He's a typical example of a player who has top natural athleticism, but is utterly bereft of any skill.

The abhorrent Ben Cockayne would've been a much better option,

He is lacking the skills that junior players should have mastered by the age of 12 or 13 - but many don't, because of the lack of decent coaching at many amateur clubs; couple that with the ultra-competitive league structure, which encourages the enthusiastic Dads coaching juniors to win every game, and you end up with a team of freakishly big lads banging into each other, with very little skill on display and not much room for the smaller, more athletic lads to get any game time or skills development.

I'd advocate top-slicing some central funding to sort out the grassroots game - get decent coaching and skills development into every amateur club that can achieve certain benchmarks, and revamp the jr league structures to disincentivise the current win at all costs mentality; and compel professional clubs to properly engage with their local amateur clubs, rather than ignoring them until they have a decent crop of U15's.

London Broncos may buy Dixon back, as a replacement for the banned gambler Richard Mathers.

No Super League club would want Dixon at this point.

You don't have mirrors in your place then?

Sadder and more humiliating than urinating into your own mouth like a chimp? You need to re - evaluate your values Son!
Dixon had a bad day at the office but at least he worked the full day (Sneyd?) and took a good catch in the 68th minute with a host of Leeds players bearing down on him. Took some guts.

Hears he was supposed to be doing strictly come dancing but BBC pulled the plug as they feared he would drop his partner.

You have to feel sorry for Dixon for the majority of his mistakes. Pulling out of a challenge for the all (leading to a try) is unforgivale

The whole recruitment policy of Rovers since they returned to Super League needs to be revisited.
They need to start looking to the future instead of these instant fixes that they go for.
They should remember the saying. "Short term pain long term gain"

They'll be riding off the back of the outstanding rated Hull FC academy in the future. Quite how Hudgell managed to negotiate that one and why the naive Pearson agreeing to it, I don't know.

lol just lol

True though.

9 foreign players yesterday and just two academy products. Pathetic, as was their performance.

Sentiment changed for clarity. No SL club, or some championship clubs are exempt from the policies undertaken. The amount of money wasted, and still being waste on crocks and pension seekers does the game in this country no favours. The evidence is all around, why can't people see it?

I don't watch him every week so others are better placed to critique his week in week out performance. He had a mare yesterday to the point where even though I'm a Rhino at the back end of the game I was willing him not to drop the ball. But he showed guts and commitment to the end. He kept putting his hand up and tried to break our line long after the game was gone. He is going to need a lot of support (and coaching) if he is going to rebuild his confidence. I remember Leroy Rivett, Lance Todd 1999, imploding after a similar performance in 2000. I hope KR fans and club stick by Dixon and give him a chance to regroup and move on

Perhaps there should be a Super League rule brought in where you have to have at least a set amount of academy produced players in their match day 17.
One things for sure the Rovers policy they have pursued in Super League is not the way to go.

Last week at widnes they won with academy players in their team, maybe their coaching staff and owners should have had a little more faith in those than some that played yesterday

Left out one of if not their best players in green

Dixon does that every single time I've seen him. I think the errors in his game will never be coached out. Like Eden and Caro.

Chesters desperation to have his best player out there showed. Kelly was nowhere near fit or injury-free. Arrogance.

I don't think it's arrogance at all, I think it's trying to have your best players playing in the clubs most important game for a generation.
Kelly also looked like the only KR player who might break through our line. What was lacking was any support for him. Blair was anonymous as were KR's backrow and centres who should've been running lines for Kelly.

I do feel a bit harsh having a go at Dixon, but I don't think his performance was anywhere near good enough for a full time pro player.

Whilst I agree with the posters complaining of poor skills but I think the major factor in his poor performance was his attitude.
He didn't seem properly focussed on what needed to be done in that game. I noticed that when the TV coverage went to the KR dressing room pre-match that he was writing something on the tape around his wrist. Now either he needs help determining his right hand from his left or he was writing a message/name on there to hold up to the camera when he'd scored a try. I know it's only a minor thing but I really don't think that's anything like the right mentality for a huge game like that.
Then add in his lack of support runs and not timing properly the few support runs he did make and of course the far too many knock ons and, in my incredibly inexpert opinion, I reckon he was in very much the wrong frame of mind. In complete contrast to the Leeds players.

Now Dixon obviously wasn't alone in this in the KR team. But I think it was most obvious from Dixon. As Jon Wilkin said on the TV coverage, KR have to change that kind of mentality to a more professional one and that comes from the very top of the club all the way through it. Things like the 10-5 bar might be a good place to start. Hopefully Jamie Peacock will help in this regard, but the club management have to embrace and implement it in all aspects of the club.

Couldn't agree more



Not only does the current system not teach youngsters the required skills, it also puts off a huge amount of youngsters from either continuing to play or from joining up in the first place.

There's nothing better than a comeback story, so I hope he gets over this and kicks on.

There's also nothing worse than scapegoating a single player. I've never seen a one-sided result that was any one player's fault.

Now, what's that saying I am thinking of ?

Oh yeah,

People in Crack Houses shouldn't throw Rocks.

Had Ben cockayne played or might have lost 32-0 or something. I'm sorry but dixon is not a good player. One of the quickest players in the league perhaps but that isn't nearly enough. I think Chester took the gamble hoping dixons speed was the only kr player remotely in the same pace league as as the quickest leeds players. That said, Leeds would have beaten any SL Team on Saturday.

what does that say about the rest of the rovers team then as Kelly was the best rovers player by an absolute mile!

....and if my aunt was my uncle she'd be a man