I wasn't at the game but I assume the sin binning was McDermotts fault (like everything else this season)

He might have looked off pace in defence if honest it wasn't something I noticed. What I was impressed with regarding smith was in attack his passing and distribution and support runs. He just looked more energetic than I have seen from him in a long time

the one the touchie ruled out wasn't bad either

wait until you lose to Huddersfield. When did you last beat a decent side.
You will be away at castleford in the playoffs.

That was one of those calls when the whole ground are left wondering WTF???
Ferdy my Smith comments are purely down to his defensive efforts when they kicked through he looked slower to react ,i'm not saying hang him or even ditch him just pointing out what i saw.

It's that kind of attitude that makes you get up people's noses, Can't you disagree without the hyperbole?

FWIW I think he's right.


He was a million miles behind several Leeds players such as Ablett, JJB. Hall and a few others. Smith is so pedestrian these days it's scary. His "effort" to cover the kick for Tony's try was shocking, he gave a few murder balls and yook several wrong options after fielding kick offs.

Thank goodness.

Maybe that is because he's out of form and rhythm having been hrarshly dropped by the coach a few months back when he looked to be finding his feet?

It's not an agenda. It's a perfectly valid opinion. I think they've done the right thing in allowing Ali to move on but if I had to choose one or the other to play interchange prop Ali offers (and has offered in his few cameos there this season) a million times more than Kirke offers.

Let's be fair, it was a dead rubber for Wakey, the game meant nothing in terms of there season, they have a SL licence there done for the year

Wakefield were beyond abysmal which made Leeds look a little better than they actually were.

Thought Smith was OK, Delaney is without doubt a second rower and McShane looked dangerous in the little time he had on the pitch.

JJB and Ablett worked hard and McGuire is staring to get back into his stride.

Hall’s finishing was excellent and it was good to see JP go over.

IS there anyone that hasn’t scored this season (tvoc)?

Without a shadow of doubt, he looks comfortable and confident in taking the ball in

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that McGuire is finished at the level of Wakefield as the opposition.

The flat track bully rises again.

Indeed, the joys of the SL licensing system. Perhaps if promotion and relegation had been in place instead, Wakefield might well have felt the need to turn up last night as a matter of urgency.

You dont think they would have been down already if there was?

It did occur to me prior to last nights flat-track fixture that certain players would suddenly find their form and Danny McGuire immediately sprang to mind. I also assumed it was golden opportunity for 0.83 to improve upon his 0.83, particularly at full back, though I doubt that 0.83 will be ousting Danny McGuire (or anyone else) from a half back role anytime soon. I forget which village idiot suggested that on here in the first place.

I think we would have beaten Wakey last night with Tony Christie playing for us !!

Come to think of it , he does fit the age bracket.....

According to another village idiot 0.83 was by far the best Leeds player on last night's flat track.

Possibly... even probably... at least it would have been deservedly so as opposed to a licensing system which attempts to manufacture who goes down and who stays up according to whatever the prevailing agenda might be.

All last night's game does is emphasise the gulf between top and bottom of the SL. The performance Leeds put in wouldn't have troubled any of the serious contenders this season. Don't be fooled by the points scored, Wakey were worse than a pub team.

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The missus and I were having this exact conversation last night. Wakefield had absolutely nothing to play for and hardly turned up. Further evidence that the 1 up – 1 down system gives us a more fiery season’s end.

I’ve not really been a fan of the franchise system (although I do appreciate what it is trying to achieve) and when the geriatrics at Red Hall handed Wakefield a three year lifeline my feelings towards franchising have hardly improved.

Thanks for highlighting that


I now have coffee over my keyboard

The biggest surprises of the night were that Smith appears to have shrunk over night from a teletubby to a Rob Burrow clone, & the size & strength of Hardaker. The latter had a poor game but he is going to be huge, reminded me of Senior in his Eagles days.

I did approve of the licensing system initially... it appeared to be based on several reasonable propositions... stadium facilities, business performance, commercial/marketing, junior production and development, etc... but it's been taken over by an agenda to serve the interests of expansion, even when it's clearly obvious that particular expansion club ventures aren't working, aren't ever going to work and are doomed to failure.

I didn't approve of a club like Wakefield being sacrificed for a failing expansion club just down the road from Widnes in North Wales, but that was the agenda. The supreme irony is that Wakefield have now been saved by the same system intent on removing them. Now they've got a 3 year pass in the top division enabling them to toss it off if they so wish, like several other clubs with a SL license. I agree with you... a return to 1 up and 1 down.

A licensing system would work if the criteria were publically available, consistent, and the scoring for each club was open to scrutiny by others. While ever the RFL say that they will not discuss the results of any club with any other, there remains a black cloud over the whole procedure.

The principle is sound, in that it gives clubs a chance to build for the future rather than concentrate solely on one season survival, which is in the longer term interests of the game.

If you go back to 1 up 1 down, don't you just get the same set of players from the relegated club, playing for the promoted one the following season.

The problem is not with a licensing system, it's with the people that operate it...

Haven't Widnes already signed 3 Crusaders players who have effectively been relegated?

What's the difference?

Licensing operates in order to facilitate expansion clubs first and foremost. RL Expansion hasn't succeeded in over 100 years at the top level and I see nothing in the SL vision which will alter that.