Well when you get your gcse results next week, if you post them on here I'll be happy to bow down to your superior intelligence.

Spot on Easywire.

I received mine in 1993: 6 As and 3 Bs where A was the highest achievable grade. It would have been 8 As and 1 B if I could have been bothered to complete all of my science coursework.

How unbelievably witty, where do draw your inspiration from?

Wow.

Leeds have either shipped out or announced the shipping out of Luke Gale, Brad Dwyer, Bodene Thompson, Jack Walker, Jack Broadbent, Alex Sutcliffe, Liam Sutcliffe, Muizz Moustapha, Alex Mellor... that's off the top of my head.
And Smith's appointment - involving a relocation around the world at very short notice - followed the sacking of Agar and a stint with JJB at the helm. To suggest he hasn't had to deal with changes in the way Powell has seems not quite right...

Fwiw I'm glad we didn't choose to stick with Agar.

Fair point, there are a lot of changes - I hadn't realised there were so many. The problem Powell has faced though, is that we have a whole new set of backs apart from Williams who only arrived mid way last year and Ashton (who's still learning). Our forward pack are lightweight with new additions too - only Mulhearn, Clark, Walker and Currie are regulars from the previous season.

If you compare the two squads put out last night:

Leeds Rhinos
16Myler
29Tindall
33Hardaker
4Sutcliffe
5Handley
6Austin
7Sezer
11Bentley
12Martin
21Gannon
13Tetevano
24O'Connor
8Oledzki
Substitutes
17Smith
10Prior
14Dwyer
22Walters

And:

36Dufty
21Minikin
3Mata'utia
34Wardle
5Ashton
7Williams
27Dean
19Mulhern
16Walker
15Bullock
11Currie
20Harrison
12Holmes
Substitutes
9Clark
14Clark
37Holroyd
38Thomas

Please tell me if I'm wrong here, but most of your forwards seem quite familiar from last season and a good few from seasons before. Myler, Sutcliffe, Handley and Sezer have been at your club for at least 2 seasons - again, please tell me if I'm incorrect.

Therefore, on that basis, I'd still say, to my knowledge, that Powell has had more change to deal with. At the same time though, fair play to Smith as he's had to deal with changes too.

If we're talking regular forwards who've played 2 seasons or more, I'd say Martin, Prior, Oledzki, Dwyer and Smith fit the bill. Tetevano too, if you ignore the significant number of games he's been banned for. The rest are newbies or youngsters. Though worth bearing in mind that the Leeds side last night was one of the strongest Smith's been able to go with since he started.

Of the Leeds towards who played last night:

Martin: 2019
Gannon: 2021
Tetavano: 2021
Oledski: 2017
Smith: 2016
Prior: 2020
Dwyer: 2018

These have been playing for Leeds this season and the season before at the very least.

Out of the Warrington forwards, only Mulhearn, Clark, Clark, Currie and Walker have the equivalent experience.


Backs-wise, only Ashton (inexperienced) and Williams were playing in the first team on a consistent basis last year, and he only joined mid way. Every other player is new to the team this season. On the other hand, out of Leeds' backs: Myler, Handley and Sutcliffe have been regulars (I was wrong on Sezer, he was new this year). Also worth noting, that our only experienced regular, Williams, arrived around the same time as Blake Austin switched to Leeds.

I'll let you be the judge, but the stats say Powell has had to contend with more upturn.

Would you have been happy if we had signed Rowley at the time (not with hindsight)? I certainly wouldn’t have been and if the choice was between him and Powell I would have gone for Powell without a second thought.
In fact I don’t remember anyone suggesting Rowley as an option but I stand to be corrected.

I am finding the constant attacks on Gazwire rather dispiriting. He is entitled to his opinion and gives his reasons for his views,as far as I know he isn’t ACTUALLY D Powell so perhaps now is the time to ease off on the personal stuff.

Cheers Captain Hook - very much appreciated.

No, I would've been fuming if we had appointed Rowley. I never liked his attitude or his teams grubby tactics. But listening to him talk, he has clearly matured and is proving his ability as an excellent coach. Personally I wanted Wane to be appointed as our coach.

Wane would have been absolutely excellent, but here we are…

Exactly as expected last night. Played without the gravity of a relegation battle, and profited from that. Williams’ pass for the Wardle try was worth the drive. But in the cold light of day, we’re just not a good team.

The weaknesses were there, and have been consistently there. But we have to take what we can from this and look at the two new juniors getting minutes in the bank.

Still, concerned about the long term plan. Holmes was the obvious choice for right second row, without any real challenge. But went with Harrison, out of nowhere. Dean will get the stick for the early Leeds onslaught, but in truth, Harrison was out of position and asked a lot of Dean and Matautia to cover up. I think Powell might be settled on Holmes at 13, which then shuffles McGuire back into the rotation of props with Vaughan, Harrison, Mikaele, Philbin, Bullock, Dudson and Kasiano. It’s a bit top heavy, so who’s going? Or if not, why has he picked a prop in the back row and his long term back row in the middle?

The only other sour note, Thewlis. Dropped for Huddersfield, back for Wigan and played really well all considered, then back to the naughty step. Obviously not privy to what Minikin is doing in training, but it’s not consistent with the long term plan, unless Minikin is now plan A for the right wing next season with Wrench now out of the mix.

Credit to Leeds, they did what we should have done around 5 or 6 times this year, and just cling on to a lead and snatch the points. But they were there for the taking in my opinion.

Re: Rowley, hindsight is a wonderful thing. But if he was appointed there would have been a mutiny. And he wouldn’t have seen Easter at the club.

It needed to be a serial winner. A winner who suited the brand and the style that the club is trying to adopt.

Agreed, we needed a serial winner. Yet here we are…

Whichever coach we had appointed, they would have been tasked with making the 'cultural' change. Another coach may well have moved things along quicker, but whoever we brought in, and given the changes they were tasked to complete, they would have deserved at least a year and a half to prove themselves worthy.

Even if we appointed a coach I wasn't too enamoured with, I'd have still backed him for at least a season and a half given all the changes he would have been tasked with. Rome wasn't built in a day, nor in a season for that matter.

If we'd had a settled squad and the results had been the same, then I too would have been asking serious questions and would have probably called for change. But why appoint and entrust a manager to make wholesale changes, to suit his system of play (open attacking rugby) for future seasons, for us then to sack him part way through, meaning we're going to have to appoint a new manager who'll have a load of players who aren't ideally suited to his system. We'll be back at square one.

I get the good points made about questionable decisions such as Barbed Wires points in the previous post. But we aren't privy to training sessions. They'll be a whole new world of dynamics developing between players that we're not witness too, especially as most are relatively new to the squad.

Most fans were pleased with Powell's appointment because he has a track record of improving sides, improving players and playing attractive rugby league. Let him at least be accountable for the changes he's made and give him time like other great and succesful managers have, despite bumps or mountains in the road.

We don't need a serial winner at all, if we do why not appoint Brian Noble? We need to appoint a coach who will be a serial winner with us, not somebody who has done so elsewhere in a totally different environment with a totally different squad. I want a hungry and exciting coach who is as hungry to win superleague as we are. Maybe Powell could be that next season, we will have to wait and see.

I'm not happy at all that this season appeared to have been written off from the off, shuffling the side during the season was bold and I'm glad it happened but there hasn't been enough time to mould a team together. I look forward to watching Warrington on tv and live and its been incredibly depressing this season, BUT we needed to change the culture because what was entrenched at the club definitely wasn't a winning one and actually appears to have been a lot worse than that. The soul has now been (messily) ripped out and a new one is being instilled, hopefully that will pay off, if it doesn't the club is heading for a financial disaster with attendances plummeting (how are the gimmicks Karl? A good rugby team is the only way to increase attendances and I hope he's learnt that now).

I think Powell could have got more out of the 2022 squad for sure, I think he has made a fair few mistakes but a pack that can compete and make ground much more easily will make a big difference to us next season. On paper I'm really happy with our recruitment for next season and the signings we have made through this season have made us stronger as well. We need a centre or 2 still (I'd be very happy with Wardle) and I think we need to play Dean who has a kicking game because ratchford doesn't and neither does Williams (he should get the remaining games this season for me and be given a lot more of the kicking responsibility) I want to see some encouraging signs in the remaining fixtures if we don't then I can't see season ticket sales being good for 2023, the fans will have to be won back because of how bad its been this season.

The way I see it now though, it will be a pleasant surprise if we look like we can compete next season, I certainly don't see anything so far which makes me expect to be back amongst the top table in 2023. We need a big off season, maybe some additional coaching help brought in for a fresh voice could be good as well.

I had just wrote quite a long post in justification of my views, but decided to delete it so that I wouldn't start another 70 pages on why Powell should go. What I will say, is that I totally agree with the points Gazwire makes. I was made up when we appointed Powell as coach and ive not changed my opinion YET, however, I really do hope there is a method in the madness of this season and as ive said to the people around me at the match "I actually think we will come good next season" So I'm prepared to reserve my judgement until then.

Indeed, if we'd hired the ex leigh and Toronto coach, would have been murder on here.

You know what, looking at last night's team sheet seeing harrison 2nd row, I did wonder whether that's a thought for next year, with so many props to get a bigger body running out wide.

Looking at the highlights, currie and Holmes (and matautia AGAIN) were bobbins for a couple of tries

Is it me or is Matautia absolutely rubbish in all positions?

Also Harrison will be a good barometer of Powell. Powell has openly stated he was after Harrison for a while and sees him eventually as a Walmsley type player.

Personally I’ve not been impressed by Harrison yet, so far bang average but we will see.

I’m not convinced by him, but then I was against signing him so he would have to produce decent displays regularly to win me over. He hasn’t, but not many have.

Yes.