Thanks bud. All the best to you lads as well

Compete in every game, no quitting like we’ve seen in the last couple of years.

Blood more youngsters, to prepare them for the future.

Play to a structure, with attacking options, for a brand of rugby that excites the fans.

Prepare for 2020 much earlier than we have prepared for the next seasons in the last few years.

Thing is, it's hard to do all these things in a side that's regularly getting spanked. Blooding youngsters works best when they're joining a confident and winning core side I think. Otherwise they have suffocating pressure put upon them.
The club will talk about rebuilding etc. but don't buy it: the squad they're putting together won't be fully fledged for 2019, but they will absolutely be aiming to win silverware again. Crosby is a 50:50 "new" signing: but Lolohea, Hurrell, Merrin, McLelland (less so admittedly) will have a big bearing on performances. We're pretty much changing 1/3 of the starting team and have a new coach - everything is up in the air. Also expecting better input from Ward, Ferres, Peteru, (Watkins) and Oledzki, Walker and Smith are another year developed.
The squad was shot to sh|t from halfway through last season, a full pre-season will do everyone the world of good. I also think if we can put a pack together that goes forward consistently, we'll see much more from the hookers and halves.

Of course if we don't fully hit out straps in 2019, it's far less likely we'll be dragged down into a relegation dogfight, which gives more room to breathe.
I just don't think for a second that Leeds will be planning to throw 2019 before it even starts: they are seriously smarting, pride dented, and are clearly throwing money at the problem. The only thing stopping me being more confident is the extra prop I think we need, the sheer scale of change in one off-season, and the fitness question marks we have over existing and new players.

with Merrin and possible one more to come in next year looks a lot better all ready. definitely think we will be pushing for playoffs.

To be entertained rather than being depressed.

Just walking away from the ground after a match not feeling gloomy and pessimistic will be nice. Top 6 and some entertaining rugby, with 100% from the players will do me.

You're all too pessimistic

One good prop, and other teams will be looking at this Leeds side with some trepidation for the first time in years, there will be threat across the park.

going to take some time to bring this team together and get them playing as a feared unit but I hope to have other teams dreading playing us by the business end of the season.
I agree with everyone else that we still need a good prop but I'm happy for them to come in during the season, obviously would prefer them to get a pre-season in with the rest of the team
I just want to walk away from Headingly knowing that I've seen a good game and a 100% commited squad. I don't expect fireworks early on but i think that is in line with where the club are trying to get to

100%.

With the young lads another year on, and signing Hurrell, Lolohea, Merrin and possibly the Mystery Prop - the side will take some time to learn new systems but there's enough quality and experience there to hit the ground running. Leeds' first 17 isn't quite NRL standard, but it won't be a million miles off.

Maybe, though it wouldn't even need to attain that level to challenge in SL.
Just a question now which will come first: hearing slade's "merry xmas everybody" or complaints of Leeds cheating the cap

Well to be fair this is why lots of other sides hate Leeds - have the pull and resources to buy success to some extent. Lots of Academy lads come through Fev/Wakey/Cas areas... we really don’t have any excuse not to be up there towards top of the table most years. Looking at the current squad though I would think we NEED to get rid of some more squad players, especially if we are for an additional prop. A few players on good wedge will have to prove their fitness in 2019 too.

I think we as supporters also maybe need to realise it may take a while to get the systems working and players gelling.

However I fully expect a For the live of god, Furner out thread by March

Yep he has about 2 games before he gets abuse! Tough first month on the road too.
Hopefully, most fans are realistic... put it this way, it will be disastrous if the new squad gets anywhere near relegation again in 2019 with the money and effort thrown at the team.

Think that ship sailed









Joking aside SL needs a strong Leeds and I think you should definitely be aiming for play offs

Do you know I think last year's struggles will do us all good as fans and as a club. It's a sobering reminder of what it's like to follow a side that's badly struggled and has had years of success beforehand. It should make us all appreciate the good times more and not to get complacent.

Hate to say it but some fans have known nothing other than success over the last decade or so. For those of us that remember the Doug Laughton years or perennially getting hammered by Wigan in every big game, we might be more sanguine. At the end of the day it just isn't possible or healthy to win everything all of the time, sport naturally runs in cycles and Leeds have had a hell of a cycle. It's not surprising that some complacency and arrogance crept in - takes a brave manager to make changes to a winning side (from 2015 and 2017 in particular). I do very much like what Sinfield has done since arrival though, and who knows, a new period of success could be quickly upon us again.

Gives the game as a whole a bit of a kick up the ar$e too, tbh. Hopefully some of the other billy big b0llockses at other clubs with grand ideas about turning the tide of falling crowds might motivate themselves to actually do something too.

I have mixed feelings about the Marquee rule. It goes some way to returning us to the bad old days of the same old top 4 every year, which kills interest for the poorer clubs. On the other hand, the standard has clearly dropped too far in recent years as SL has raced to the bottom and the lowest common denominator. There's always a balance I suppose - 2x Marquees is probably about right.

100% agree, what was weird for me in 2016 I actually quite enjoyed the middle 8s in a strange way - but I never felt in 2016 we were in any danger of getting anywhere near the million pound game, this year I hated every second of every game in the middle 8s it was too close for comfort, I'm glad they have gone!

But as you say last year was probably just what the club needed, I look at the staffing and playing structure we have put in place an wonder if all of those changes would have been made had we scraped in the Super 8s.

I'm hoping for an enjoyable year next year I will be happy with not winning anything but don't want that sinking feeling after going to games, especially away games when I felt let down on many occasions that I'd bothered to turn up but the team hadn't, Wigan away was the worst game of the season for me, I'd been probably incorrectly looking for excuses and cutting them/McDermott some slack but that game put paid to that.

I am very much a Sinfield Fanboi as they say but like you I have been very impressed with how he's come in and put new things in place, from everything he's said in the press releases he is not going to be one for complacency or people not putting effort in, ATEOTD the day he was like that as a player so there's no reason he won't be like that as a director.

Fair point though the crowds of poorer clubs are falling too. And for every big name that's brought in there's a (usually) capable player shipped elsewhere. Garbutt to HKR being an obvious recent example. So while HKR might - theoretically - have a harder task beating us, their fans maybe get to see an improvement in what they're watching too. And should they beat a team loaded with "names" the victory will be all that much sweeter. But yes, there has to be a cut off at some point.

HKR are quietly putting a decent side together there. I honestly want to see more sides of good quality able to beat other sides (including a GOOD Leeds side). Re. crowds dropping, Leeds having poor league form on and off for a while doesn't help; the standard on the field has also dropped. People want to be entertained. We're also milking the udders dry with too many fixtures and have had way too complicated a structure which even hard core fans struggle to understand. Lots of little reasons probably, rather than any one thing you can fix. If Leeds get it right though I do believe the whole game in England is enhanced.

Yep same here. 2016 was intriguing and we were clearly far too good but last season was different, we were in real danger. It's given us all a shot across the bows