jjb will definately be playing on thursday unless he pulls up late in training
as you have pointed out sal his obvious lack of match fitness will be exactly the reason that he will be back against cas
apparently mac wants jjb back to full fitness by semi final time against warrington
to make you feel better sal let's expect jjb to be blowing out of his ar5e and doing big minutes these next 3 sl games,unless your rugby gods get him injured again:


maybe mac sees something more than you do in jjb's performances and thinks we need him out there for the big games?
the penalty count will surely go through the roof this week so that will clearly suit your agenda sal



on another note sal i actually thought that your "man crush" had a very good game against hull kr

Unlike you I don't have man crushes - you obviously want the world to know about yours!! - JJB has been a great player for Leeds as has McGuire, both have seen better days. A combination of injury, age and general wear and tear as seen their performance levels drop significantly from the high points of years gone by. The difference is I can accept when McGuire has a poor game you don't want to accept when JJB has a shocker - prime example Wigan semi at Huddersfield when his performance nearly cost the team a place at Wembley.

McDermott is a very experienced coach but he doesn't always get it right - playing JJB in the play off game at Wigan was madness - he could easily have finished his career - and it did the team no favours. You have to question JJB's mindset in taking the field - he must have known he would be a virtual passenger, reducing the side to 16 from the start.

I understand why McDermott would want him to be match fit but is it worth the risk against such a fast attacking side such as Castleford? Surely this is going to test JJB's fitness beyond where it should really be going at this stage? Recent history would suggest his body is not as robust as it once was.

I am sure you are correct and he will play - time will tell how well he goes, don't forget to take your hanky!!

In the big games a coach will want his proven experienced players as first choices. JJB has been an integral part of our success over the years and more recently has been unlucky with injuries. However it would be right to give him some game time to prove his fitness. A fit and in-form JJB would be make the starting 13 for most SL sides.

I would keep Delaney as a starting prop at the expense of Bailey & Kirke as he offers so much more than these two added together. This would allow us to start with Achurch, Ablett and JJB in the back row. On the bench you could have Burrow/Aiton, Kylie, Sutcliffe and Walters. Walters is due a rest but for this one he offers better impact from the bench than playing Bailey or Kirke although they both need game time to get fit. With JP & Delaney able to play long minutes I think playing a 4th prop with a poor go forward game has no advantage over more mobile back rowers who provide better attacking options.

If fit I would play BJB on the wing for Briscoe for this one.

The Salford or Bradford games coming up round the corner look a better opportunity all round for JJB to come back.

As for Delaney I preusme we'll see him back in the backrow/'loose' with Kylie and JP starting props. Another Millington v Kylie battle wets the chops!

JC-You think after so long out Jjb should start?
Not only that but also along with Achurch who himself is just back after a recent lay off?
Whilst I'm all for Delaney playing Prop again and I get the point about the Coach wanting his seasoned pros involved as much as poss but imo there's no way Jjb should start this game will start very fast and in these conditions I think we should bring Jjb off the bench in this one.

Sutcliffe & Walters both playing in U19's curtain raiser about to kick off

1 Zak Hardaker
20 Tom Briscoe
3 Kallum Watkins
4 Joel Moon
5 Ryan Hall
6 Danny McGuire
13 Kevin Sinfield (c)
8 Kylie Leuluai
9 Paul Aiton
10 Jamie Peacock
14 Stevie Ward
12 Carl Ablett
15 Brett Delaney

Subs
19 Mitch Achurch
7 Rob Burrow
16 Ryan Bailey
11 Jamie Jones-Buchanan

Strong team. Not sure why they even bothered announcing a 19-man squad though...

Looks much better. Said other day I couldn't understand why Wardy not ahead of Walters, so glad to see the change of mind.

Classy Leeds fan!!

That's Andy Gilder I'd assume?

I'm pretty sure he's from Bradford anyway

Thought it was the best ref performance we've had for several games tbh.

Wasn't any other decision he could make regarding Sinfield and the ludicrous "obstruction" no try for Cas was made by Bentham (who seems to be the worst for this particular rule out of all the refs when he's VR.......be careful what you wish for when you ask for "consistency" from the refs)

I thought the ref allowed Cas too much time laying on. Also why is Carney allowed to walk into the markers as he plays the ball without a penalty?

Perhaps a fair result to a very good display from Cas. However had Sinfield not seen red we should have won it. Watkins looks well off the boil and Hardaker was a bit too greedy and never showed his previous form.

I don't understand the Watkins is off the boil comment. He was outstanding last week. I just wish he tried to involve himself more in the game. He doesn't have to spend the whole game in the centres, his pace and footwork could be devastating in the middle.

Hardaker stopped four certain tries, who cares about ball holding. Briscoe with him in second half outstanding defensively. The other backs were poor, but Watkins was injured and should have been taken off.

Thaler came up with some terrible decisions, but I think not helped once again by refs playing the touch judge role and trying to get in on the act. Those two penalties for Cas last try were terrible decisions. The missed forward passes just ignored. The mile forward one in the first half which turned into us pulled for offside. The penalty against for two players in air for same ball.

What about the try that Carney had disallowed?

What about the Leeds second try after Ryan Hall had reefed the ball out?

YOU need to look at both sides. The last two penalties by Cas were completely justified as those on sky highlighted.

A terrific game for the neutral, one of the best this season.

Sinfield, what was that about.

Players with tremendous talent like Watkins can still produce classy moments even when under par. I am not saying he is bad only that Watkins for some weeks has not been as sharp as his early season form. He got a knock early in this game but my comment was based on his form over several weeks now. His timing looks just a bit off the same as some of his team mates and he and Briscoe are not quite gellling.

Watkins was good last week when for the first time in ages he recieved some decent ball , Tonight not so good but was injured most of game

There were some bad decisions both ways. The McGuire penalty at the end annoyed me because we'd seen Webster do exactly the same thing to Hall a few minutes earlier and nothing was given. It's consistency with fairly simple decisions that you want, and rarely get.

Danny has history of that sort of thing and makes it so obvious

Is it possible to jump and contest for a high kick without lifting your knees?

Slightly OT but does anyone else think having Stuart Cummins analysing every decision the ref makes during a sky game is necessary? What the ref does during a game seems to be analysed more than the actual play.

great structure, dummy runners, well organised. unfortunately that was castleford. we showed great determination and busted a gut for the win but that isn't enough.shambolic at times yet again

TBF I don't think Cas were particularly great in structure or organisation. They had a lot of success running off of quick PTB's and offloads but were equally guilty of not making the most of field position at times and their last tackle plays needed to be better, even Powell post match said along those lines.

What the game required was one team to grind the opposition down into their own half of the field with some basic simple RL and tough defence (JJB and Leuluai really stood up here IMO) and Leeds had started to do that around the time of Ablett's 2nd try.....but we then became clueless when time came to slot over a 1 pointer and make it a 2 score game which would've probably been enough.

Then I would suggest you watch that game again. Cas were entirely as a team, with each on the same wavelength. Their dummy running at times was brilliant, unlucky to have another try wiped off. We rely on individual skill and nothing else. We are not coached as a team, with a plan, and it is exactly why tvoc on that other thread is a lot nearer the truth than others.

As for the game again, I would just like to say a big up for Delaney, who I personally thought had his best game in a Leeds shirt last night. Thought he was absolutely immense. Not a big fan most of the time, but If I saw that every week I certainly would be. And would also say, please please stop playing Achurch as a prop. The guy has gone from playing his preferred role each week and looking very promising, to filling in at prop and lucking a useless chump.

About as classy as the Cas fans who throw bottles at Carl Ablett after his try in 2nd half. Morons.