I think the Gurus_Beard persona is not long for this board. A good Bradford base of knowledge and a desire to cause trouble can only go so far!

Maybe so, but he talks more sense than most on here.

So Ian Kirke would "walk into the Bulls side with absolute ease".

Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

He may be as good as some outside our first choice, but there's no way he's better than our current 1st choice backrow.



Nowhere, nowhere at all have I said that the Bulls will overtake Leeds. However I do think we will improve on our finish this year. It won't take much. In fact I reckon we'll finish 8th with our current squad. If we sign some halfbacks then 6th isn't out of the question.

Leeds I think will not finish higher than 4th and may well struggle to get that high IMO.

.......and breath!



I don't think anyone with any credibility on here is predicting a return to the golden years for the Bulls just yet. But don't let me stop you exagerating!

As for a Leeds slide. It's already happening. Check out where Leeds finished this year and how they played in comparison with 07, 08 and 09.

As for your last paragraph, just because a bloke was a Bulls legend and has a personality doesn't make him a great coach. Otherwise why not recruit Robbie Paul or James Lowes? The record counts. Potter's achieved more in his career than McDermott has so far.

Sorry, but how many times was Worrincey playing for you last year?

Kirke is a 3 times winning GF player. How many of the bulls players can say that again? Kirke would walk into your side with ease.




Personally, I originally thought Leeds would struggle to make 6th. But now we have made some required changes, such as releasing Diskin who was hampering our play, and we have the impetus of a new coach. We won't be challenging for honours that's for sure, but 4th is back on the agenda for us.

You might well get 6th, but and I repeat, you will be challenging for 8th spot. I am sure it will be pretty close down there from 6th to 12th. And that is the group you will be in with the quality of players you have. You could just as easily finish 12th as finish 6th, which is why I said 8th. However, regardless of finishing position, I am sure your side will put in far better performances this year than last.

We're talking CURRENT team. With the CURRENT team, Worrincy is nowhere near first choice.

At least if you're going to make an argument, get your facts right.

I can't believe you say Kirke would walk into the Bulls current side and yet you have the audacity to accuse someone else of bias!

I applaud your optimisim but I think you are getting a bit carried away with it.

If i were you I'd try and be a bit more sensible in my predictions for the upcoming season or people might start thinking you are a bit of a joker.

Well done for picking the only one that wouldn't

So which back rowers in the bulls squad are you believing to be better than Kirke. Remember I am talking first choice 17 here. I can only think of Langley that would be a choice better than Kirke in the backrow, so enlighten me.

whitehead and elima would comfortably get in 17 ahead of kirke. they both blow him away in pretty much every stat. hth.

I come back to what I said above. Abosolute bias. So biased its laughable.

Kirke is not the most gifted player to grace the game, but he is far better than Elima. Don't you think if Elima was that great one of the top clubs would have snapped him up?

Whitehead I am sure will one day be a very good player, and good luck to the lad, but he needs to have proven himself over a much longer period to be justified in been ahead of a 3 times Champion player.

Let me put it another way to you. Do you honestly believe that Whitehead and Elima would have got in the Leeds 17 last season?

strange then that in both cases, whilst playing in poorer teams, they've both clearly surpassed kirke in pretty much every stat going

My computer keeps saying things like Kirke is better than Whitehead & Elima!!

I really must visit PC World, this one has lost the plot!!!

On this I completely and wholeheartedly agree. I for one have almost laughed out loud today at your bias.

Yes, theyd have walked into it.

They would have got picked as often as Kirke.

However we can all point to players who seem to get picked over and over inexplicably. For Leeds it's Kirke, who's pants. For us we've got Worrincy who seemed to be able to get in the side no matter how bad he was despite there being better players in the squad kicking their heels.

Obviously how we rate players differs greatly but I note you're the only Leeds fan to arrive on this thread that rates Kirke so highly.

BTW having a number of winners medals doesn't automatically mean you're a champion player. Ask Chris Smith or Tim Jonkers or Lee Radford or Graham Mackay.

Lee Radford is a fantastic player.

Incidentally, I agree that if you were picking a 17 from both squads, there would be more Rhinos in it than Bulls.

In fact, there's only the forwards where we'd get players in there, although I think there might be one or two in the backs that will make their name this year to change that. (With the possible exception of Delaney)

A fit & committed Elima would get in any 17 in SL IMO.

I often think that your views are unfairly dismissed on southstander but this is ridiculous. Last season Elima (or Whitehead) would have walked into the Leeds 17 on many occasions.

Kirke is a solid player but like Chris Feather before him, he just doesn't have the ability to match his physicality. FWIW I think he's a handy squad player, but is really on the fringes of the first 17 when everyone is fit. That's how he's managed to pick up so many GF winners rings - filling in manfully for someone else.

I sincerely hope that Gotcha is just attempting to wind people up and doesn't actually believe that Kirke is better than Elima. Elima is class and would get into any SL 17 easily, I wish Leeds had signed him since I think he's exactly the type of second row/prop that we need.

As has been said Kirke is a very useful squad player and when he's on form he's quite good.The fact that he played so many games in 2010 probably shows the weakness of our squad/injuries last season. Kirke had a poor season in 2010 but has been and still will be a useful squad member but to suggest he's better than Elima is embarrassing and laughable. I don't know enough about Whitehead to comment.

To be honest, the only one from the current Bull's squad that would be guaranteed a game at Headingley would be Lynch. A fully fit Elima would certainly be there or thereabouts, but as for the rest...... nah!

From the current bulls squad think diskin, scruton, lynch, elima and langley would get in.

Diskin for mcshane, scrutes for burgess, lynch for bailey, elima for lautiti, langley for kirke..they even need a stand off since mcguire injured so kearney would get in and leave sinny at loose.

Dreamers are these Leeds fans.