Reports in the League Express this morning that Lesley could be considering a return to Super League...with Wakefield showing interest.

I wonder what sort of state his knees are in these days?

Should we, would we be interested?

Yeah I read that too, his contract expires in May. I'd love the Lesley we had to come back to us, but he was looking shot for league when he left and I can't see how the situation would have improved since.

So my heart would say yes we should bring him back to Odsal, but my head says no. I hope if he does come back he does himself justice at Wakey or wherever but I can't see it working TBH (hope I'm wrong and makes it work for a return)

I'm sure he'd be in contact with us first if he really wa sthinking about a comeback. If we wanted, him, then why would he look anywhere else?

But can we a) afford him and b) have a quota spot.

How does that work? Hasn't he got a British Passport now?

I saw a picture in a paper yesterday shwoing him celebrating a recent try, so he still knows where the whitewash is.

Scored against Biarritz on his return to the side in the Heineken Cup this weekend.

Typical Vainikolo try it was as well.

His time has been and gone. Lets just remember the good times shall we. Remember when Mumby came back for his last hurrah - it just wasn't the same. The fact that he was nudging 60 has nothing to do with it.

Oh dear Oh dear, as much as I like the rest of us love big Les it would be a mistake for him to come back. He left us as a legend if he came back and let us and himself down what then?

If he can prove his fitness(after all, how many injuries has he had since he moved to union?) and came at a good price then I'd be happy for him to have a last hurrah with the Bulls.

I share the concerns about his fitness and he almost certainly wont be as good 3 years on but could I bare seeing us face him with him up against Sheriffe? We don't exactly have much quality on the wing and I'd back the big man to be better than most in SL right now. Quota would appear to stump us even if we wanted unless his eligibility for England creates a loophole.

I think that, with his knees being as they are, the last thing he really needs is to play on hard summer grounds. He left as an icon of the game, a true star and to return now, like a boxer who doesn't know when to quit, would be a sad coda at the end of a brilliant symphony; let it be.

How bizarre that he could play for England yet still be classed as overseas. It's a funny old world...

I saw him training at Hartpury college pre-season in 2008 and he looked absolutely buggered. Unfit and looked cumbersome, was a real shame. I was thinking he might be returning from injury but it was pre-season and they all looked a little behined and he was doing full contact work and all the drills with the main squad so not sure why he was so off the pace.

Although given that we still have Sheriffe, there is still a spot for him in my team!

This report: www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ja ... r-biarritz casts some doubt over the shape he's in. Can't see that a return to Odsal is likely, however a reunion with Brian Noble might be.

This report: www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ja ... r-biarritz casts some doubt over the shape he's in. Can't see that a return to Odsal is likely, however a reunion with Brian Noble might be.

Heart - yes

Head - no

Just as long as he doesn't save his best performance for Odsal! That would be just like him

All the best with your future decision Les but I think another tilt at Superleague is a mistake. I'd like to remember him as he was - at headingley, 7 against Hull and making Karl Fitzpatrick fill his pants when he cocked his arm! Bet Calderwood is still bricking it though!

At the moment I would ask anyone to consider the question, if a half-fit LV played against Sheriffe, who do you think would come out on top? I wish Rikki well, and hope he improves leaps and bounds, but if I were picking the team, I'd pick Les every time.

I'd take him over Sheriffe With wooden legs, nevermind dodgy knees. If he wanted to come back and was fit enough then i'd take him, Wing is our weakest area in the team atm imo.

Let's not forget the popularity factor in all of this, Lesley returning to Odsal would certainly increase the numbers through the gates.

I expect McNamara has a reasonable idea of just how bad his knee's are and whether he has a couple more years left in the tank. If he isn't asking silly money and is in decent condition then I would hope we would give serious consideration.

Perhaps I am just desperate to see a new winger!

But he wouldn't be a new winger though! (Ooops I'm sounding like Tigertot!)

Heart no head yes (at the right price, salary cap and quota permitting). I'd rather see Les a shadow of himself in his glory days but doing a job we need doing than him doing that same job for someone else.

thats the obvious block to any talk of les returning. AFAIK he left for union a year before the new quota rules and the cutoff date for him to re-classified as federation trained. He had to be playing in SL when the quota rules changed as I understand it. so if he came back he count as a full overseas quota player. Doubt anyone would use a full quota spot on a player with LV's injury record and age.

Can anyone realistically see Les playing for anything like an affordable package? Given the money available in Union?

The only way you'd get Les, I suspect (and assuming quota space...) is if you got some friendly "totally unconnected" business to pay his personal service company megabucks for his image rights, and as a result he'd be happy to play for a small package. (No...really...).

That is not impossible given Les' very high profile and marketability, so for anyone signing him I'd worry less about the cap space and more about finding this unconnected third party - which would surely be a bit tricky given there is supposed to be no connection...

Wakefield Trinity keen to bring Lesley Vainikolo back to Super League

[urlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jan/18/wakefield-trinity-lesley-vainikolo[/url

Well, I'd rather have a new winger than a new whinger.