You'd almost think you were desperate to prove yourself right......do you have many other insecurities ?

Am I wrong?

I suspect we differ on what constitutes complete manhandling.

Now this is a good example of a Super League Man Of Steel being [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_f5Rr93v_QCOMPLETELY MANHANDLED![/url

The one where Broughton had put Watkins to ground (and into touch) although Watkins had done well to get the ball away first.

Not sure what you would call Watkins manhandling Broughton on that occasion as both players appeared to have done a good job.

Yes that one. Watkins stood tall and strong in that failed tackle and managed to get his arm free comfortably for an offload he should never have been allowed to make. He should have been in touch on first contact.

Last week you were congratulating Broughton for chasing back but not stopping a try, Now you're congratulating him on not making a tackle and not stopping a try scoring offload.

You're doing a Stevo. You've claimed this kid is great and now you must make stuff up to prove your statement is correct.

What have I invented?

I praised Broughton's attempt to make a cover tackle on the Salford right side defence while he was playing on the left wing. Reminiscent of the days Calderwood also had to cover Cummins wing as well as his own on down field breakaways by the opposition. Obviously you'll have noted whose absence Broughton was attempting to cover at right centre.

Watkins did well (as it turned out) as did Broughton to first cover Ablett's break and then turn, line Watkins up, put him to ground and into touch short of the try-line in a one on one tackle, Watkins knew he was going out to the textbook tackle hence the desperate offload.

I imagine you'll also wish to comment on Broughton hauling down Burrow when he looked all over a scorer in the second half. You can do it just beside a similar effort you'll have praised Watkins for earlier in the match.

Ref - P Bentham, Video - R Silverwood

Oh well, it could have been an exciting, free flowing spectacle of a game.

Still, it'll give plenty of time between play the balls to get some other stuff done while the game is on.

TBF for 2 average teams we have received an average ref. We were never going to get Ganson or Silverwood with Warrington/Quins and Hudds/Wigan on the same weekend. (btw im assuming those are the games they have got. I havent seen the list)

I think this will be close, two injury ravaged sides who haven't hit anything like top form so far. I can see this being a pretty dull game if I honest if past form of these sides is to go by and probably a knock-on-athon. However, we have have started to click a bit better in attack and managed to keep abliet a poor Salford side pointless for 40 minutes. I think if Kirke, Ablett and JJB can carry on from last week we will win, but with our forwards so understrength if they do not perform we could be in trouble. I think our backs even with the injuries have too much pace for saints so we can cause damage on the wings.

You don't need to. We like to cause damage on our own wings, thanks. Meli did a splendid run into touch last Friday night. It would have made an under 11 player's heart beat with pride!

Don't worry on current Leeds performances we are bound to 'play you into form' by being so awful that you will collectively click and give us a walloping. I've seen us do that plenty of times in the bad old days...days to which we appear to be returning

If Leeds pick up from where they left off 20 mins in against Salford and continue to look after the ball a bit better we can turn Saints over. Saints will have the bigger pack, but Leeds have the backs. If Leeds turn over cheap possession it will be hard to break Saints down over the 80 mins.

I don't think Saints can score against Leeds from our their half - they don't wont have the speed to strike anywhere on the pitch like Leeds can. Cut the errors, penalties and restrict the number of times Saints are on our line then we'll be onto a winner. But unfortunately that has only happened once this season.

Of course you'd know all about that!

Hey! We have Robes, Eastmond (who?), Shenton, Wheeler (if he plays), Gaskell and (if he actually plays for more than the final 10 minutes) Foster. All of these have pace. As does LMS if he plays. So I'll have you know that we are not now totally a team of carthorses, only partly a team of carthorses.

Of course, all you really need to do is kick to either wing and it's highly likely you'll score every time. But then you already know that as it's a template you've been following for years!

I think you are right. It will all be about field position IMO, as you say we need to keep them off our line and outside our 20 when ever possible. I think if we give them good field position by either poor kicking, errors or penalties then they will score tries in our half. I suspect one of two people are going to come back and say, 'well of course, that is the point of the game' but what I mean is I would like to see us kick early if it keeps them in their half and look to get good deep kicks away on the fourth or fifth and not chance our arm with an attacking kick or power play on the 5th. Equally, we need to push the ball out wide earlier in the tackle count and try and use our superior pace in the backs.

Really !! No BJB, Smith or McGuire......probably Ablett at centre and Sinfield at stand off



Both good players of course (Ablett is better there than Delaney, the latter at long last recognised as the superior second rower)....but "pacy" ??

Granted we've got the edge in pace at FB

...but [ithroughout[/i the backs ?? Senior and Hall aint that quick either ya knows.

Should be a good competitive match

Well, if either defences meet the superb standards of our respective matches so far, it could be the highest scoring match in the season to date!

It could even rival that game in the early 2000's when we beat Hudds 52-46 or something around that

Still to be convinced. From what I have seen of Saints this season just havn't displayed a major attacking threat within your own half. Warrington can, Wigan can, Leeds showed against Hull/Bradford and Salford that they can - There is only one way to find out and that is this Saturday.



I agree with IA, Leeds are superior for pace. Watkins imo looks like the fastest player in SL this year - what unbelievable pace shown on many occasions against Salford. Burrow - enough said. Webb again showed awesome pace many times this season. Jay Pitts, wow he is fast! - I replayed a clip from Salford game 10 times to double check it was him. Senior can still eat up the ground and since when was Hall not that quick?...how many length of the fielders have seen Hall do in his short career? Ian Kirke, Cas away last season, enough said. Danny Buderus, no slug out of dummy half, granted not as fast as roby but still got the snap out of dummy half. Then the back rowers, JJB and Hauraki hit the ball fast and are certainly no 'Solomona's' in the back row department.



Its just what both teams need imo. After a much improved performance against Salford I want to see Leeds test themselves against a team like Saints albeit a slightly weakened one.

Exactly !

Two (unfortuately) equally matched sides

Oh. Who said anything about attacking threats within our own half? You were talking about pace! If you'd just said about attacking threats then obviously, we're sheeite. We only do long range tries now. So long, I'm still waiting for them!


It bloody isn't, you know. We need Wakefield every week.

I also said Saints dont appear to have the ability to strike anywhere on the pitch like Leeds can.



I think it is what you need, after losing to Quins, a win against Leeds will boost your confidence.

Your hope is that Leeds play suicide rugby in their own 30 and cough the ball up. From deep I will watch comfortably knowing Saints can't score


But when Saints are camped on our line after some belle*d has offloaded in his own 30, it won't be happy viewing.

More likely to be the result of a penalty awarded against us for not standing square at the ptb.

Struggling to summon enough energy or interest in this game on Saturday, which several seasons ago would have been a certainty. Two clubs both experiencing a gradual but steady decline over the past 3 or 4 seasons and now find themselves in a period of transition and hoping for the best. Two clubs who are still hanging on as challengers but no longer guaranteed a trip to Old Trafford.