Quote ="tvoc"After 558's difficulties today at Doncaster I'm feeling all nostalgic for Senior like bullet-proof machines of the past - www.vulcantothesky.org/news/352/ ... ilure.html'" Like the Vulcan IF he does manage to take off he will only ever be on cruise mode (I remember the recent antithesis of the Vulcan scenario with the Victor - beautiful aircraft: over eager to take off despite [unot[/u getting airworthy status)

Quote ="tvoc"After 558's difficulties today at Doncaster I'm feeling all nostalgic for Senior like bullet-proof machines of the past - www.vulcantothesky.org/news/352/ ... ilure.html'" Like the Vulcan IF he does manage to take off he will only ever be on cruise mode (I remember the recent antithesis of the Vulcan scenario with the Victor - beautiful aircraft: over eager to take off despite [unot[/u getting airworthy status)

Logan's Run? More like Nantwich's Run! 36 is hardly one foot in the grave hahaha.

Some of you guys are mental

I've not seen this said anywhere before. Also, I don't think it has shown in the past. He's won 2 GFs playing at centre after a prolonged period there, so I don't think your argument stacks up.

Also, its not up to the player where he plays. Its up to the coach, and he is in the best place to decide where a player is best utilised. Recent examples include Roby starting out as scrum half & Tom[pkins starting off as a 6. they were moved from their preferred position for one reason or another and have reaped the benefits both personally, and as part of their team. I think if Leeds committed to playing Ablett at centre, with the lack of english talent in that area it could be a great opportunity to get some international caps, which would be harder to come by in a pretty competitive looking England back row

The players closest him have mentioned it in the past.

Some people have cited a defensive weakness in Keith Seniors Game. Sometimes this can be a weakness of Ablett in the Centres.

Taking away from the Pack to improve the Three Quarter Line only serves to weaken the Pack even more. Something, imho, we can't afford to do at this present moment in time.

if burrow starts on the bench so the pack has 6 forwards it shouldnt be such an issue

I think replacing Ablett with one of Griffin, Clarkson, Kirke, Singleton has less impact on the team than having an untried, unready youngster at centre. I think Smith is a reasonable option there too

I'm not saying put an Untried, Not Ready Youngster at Centre. I'm saying put a Tried and Tested Old Stager...the elder Statesman of Super League.....The Best Centre Leeds has signed in the Super League era.......Keith Senior.

Back on topic: Doesn't sound great: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4593729

Back on topic: Doesn't sound great: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4593729

Quote ="thebloodbath"Back on topic: Doesn't sound great: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4593729'" Doesn't look good at all

Quote ="thebloodbath"Back on topic: Doesn't sound great: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4593729'" Doesn't look good at all

Based on his performances in 2011, I would say probably not. I think he would do a job and possibly better than a prospect, or someone filling in, but I think its not a long term solution.

Also, it would be sad to see a once great player struggling to carry on. Its kind of like seeing a much loved grandparent suffering with the onset of age, and the frustrations which go with it

If it were me in Keith's Boots, I'd want to be able to try, rather than others telling me what I can and can't do anymore.

This is officially the most I've ever agreed with Gotcha...

If we are left with a gap at centre (which it looks like we are, at least at the moment) then there are a variety of ways it can be filled. But signing Senior back is a big backward step for me. As a player he can have had few bigger fans than me, but everythiong about the pro-Senior debate in 2012 is in the past tense. I want to see Ablett playing in the back row as often as possible, but when you need a stop-gap centre, using one who is probably actually the best centre at the club (just an even better back row, as said previously) is a good start, at least for the next couple of games.

Thereafter, if Watkins isn't back then it might become advisable to take a punt on a riskier option. If that's the case then we could take that punt on Senior, which is a purely short-term measure, or we could take it on a young player (maybe Keinhorst, maybe someone else, I don't see enough academy games to know) which has the potential to pay off at some future point. Neither option is guaranteed to be able to get the job done in the short term, only one of them could potentially have longer-term benefits.

IMO of course.

It's up to Keith, Gary and Brian.

No Kieth, it's up to Gary.

Why not Smith to centre and BJB on the wing?

I'm not Kieth. Kieth doesn't exist.

Neither am I Keith. If you examine my posts, I don't refer to anyone as Lad once.

Not quite true. Keith has no say in it unless Gary and Brian decide to offer him a deal, so they're not decision-makers on anything like equal terms.

Besides which, if we didn't bother discussing things which were up to Gary and Brian, there wouldn't be a whole lot of stuff for me to waste my time reading on here would there?

Because Smith is Garbage.

does anyone know how badly Kallum is injured?

It's only a minor strain. Should be back just before the play-offs ...... for half a game.

Up until his injury this time last year Senior missed 27 Leeds games out of a potential 392 which I make an absence rate of 7% Not sure how many of those 27 were missed through International appearances but I imagine there were a few that fell within that category.

Since the start of 2010 (and Watkins started in six of the opening seven fixtures of that campaign) the new kid on the block has missed 55 of a potential 89, an absence rate of 62% Granted not always through injury.

Reminds me of Van Persie, who's been basically half a player for most of his career given the proportion of time spent in the treatment room, but get him fit for a full season and you can build your team around him.

Press Release:

Leeds Rhinos have been handed a boost with the news that England centre Kallum Watkins will only be out of action for four weeks after minor surgery on a knee injury suffered in the Magic Weekend win over Bradford.

Watkins had the operation on Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for up to a month however that is much better than first feared following the game.

Head Coach Brian McDermott commented, "I am delighted for Kallum and look forward to having him back available in a month. He is a tough character who has already had a number of set backs in his young career but I am sure he will come back even stronger. Even when he was injured on Sunday he still got back into the defensive line to stop a try which says everything about him."

Cheers Jonny i just hope the kid can come through all this and stay fit when he does return.

Haven't read the previous six pages, but you can't fault the kid for bravery given the two defensive efforts he put in immediately after the injury.

And what percentage has Senior missed in the same period tvoc - just to demonstrate that statistics really can be used to show whatever you want them to?