps to negotiate

I know this is going to sound bitter but...

Does anybody care? As good as he is, we've been playing without him that long that I won't notice he's gone.

If you'd asked me this at the same time last season, I would have said I was gutted at the thought of him leaving.

But right here, right now? Not all that bothered.

Part of me still wishes he was staying as he's a top quality player. His form at the beginning of the season was down to our abysmal recruiting. FFS he had Danny Addy and Richie Mathers as his creative 7 & 1. Teams just set about 3 players on him and marked him out of the game.

If we had Chisholm & Moss partnering him at the beginning of the season we would have seen a different Lee Gaskell.

I don't disagree with that. And I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back from injury now, play alongside those two and totally destroy Oldham, Swinton etc.

But whilst we know what a great player he is, he didn't look that bothered this season. I know it's probably because the players around him weren't good enough and he was no doubt tired of trying to do it all himself. But that's not an excuse for me. If he still looked like he was doing his absolute best to try and make something happen, even with it all against him, it would be different. But instead it looked to me like he'd given up, and I'm not that fussed about keeping people that do that, regardless of ability.

I disagree. Gaskell has always been one of those players who doesn't look as if he's doing much. Until he does it. It seems to be a trait in many half-decent players, think of people like John Woods or Leon Pryce. I agree he hasn't set the pitch alight when he has played, but frankly the way we have gone about it this year we may as well not have been playing him anyway. He must have had the most frustrating year of his life

It will be interesting to see how he goes again in SL. It will be his third team and two let him go - but he was young! I don't really feel that he has played for us fully and am sure Smith will replace him with someone who will play more time...................er, wait a minute, we might be singing Leon...........OH damn!

It'll be his 4th team I believe. Played for Saints, Salford and us in Super League before we got relegated. Although he spent a lot of time for us and Salford at fullback.

Did I hear correctly that Gaskell declared himself unavailable to play today?

Think this may be true. Frightened of doing his hamstring again and losing new contract at Huddersfield.

When Leigh replace Huddersfield in SL, will his contract still hold?

DrFeelgood wrote

Highlander When Leigh replace Huddersfield in SL, will his contract still hold?


hmm...No strings there then!

None that are fully attached, no.

Seems a bit out of order to me.

Would love this to Happen.

I don't think think we need to play Gaskell. Leave him out.

Don't know but it will be as funny as f@(k though.

Agreed. I'd leave out any player now who's said they don't want to be here next year provided we can cover the spot in the 17 with someone who does want to stay.

What was said on that BCB panel last week with Karl Harrison about some of the players? It was either they were refusing to tell Rohan if they were staying or weren't saying which club they were going to? Karl was annoyed about the lack of common courtesy iirc

I would take it with a pinch of salt. However if it was true (and I would be surprised if it was), I wouldn't pick that player again and I would be happy for them to leave. Wrong attitude entirely and I wouldn't want someone like that at the club, regardless of ability.