Do you seriously think having Senior for the last 2 matches would of made a difference?
If you do then look back to his prior efforts against Wire and Saints earlie in the season and look at how other teams have targetted him.
A leeds legend but thats just it a legend who's time is up now.

Agree. Interesting that even when he's not playing he's still a scapegoat.

Seconded

Of course it would, we'd have lost by more!

Impossible to say if Senior would have made any significant difference, certainly couldn't have made things any worse. The results since his injury suggest we are missing him. Warrington, fair enough, a good team who walloped us, but Saints were far from full strength whilst we were(apart from Senior) yet we had a distinct lack of attacking venom. As you say, he is a targetted man, which invariably leaves gaps elsewhere for others to pursue. That is why I believe it would be useful to still have him around. Its more an indication of our lack of decent centres than anything else but he is missed.

In the 1st half, I think that Senior's size may have helped him get over the try line whereas Saints were able to bundle Smith over the touch line in goal.

Not even the most clueless Leeds fan sees us as a "benchmark team," far less the opposition. And on this seasons performances, Keef kept his spot simply because we are totally lacking in having a quality centre to challenge him.

And no, I don't see Lee Smith as the answer either.

Was it?

I only watched the game once but I can't recall any positive contribution whatsoever from him. I don't recall many glaring errors either mind.

You kind of answered your own question at the end there then. So as we were.

Smith isn't the answer but is probably the best option we have at the moment

Sums up the season to date does that.

Indeed.

Why this persistence is saying Smith is our 'best' option at centre ? How depressing.

Until the return to fitness of Watkins and BJB why can't we utilise the reserve teams (Wilson) or try Hall there ? In fact experiment with both Wilson and Hall in the centres against HKR. Get Delaney in the SR where he belongs and where he will be [ieffective[/i.

So what if it proves to be an error...this season is a write off anyway. Top 4 is beyond this present Rhinos' set up regardless and the paucity of SL strength in depth will still ensure a top 8 spot either way.

Senior should not have been depended on this season ....for gawd's sake. It's a blessing in disguise which will hopefully compel GH and the club to act at long bluddy last.

I wish the old fella well ...and if he does stay at the club (he shouldn't other than for sentimental reasons) it should be as a back up second rower only.

I can see senior at Leeds next year. Just hope there are a few more faces not present.

Agree we should probably be given some chances to the youth but i would still like to see us compete not just completely throw the towel in

....but it looks like the senior players already have.

The " kids " could do no worse than their more petulant hierarchy.

I'm fully with you on giving the youngsters a go instead now. But it needs to be youngsters who have a future, not just getting names in head and throwing them in. Players like Ward, Carvill, Singleton, Stewart.

Playing players just for the sake in positions isn't the answer. I guarantee you Wilson will never been seen in a rhinos shirt in super league, he ain't good enough. I guarantee you Hall won't be playing centre for the rhinos. And I am 99% sure that BJB won't ever be a centre either. At least in Smith you had someone who made a fist of it a couple of years back, and at least by playing there for rest of this season we can either know he can do the job or have a better replacement lined up for next year.

Granted Smith DID make a ' fist ' of it ....at RIGHT centre.....but even then he was less than ideal for the role. He appears to be even less equipped for the role now.
The policy of waiting until the end of the season would surely only result in a repeat of too little too late being available. Decisions have to be made now.

You're probably right about Hall and BJB not playing centre....but would you consider Delaney and Ablett much better solutions in satisfactorily fullfilling the centre role ?

Absoluely agree about the other ' kids ' you mention. They should be a priority for game time now.

Many do seem to think Wilson has the capabilities to be a SL standard centre.... Is it not worth giving him a chance rather than persisting with the Smith, Ablett, Delaney, old man stop-gap sticking plaster option ?

Missunderstud here. Watkins is the left centre to replace Senior, and therefore when he is back he will hopefully be playing that role. In the meantime Smith is the best option for that role, and not a bad option.

When Watkins is back, Smith can revert if need be to the right centre competing with Delaney, and if needed Delaney can move into the backrow. That is for the rest of this season. We don't have any other option at the club good enough. The club should decide/decided that we need another centre for 2012 (hopefully hvae done), but in the meantime Smith can show what he is up to in that position. I keep saying it, but had Smith not chosen union then this would have been Smith's 3rd season on the trot in that right centre spot anyway.

I wholeheartedly agree with this.

All I would say is I wouldn't be so sure BJB won't play centre whilst McDermott is coach (he played him there for Quins) and Smith did much better than "make a fist of it" back in 2009. He grew very well into the role.

Agree before his move I though smith was developing quite well as right centre, I think BJB played centre a few times for quins under Brian mac

Culminating in his excellent international appearance in that position of course

I think you would struggle to find any back who did well internationally that year. Didn't hall have a stinker of a series as well? Are we calling to get rid of him as well?

Errr...if we could have Broughton back, yes !

well Williams might be available soon!!!!!!'n

The last time Leeds conceded 40+ in consecutive games was under Daryl Powell in July 2001. (I was hoping it was going to be before Senior arrived but I was left disappointed.)

I haven't checked properly but I don't think Leeds have ever conceded 40+ on three consecutive occasions and earlier this season Hull KR ran in 38 against Leeds at Craven Park.

Surely not?

Peter Fox reign?