The other 3 aren't starting players? You sure about that?

Are all yours starting players? Also how many of them are confirmed out? and why are you trying to make it look like Leeds are hard done by. i thought you never knew when you were beat. Isn't that your motto?

Like the bit about Sutcliffe. Somehow he is playing with an injury and because he plays for Leeds he is more injured than any other teams players so it counts as another injury. You are the champions and we all expect a champions performance with all your strength in depth to cover injuries.

Well Im not Shuan Wane but Id start Flower Clubb Bateman Farrell and O'lochlin- so the three players wont be starting players when your at full strength right?

I didnt say ours were staring players but I think all would be in the 17 except golding who we only need because of other injuries
Not sure who's back, all I listed were injured at the end of last weeks game, Mullally and Falloon I think are possibilities but both would be coming back early
I think that is actually a Saints motto

but I dont think we are beat, if you actually read my post I said if the young players play like they did against NZ weve got every chance, I just think its unlucky to have lost so many coming up to a big game

I only mention Sutcliffe because if Mcguire or Falloon was fit they he would probably have not played last week and would have maybe played on the bench this week
We do have strength in depth I think- its just you don't expect to need 5 halves by round 2 (I guess we could play moon but were better off keeping him in the centres given NQC backline is their only weak point imo)

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That is so wrong to be playing a young player in the 1st/2nd game of the season when you know he is clearly injured, clubs take a risk at the back end but not in the first couple of weeks.

Its nice to hear your concerned


I agree but if they're playing him it must be a cork he got against Wire and not related to his knee injury (hopefully)

Leeds will only really miss McGuire, the rest are very replaceable with the squad they have. There are no excuses for Leeds really. They're at home in their old fashioned stadium and are playing with an English referee (we're being reffed by an Aussie). I suppose the worry is the lack of those experienced heads in Sinfield and Peacock. When the going gets tough who do they turn to? They've papered over some of the cracks over the years and helped out a limited coach in McDermott massively. If it is a tight game who kicks the goals (or drop goals) to bring it home?!

As I say though there's no excuse. Those lads have retired and are done and dusted. They're in the here and now with every advantage.

This is a weird post, you say no excuses but list a bunch of problems with the team



Mcguire is the biggest loss yes but there are other problems
weve now got 3 second rowers out- arguably our starting back row meaning less experience players like Keinhorst will be starting- though hes a good player and I dont think its too bad a problem, the thing is though if you take out those three plus Falloon we are missing a lot of big tacklers in the middle and our bigger forwards could get exposed
You also mention Sinfield and Peacock, which would not be a problem if McGuire or JJB or Ward (who will likely be our captain in the next few years) were playing, Im just hoping that burrow and Hardaker can really step up as leaders
As for kicking, no problem, young half called Lilley will be playing who was very good against NZ and in preseason, whilst Burrow has kicked DGs in Finals before

Having said that I dont want any excuses, I dont want us to lose!
It was just before I realised about Williams (and remembered Tomkins) I thought you guys or Saints had to win it if there was any point in the WCS- given the players the Broncos and Roosters have lost

Sinfield and Peacock can't be an issue, they don't and will not exist anymore as Leeds players. The issues their absence creates need to be fixed up by what you've got. You've spent their salary cap space so you have to presume you've solved any issues that have been created.

McGuire is a miss but besides him who's missing? Potentially Briscoe who will be replaced by a top young player in Handley. You've brought in an England international back rower in Ferres who can slot in alongside Delaney and Cuthbertson in the back three if Ablett is missing. You've got options at prop in Garbutt, Galloway and Singleton plus some other back up. You can move Burrow around and young Lilley looks a top talent.

All in all there's plenty of quality and there's certainly no excuses to be making out its a lost cause.

Brisbane have Ben Hunt and Jack Reed missing by the way. Not as many as we have missing and they've replaced them with James Roberts (The NRL centre of the year for 2015) and Kodi Nikorima (who is a Kiwi international).

In comparison we've got Lewis Tierney in for Sam Tomkins who is making his 6th first team appearance. We're quite clearly not as well blessed!

You might not start them but Shaun Wane does, so you are wrong.

Well if you read my posts youd know that i forgot about Tomkins, my point was that basically 2/3 of their best players last year were out and it was a great opportunity
Also I dont know if you watched Brisbane last year? but the players Milford links with most were Hunt and Reed so I thought hed have an average game except maybe a few individual runs

Now that I know tomkins (and someone said Williams aswell) are out as well I think you and Brisbane are probably about equal given your at home

With a full team? who does he drop out of who i said, especially in the backrow?
Surely you would start Bateman and Farrell over tomkins and at least Flower over Mossop?

Its not a lost cause, I just found out antonio winterstein is out
We're gonna rinse 'em, Im betting on a Handly hatrick

MOT

Stop your skriking .
You've got about 3 regulars of your starting 13 players out. Tough cack. Your the best team since the inception of RL so you should take such minor deflections in your stride.
Not sure why you feel we are compelled to uphold the worth of SL when we have obviously failed so miserably in recent history to delive any silverware.
By the way I still hope you snot the Aussies on Sunday and genuinely fully anticipate that you will rise to the occassion on the night even if you are one or two senior players missing.

Did you even read my posts before you replied

Why is anyone taking on this idiot?

How does Lomax, McDonnell, Percival and Roby stack up, as for Mossop didn't he play in the reserves last week?

On that subject it's an interesting one. Presuming Lomax and McDonnell eventually being fit at the same time what will happen regarding positions? Lomax was looking primed to be No.1 before his injury and that is McDonnell's strongest position. Will one of them go to 6.?

Lomax is comfortably a better player then McDonnell when both are fit. If he comes back anything like from his injuries he'll walk the fullback spot.

Would they start in the same team? (just curious)

As for Mossop, I wouldnt have him in the 17 at the moment, fit or not

I think that has been answered by Cherry_, saints have struggled in the halves for far too long, so Lomax at 6/7 with McDonnell at full back would not unbalance the team.

On your second point, we are all entitled to our opinion and I respect yours.

If Tomkins was playing I think we would have nicked it. As it is, I'm just not sure what we're going to hurt them with at this stage of the season, unless we pull some new tricks out of the bag.

Add to that our defence in the game last year was phenomenal, the best display of the year in that regard. We'll have to match that and then some as they now have a better surface to play on.

Would be great to win but can't see it and I'm afraid looking at it objectively all the signs point to a bad weekend for the Super League.

Looking forward to the games though and really hope I'm wrong.

Has their been any announcement of who is reffing your game? Silverwood is doing Leeds and Thaler the Saints game but yours is still TBC on the RFL site. Matt Cecchin from Australia is reserve ref on Friday and VR on Sunday and I can't imagine they've brought him over just for those roles so my guess would be that he'll ref your game providing he doesn't have to come off the bench as reserve ref on Friday night.

Yes it's him.

Wigan had a first team vs reserves training run with him reffing the game the other day to get used to his refereeing style.

Wane confirmed this on Wigan TV.

Only on rlfans , a multi page pi$$ing contest on who has got the most injuries



Good luck to all three English clubs this weekend , lets hope we all at least make it competitive .

Err how about lets hope we win?


Cmon lets have abit of optimism!
My original point was that someone has to win this weekend of the WCS wont have any legs