yeah but Hull KR are your rivals, Hull FC to Leeds are just one of the other teams who make up the numbers

That is the only sensible and mature reply you've had on this thread. I will agree to disagree on this occasion, but respect your opinion.

As for comparing this side to a side from a year ago, I think it is relevant. Leeds are the champions, and that side they put out yesterday was very close to the side fielded in the Grand Final:

vs Hull -
Webb, Hall, Delaney, Smith, Donald, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Buderus, Bailey, Ablett, Senior, Sinfield.
Replacements: Diskin, Eastwood, Kirke, Lauitiiti.

vs Saints in GF last year -
Webb, Donald, Smith, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Diskin, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Sinfield.
Replacements: Lauitiiti, Bailey, Kirke, Burgess.

Very similar sides, only three different players. So hardly "under strength" like some have been saying. We were missing our starting winger and full-back, and our impact second rower from our starting line-up. Who were Leeds missing from theirs? Peacock and Jamie Jones-Buchanon, and possibly Burgess if you consider him starting 17.

Is that not worse? You're celebrating beating a side you apparently aren't even bothered about that had one player less on the pitch and still struggled to beat. Coming up to the play-offs, I'd be worried about form like that with only a couple of key players out.

celebrating 4th is a season long achievement, i dont think anyone has celebrated our performance yesterday.

Yes our form hasnt been great these past couple of weeks, but what i would say is we have only looked a small way from 'clicking' a few passes here and there a couple of individual mistakes have let us down recently but when that confidence returns and when the players get used to playing with each other again they will start to stick, and we have beaten everyone this year and proven that when we can make it stick we are as good as anyone, we have a week or so to get that

Fair reply.

Although I would disagree about you saying that no-one is celebrating the performance. Some people are. Whether that is to troll or not is another question (and if it is, well it's a very desperate trolling attempt!).

Well known anti Hull rants eh? Care to highlight them?

It isn't. Then again it was hardly Old Trafford form when Leeds got walloped by Saints in the 2008 Grand Final qualifier. I don't think Leeds are favourites to win it this year but unlike some I haven't written them off just yet either. I've learned not to do that with this Leeds squad. Leeds have played much worse than they did yesterday in the lead up to past playoffs. They lost, badly, at home to Hull in September 2007 as well IIRC.

Yes I was talking about the Donald intercept. Should have been a try and 20-12, and possibly a Hull win.

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. Seriously you need to see someone about this obsession of yours, its not healthy. I'll just go ahead and assume you wont be able to resist a reply so in response I'll just say in advance - Give it up and think about something that must surely be more important in your life than scouring these boards looking for another opportunity to comment on Hull FC.

So you have gone from "Hull were rubbish" to now Hull being poor in the second half.
It also shows your Rugby knowledge to say that Hull would win after 40 minutes. Now I am not a Rugby oracle but at half time I couldn't believe what I was seeing but I sure as s*** didn't think Hull would win, because anybody with half a brain would know being down to 12 for such a long time would take its toll in the end and 12 points wasn't enough.
But as the game went on and as Leeds kept making mistakes and yes I agree Leeds were poor at times i thought maybe Hull could hang on, but it wasn't to be.
Overall the only aspect in which Hull were poor was at times they didn't help themselves by making silly mistakes and not helping themselves with ball retention. But for sheer effort, determination and some great defence they was outstanding. I'm usually pessimistic when it comes to Hull FC, but yesterday I was bloody proud to be a Hull fan.Leeds can say they got the 2 points and 4th place and all that, and that's ok. But yesterday was a very hollow victory no matter how you spin it, and they had better improve for their sakes.FWIW I think they will.

And anybody with half a brain wouldn't be condemning Radford as a cowardly thug. TBH if Smith had shown common sense and sin-binned both, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But anyway the VAST majority of rugby fans would know that Bailey has had that coming for a long time.He knew exactly what he was doing and if you're gonna keep elbowing people in the head then to me you're fair game. Bailey is a cowardly scumbag and I bet they were lots of people watching the game over the country having a chuckle thinking it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. I hope someone from Wigan nails him next week.

I've got nowt else to say to you, so I thank you!

Radford should have got off him them. Players make that movement all the time with their arms when another player is laying on. Radford was an absolute idiot. However it was good to see them making up after the game, embrace and all. As usual it is the fans going on and on about it the incident long after the players have moved on.

I believe this is the second thread that is linked to Hull FC that I have ever commented on

Cool.

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist





Oh and you've posted on our board in the past

Gotta get the last word in hasn't he mate.His pitiful response to my previous post just about sums him up.

not enough time to go back through your posts ALL SEASON

I think Smith messed up, sending Radford off was harsh, but I won't argue with the decision, but if you're going to be consistent about striking the head of a player on the ground who is in no position to protect his head then well you have to be consistent about it. It's no good coming up with excuses for why the referee should turn a blind eye to Bailey elbowing Radford in the back of the head when Radford's unable to protect his head, only to claim that it's wrong when Radford punches Bailey in the head when Bailey was unable to protect his head. If it's wrong and worthy of a sending off then that's acceptable, but that's the way you have argue it, it can't be worthy of a bline eye one minute, and then worthy of a red card the following minute. Smith made himself look foolish by being inconsistent.

More likely he didn't see the elbows to the head - it wasn't until Sky replayed the footage that anyone in the pub where I was watching it noticed the provocation.

What was the TJ doing? The incident happened right in front of him.

The difference was that Radford deliberately aimed punches at a grounded player, while at no point can you see Bailey aiming his elbows at Radford, he never looks at the tacklers.

but its RYAN BAILEY! RYAN BAILEY!

Stop it, you're sounding almost as much of a bigot as Jonathan Davies.

I dislike Ryan Bailey as much as anyone, but this is correct. There is no clear obvious intention from Bailey to elbow Radford in the head, he isnt looking at Radford at any point and it looked to me that he was just attempting to get up for a quick PTB.

On reflection, Bailey should have got 10 for making contact with an opponents head (still an offence even if not completely deliberate), and Radford got what he deserved for laying into a player who was in no position to defend himself.