i couldn't believe Macca got taken off, no errors in defence and looked 50 times sharper at dummy half then Rob

Agree with much of what has been said already about the lack of direction and general cluelessness in attack. I don't think Burrow has played well for some time when I've seen him and Sinfield is not really in form either. McShane has made an impression when he's come on but made some poor options today. That said, he's still our best option at dummy half and I'd also have brough McShane on rather than Bailey at the end as there's more chance of him creating an opportunity. Huddersfield defence was good but they didn't have much to defend against. Our first half defence was down on its previous high standard also.

Jones-Bishop is being badly missed due to the disruption caused by shifting Watkins to the wing. Whilst a much better option than the previous one used, he's out of the way too much. I also didn't understand the substitutions policy - why leave Clarkson off for so long and bring him, a predominantly defensive player, after an hour when we're chasing the game?

.....and yet the Leeds coaching staff still see him as Leeds' best starting hooker.

I am a big fan of Burrow, but it is patently obvious he does not have the distribution or passing skills to start there. He is a great offensive option of the bench as many have stated at the 20 mins point - when forwards are tiring. If he is not happy with this role then perhaps it is time to part company with the club?


Either way it is about time the starting hooking duties were shared between McShane and Hood for the remainder of the season.

McGuire does have a better bag of tricks in the halves, but the edge lost to his pace is pretty alarming at times.

Let's see what Liam Sutcliffe has to offer.

Huddersfield deserved their win: they out muscled Leeds; they out manouvered Leeds and Brough was unchallenged and untroubled throughout (in itself a puzzling "tactic" from the Leeds coach).

Backside fell out? Wardle might as well've tickled him for all the effect it had on Ablett.

As for the game I think a lot of credit has to go to Hudds goalline defence.....on another day even not clicking we would've scored another 3/4 tries probably. Somedays teams come up with great defensive efforts, today was one for Hudds. Granted we shot ourselves in the foot a bit.....but we always do in games.

I'm not going to knee jerk over team selections due to one loss but one I would suggest is with Delaney looking like a suspected dislocated shoulder and with Ward also out with the same then perhaps now we'll have to return Ablett to the forwards, Watkins to centre and someone on the wing.

Things to work on.really need to be more clinical in the opposition 25m zone.we played into hudds. hands by trying to barge over them.why when we have one of the best back line in the league.sinfield was awfull today.possibly worst i have ever seen from him.

Still,maybe a blessing with our fixture backlog and lets hope this is just a blip with big games coming up in the league.

Huddersfield effectively did a "Leeds" to us!

In sudden death games it's normally us who has an examplary kicking game, defends well and takes their chances. That's what Huddersfield did today, whereas we did none of those things!

It was frustrating to watch as we slipped back into our old ways of trying to score off every play, and turning over so much ball in great field positions due to some real dumb rugby.

The discipline problems continue to linger too, you can sense when we're going to give our opponents a piggy back down field, it's normally at key points! This has been the case for as long as I can remember now, no coach has been able to sort this problem!

Burrow was poor from dummy-half but McGuire killed a lot of good attacking positions by not passing enough or throwing poor passes. None of the Leeds 'brains trust' really performed. Some of the first half defence was soft.

On the plus side, Hardaker saved us 12 points with his last-ditch tackling. Watkins (and Moon to a lesser extent) looked good but we just didn't create enough chances for them out wide when we had field position.

No complaints from me though. A bit more fluency and composure and the result could have been very different. You couldn't fault the effort, just the execution and decision-making. The Huddersfield defence was immense at times and really disrupted Leeds going forward. I did feel that the Huddersfield players wanted it more than us, and were deserved winners in the end.

....and yes Watkins continues to be criminally under-used. Ablett is competent at centre, BUT Watkins is dynamic.

Get Wakins back in the centre and put one of the two young lads from the acadamey outside of him.

Ablett is going to be needed back in the forwards anyway after what appears to be a bad injury for Delaney alongside Ward's long absence.

Clarkson too might, at last, be given a starting run in the second row ???

Which in itself is puzzling....maybe this group of players don't want that winner's medal quite so much as most seem to assume



Again, however, I agree Huddersfield [iout Leeds[/i Leeds.

Leeds being in the last 25 continues to be an apparent attacking [idis[/iadvantage: the team always looks more like scoring from distance rather than close in.

The old achilles heel of too many errors and daft penalties proving costly again.

With Ward injured and Ablett in the centre we lack a back rower who can put their centre into space. Delaney had a strong game but he really needs to develop his handling to take his game to the next level. Clarkson should've been on earlier IMO to run at the spaces on the fringes.
I also think Hardaker's inability to pass the ball when he comes into the line really stifles our attack at times. If he can develop this part of his game to go along with his kick returns and very good general FB play he could be a real star.
I'd also argue that McShane needs to start and Burrow needs to come off the bench, I just think Burrow would be much more effective coming on after 20-30 mins when the big men have tired slightly.
Overall the best team on the day won and we can't have too many complaints.

Well done to the giants a fully deserved win,as sal paradise rightly states we need to get ablet back in the pack and Watkins in the centre. A poor day all round, I am concerned we did not match the giants in the intensity dept.
The giants kick chase was superior to ours,at times we looked jaded. Looks like we will be without delaney for a spell the shoulder injury he picked up looks serious. This will be a big blow as he is our best go forward.
My main worry is the balance of the team, I think it was a big mistake letting Lunt go back to the giants.
Still it's just one defeat,let's take on the chin and move on,hopefully learn our lessons and and regroup.

Watkins was probably more under-used when at centre last year. Since he switched to wing he's been one of our best performers and scored plenty of tries and ones he wouldn't have been in position to score at centre nor would an alternative option at RW.....also its no good if he's coming up with great centre play if he doesn't have the wingman outside him to finish it.

I agree Delaney is immense in his [igo forward[/i but with the majority of the drives he makes you just know it is going to be a dead ball....I don't see his looking to pass element developing now and it re-affirms my belief he will make a better prop; a prop in the Peacock mould.
Hardaker is a brilliant FB in his kick returns and one on one tackling (Watkins or Webb at FB would not have kept Leeds in the game with the same critical try saving tackles), but, yes, he is not in the same mould as Webb at his best in linking up.....Hardaker still has time on his side though and with a decent coach (McDermott?

) he should improve.

He is [uusually[/u very secure on the high or long ball too

Funny posts around Hudds wanting it more, bottom line they were better in pretty much every area, Brough dominated the game again, he is a very very good player.

England have to play him, kicking wise in general play he is untouchable in SL.

This may sound strange but I'm not that bothered by my loss, I guess 3 losses in a row numbs you

If the England team was being picked tomorrow, Brough would have to be a shoo-in.

Question is, where will his standard be come the reg season's end?

Sorry to say it but sinfield is looking less & less effective lately . I am not saying that he is finished but we need to start thinking about who will replace him but mcd would never drop sinfield and would play him if he only had one leg .Also agree that burrow should be coming off the bench . Maybe they need a rest . Best team one today imo

McGuire needs a stint at Hunslet, get some form back, he was worse today than I can remember seeing, and that saying something on recent performances!!

I'd wager Sinfield and McGuire make more tackles in a game than any other HB partnership in the comp. If you're halfs are making 40 or 50 tackles a game between them its goingto have a detrimental effeect on their attacking play.

Yet it had no effect on Mr Crabtree today, who played better in defence and attack than anyone else, and he's a big forward rather than light and slight.

Gotcha, seriously? Crabtree went backwards more than my ex wife when faced with the python!!

is that not just an effect of your fast rushing defense?

Crabtree isn't responsible for the creative work of his team and got subbed off.

At the 65 min Sinfield was third in the tackle list (with 24) behind only Crabtree and JJB. He'd even done more than Peacock and Delaney......thats the problem and one I've pointed out before this year. Sinfield has had to step up for our defence to improve this year compared to the last 2 seasons......but that comes with a negative effect on his attacking play.

To sum it up easily, Sinfield is being sacrificed for having Burrow at 9......is it worth it? Not really.

According to Opta in the SL Regular Rounds as a pair they are averaging 41 tackles a game, while also missing another 3. I don't have any comparable stats with other teams half-backs but I do have a stat for the Leeds starting hooker - 8 a game with another attempt missed - all figures rounded you understand.

I did it after 8/9 league games.....Sinfield was at 27, other halfs like Brough, Myler, Matty Smith and several others were in the low to mid teens.

The BBC had him at 24 tackles by the 65th minute mark so he probably end up around the 30 mark.