It's not even *just* a matter of forward power; despite the conditions, Leeds have strung a lot more passes together than we have managed.

Absolutely correct and also so frustrating.

We have know for years we lack size it’s been identified numerous time and other than Burgess we have done absolutely nothing to rectify it.

Expecting these young Prop forwards to stand up at the business end of the season is totally unrealistic.

I’m made up to see Bateman back...but once again he doesn’t rectify the problem we have in relation to size.

SL finals are won and lost in the Autumn and you need a big aggressive pack to do that. We have a very aggressive pack but we lack the size to really back that up.

Glad Hardaker got over.

The only player who can hold his head up after this shambles.

Not a centre though - always turns inside away from his winger and looks to have lost a lot of pace, I would say Farrell has tried hard and maybe Greenwood and Smith have added a bit but otherwise poor.

Him and KR have a huge job on their hands to replace:
Lam
French
Hastings
O'Loughlin
Leuluai (probably)

As well as sort the G.Burgess fiasco out.

They best get cracking then.

For me Lam can go now. The season is gone, we aren’t winning anything but 4th/5th place.

Strip the entire back room staff out and start again while we are at it.

How bad must the others be that he kicks infront of? Hastings must be awful out of hand, although he’s normally the one tackled on the 5th so he can’t kick it!!

If there was a competition to kick straight to the full back TL would win it every time. Hastings I just don't get - for a half back he gets tackled with the ball so often on the last play that it is unreal. For a supposed top class HB (not my opinion) he seems to be playing in a very strange way.

It's hard to see why we waited so long to bring Smith on. At least he showed a bit of spark.

I'm just recalling a comment I saw (not on this site, I think) that we'd be better off with Hastings than signing Benji Marshall. Benji doesn't get sacked too often, and he knows how to kick a ball and pick a pass.

Wow! That was Babba!

Hastings thinks he's a prop . Wants to take it up the middle all the time instead of making himself available to create something . We are incapable of changing the game plan on the field when things go wrong . The number of times Hastings gets the ball on the 5th tackle and Faz on the 6th tackle defies belief.

Regards EW

I don’t think he’s ready yet for the full responsibility of a first team halfback but I would keep him in now and persevere and let him grow. I can get behind a vision where we are supporting him as there long term seven if we make that commitment, particularly after another shambles we’ve been served up by the others today.

I've stuck up for Lam before saying he deserves a chance but he's won 1 lost 4 in knockout games now. That includes two games where we went in as favourites and lost comfortably. That's not good enough in our system where you can't win any major trophy without winning multiple knockout games. It's not even like we're getting as far as Saints and coming unstuck either, none of those games were against them.

I'd be not renewing his contract and trying to get the right candidate for next season. No point sacking him now and being rushed into the wrong replacement.

I think Hastings just tries too hard.

He is playing a multitude of roles during a game as a creative 6, workhorse 9 and ball running 13.

Most weeks it works but again when the intensity ramps up he can’t be expected to do it all to a high standard.

Our forwards are too lightweight have been for years and we have never tackled that.

The young lads today were cannon fodder. No Props no pots and sadly that is where we find ourselves.

It’s tough for him trying to do it all, but I’d rather he focus on being an out and out half like he was at Salford as I think that is the best version of him.

And who's available that would do any better?
Just got back in, checked the score, hit delete on the DVR. WTF


Can't say I'm surprised or shocked, but it's an odd season & happens sometimes.
Tony Smith said after we beat Wire a good few yrs ago, "If you're not prepared to lose, don't bother turning up".

I suspect Hastings is a bit like Tommy sort halfway between half back and hooker, I think he will end up as a 9 or even 13 eventually rather than HB, Certainly he plays more like a 9 at present but getting tackled on the last play so often is killing our options and for that you can blame the coaching as well - we just look so lost on last tackle plays.

I too have defended him but he got it wrong today and the book stops with him.

Game plan and selection wrong for the occasion and conditions.

Agreed.

Starting Havard and Partington in the front row was absolutely insane.

I think Partington only made about 20m all game.

Hopefully Havard's injury isn't serious.

Another epic failure in a big match, all credit to Leeds for playing the conditions perfectly, taken to school today by Gale and the Leeds pack.

Have we?

This side as it stands has lost every big game it has played in and has been bullied in several others.

From the 2018 side we've lost the relentless aggression of Bateman, the work rate of Sutton, Clubb and Flower are shadows of the players they were then and Greenwood has gone backwards.

Lockers is 2 years older and 400 injuries further on, and while he does make us a better side he just cannot do 80 anymore and we have nobody that can genuinely replace him.

The young lads like Olly P, Havard, Shorrocks, Smithies are good players but they need a big house in there with them and the two we signed are e.

It's similar to 05 when we had some great young lads in SOL, Hock, Brown that were the best of those around but had nobody to help them out and they got smashed around the park.

It’s nearly impossible to bring through a number of good young Props at the same time and be competitive.

Some big decisions to be made on that front.

I’d personally be focusing on Harvard and Kilner, however it becomes more complicated with the NRL lurking on the horizon.

One thing is evident we have massive issues in the Prop department for many reasons most of them our own making which is the most disappointing factor in that.

Totally agree.

Not to mention that Wanery manages to get an extra 20% out of every player that Lam seems totally incapable of doing.

I think the NRL will make those decisions for us. We'll get whoever is left.