Andy Wilson says on twitter that Ben Cross could be at widnes next season and maybe on a short term deal at WIGAN !! yes thats right Wigan this season to bolster there pack for the run in !!!!!!!!!!!!.

Maybe its because they've got a forward thinking coach who 'knows his onions' when it comes to the NRL and knows the player and what he can/could bring to his team given the chance.

Lets face it his last 2 games for us were full of promise and then our master technician decides he's then surplus to requirements.

In those 2 games Cross was bringing more with his performances than Hauraki had shown at that stage.

Hauraki gets given another chance and these last 3 games or so he's done very well IMO.

I wonder why Cross never got his second chance and how peoples opinions of him might have been different now had he got his second chance and built from the promise of his last 2 performances.

I still think given luck with injuries and a fair chance that Cross could prove to be a useful super league prop

Whats the betting he will be one of the better performers for the pies if he goes there, always a fan of cross but did not get much time to settle in or get a good run in team IMO

Some coaches can get players to exceed themselves some coaches turn good players to crud.

Giving them a run would surely be a start?

Cross going to another SL side and performing well would be pretty damning as far as BMD is concerned in my opinion.

I think you need a well respected coach at a big club like Leeds with the experienced and successful players it has - BMD did not really arrive with anything to suggest he is a respected coach.

From his quotes and interviews, I sometimes wonder if he's watching the same sport as me and it certainly doesn't instill confidence.

It wasn't really sarcasm aimed at you, more at the general situation with regard to mid-season signings. No offence was intended good sir.

You need to look at those two sentences in isolation.

BMD did arrive at Leeds as a respected coach to the majority of the players. He was regarded as vitally important to the success we achieved under Smith and was well liked by the players. So in that respect he arrived with respect. But to the players who had been there previously.

Your second sentence at the same time holds a lot of validity. Things change, and people change.

I'm not sure if I've ever agreed with a post you've made but sadly I do with this one.

Same here. His treatment of Cross, while I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, was pretty poor. Sure, he took a little while to get going, but there were signs that he could become a useful asset. Maybe not worthy of bringing over from Australia but that's another story. From the outside looking in it seems like McDermott refused to play him because he was trying to put his own stamp on the squad, and Cross was signed just before he was appointed.

I've said all along that Cross could be a good signing in a team with a good attacking structure - and if the rumour of Wigan is true, I think he will work really well for them and give their backs even more go forward to play on the back of.

His style of play is that of a 'battering ram' - he clearly isnt a skillful, offload type player. But playing in a decent team, all that is required from him is the big charge and a quick play the ball. He's got safe hands and is decent defensively. Sure he has the odd brain fart, usually trying to intimidate/bully the opposition, But that's exactly the sort of player he is, an 'up and at em' prop.

I may be in the minority, but I think we've missed a trick here. Having said that, we play a very flat attacking line, which probably doesnt suit his game. He needs to come from deep to get the speed up for his big collision. I have a feeling we may see what we have missed out on if he does sign elsewhere - Although I had heard he will be heading back to Aus.

Sadly we seem to have the latter!

I think the trouble McDermott finds himself with is that when coaches appear to be head to head with players, public opinion can be a bit dependent on the parties' credibility. If we were flying and the world was singing the coach'e praises, then you can do more or less whatever you want. People would be more likely to say "hmm, seems a strange thing to do, but I guess he knows what he's doing" with a coach who was delivering the goods and winning things.

Unfortunately, there is a fairly large proportion of the population of Leeds fans who have yet to be convinced that the current coach knows what he's doing. Thus this starts to look like the latest in a long line of questionable decisions....

Luke Burgess is straight in to make his NRL debut this weekend. On the bench apparently. What does that say about Leeds and McDermott?

Deluded? Also the same about quite a few of the posters on here also who questioned whether he was good enough. He was clearly one of our two best props for the last couple of seasons.

As to what it might say, that depends on what the A-G-E-N-D-A is.

It might say something about Leeds and McDermott.

It might say something about 'Luca Brasi' - [i'Either your brains or your signature will be on the contract, you've got 3 days!'[/i.

It might say something about SL being way ahead of the NRL when a player of Luke Burgess's ability can walk straight into a first grade spot down under.

It might say something about Souths current lack of manpower available in their pack due to the absences of Roy Asotasi, Sam Burgess, Dave Taylor, Scott Geddes, Luke Stuart and Fetuli Talanoa.


Good luck to Burgess this weekend. At least he won't be facing Paul Gallen who is on Origin duties.

How do you lot think Cross will go in our team then??

The same as Coley. He is that type of player. Nothing great, but does the work.

Agree with Gotcha.

X2

Be surprised if he got in it, unless you've other props on the treatment table.

Think cross will go well under a decent coach and will play like we know he is capable of, you dont play origin if your crap,

That's a blow. I was still hoping I might get a call-up.

Quote ="El Diablo"That's a blow. I was still hoping I might get a call-up. '" Not sure of the qualification criteria but there could still be hope for you, afterall Lockyer was considered to be crap by some of the Queensland supporters in 2006: www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244573

Quote ="El Diablo"That's a blow. I was still hoping I might get a call-up. '" Not sure of the qualification criteria but there could still be hope for you, afterall Lockyer was considered to be crap by some of the Queensland supporters in 2006: www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244573

Quote ="tvoc"Not sure of the qualification criteria but there could still be hope for you, afterall Lockyer was considered to be crap by some of the Queensland supporters in 2006: www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244573'" The trouble is though, that they were wrong. But I really am crap.

Quote ="tvoc"Not sure of the qualification criteria but there could still be hope for you, afterall Lockyer was considered to be crap by some of the Queensland supporters in 2006: www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244573'" The trouble is though, that they were wrong. But I really am crap.