Where I'm also at is that although I am Mr Ultimate Patience, I'm running out of it with Leeds' decisions which have been so hit and miss for nearly a decade now. We won the 2017 title in a miracle year really as so many Goldens signed off, and we rode our luck with Hardaker screwing up at Cas too. We were bad in 2016 though. We jagged a CC win against.. Salford in a weird year.
Other than that it has been a very long time between drinks, some daft decisions on coaches and even dafter decisions on some players. We've either signed crap project players who just haven't worked out, or we've spaffed it on big name players bang out of form and not the right fit for what we needed in the team. For ten years nearly. Meanwhile we've failed to develop enough good young players.
I don't want to be Captain Hindsight but to me the appointment of a Blease is well overdue at Leeds.
I do love GH for all he's done at Leeds, and nights like the Rob Burrow tribute remind us all what a wonderful club he has had a huge part in building.
We used to sign players like Senior, Ellis, Peacock, Harris, Briscoe, McDermott etc. and every one of them you knew was a real player. Somewhere along the line we've lost the judgement and/or the ambition, and I just think it was high time for someone else to take over the direction of the rugby side.
I do love GH for all he's done at Leeds, and nights like the Rob Burrow tribute remind us all what a wonderful club he has had a huge part in building.
We used to sign players like Senior, Ellis, Peacock, Harris, Briscoe, McDermott etc. and every one of them you knew was a real player. Somewhere along the line we've lost the judgement and/or the ambition, and I just think it was high time for someone else to take over the direction of the rugby side.
Agree with all that, unfortunately several clubs will be also embarking on a major recruitment campaign. So finding decent players will be difficult. Unfortunately our recruitment needs to be on a major scale. As I have stated many times Smiths recruitment and management has set us back months.
Agree with all that, unfortunately several clubs will be also embarking on a major recruitment campaign. So finding decent players will be difficult. Unfortunately our recruitment needs to be on a major scale. As I have stated many times Smiths recruitment and management has set us back months.
I've given up predicting too much around academy lads but with McCormack, Lumb, Edgell, Smith, Simpson coming through in the backs, and Littlewood, TNW, Oladipupo, Cassell, Lloyd and some others in the pack, we really do have some good prospects.
You watch Leeds in this game and my overriding feeling was that we look like a side which needs evolution rather than revolution again... but let's be honest, Leigh did roll us through a fair bit of the game, and we only won through some superhuman goal line D and individual brilliance from Croft. I reckon we lose that game in a normal league fixture, and that's just where our squad is currently.
As you say Jim, it can be a guessing game with whether young players come through and if they do , are they average or better.
I agree with your list of the three quarters and I think both Lumb and Ned Mc will make it. Simpson has a lot of potential, can he come back from the injury, who knows. I also think Jack Smith has a chance.
I think Littlewood looks like a proper RL player and I’ll stick my neck out and say he will also make it. I like TNW but think he I simply too small for prop in the modern game. The other 3 you mention are very young and have a way to go before can play SL
In terms of the pack, I think the 3 key ones in the next year or so are Ruan, Hudson and Warren. Ruan is a big, strong unit but I’ve not seen much to suggest he is a natural player, hope I am wrong.
I have no clue about Hudson and Warren, I’ve not seen them live.
We’ve invested a bit in recent years in these 3 plus of course Walters , if none of them come through it will be quite a let down in our recruitment. Eseh looks much further down the track as Wigan’s 9/10th choice.
I’m sure Blease gets all this as he mentioned the Graham Murray pack in the first press conference. I think he knew where we need to go from the outside.
The other 2 are Of course Fergus Mc and Sinfield, I can see Sinfield being a Harry Smith type. Fergus has a bit going on and a real chance as well.
It would be great for a bucket load of them to all make it.
As you say Jim, it can be a guessing game with whether young players come through and if they do , are they average or better.
I agree with your list of the three quarters and I think both Lumb and Ned Mc will make it. Simpson has a lot of potential, can he come back from the injury, who knows. I also think Jack Smith has a chance.
I think Littlewood looks like a proper RL player and I’ll stick my neck out and say he will also make it. I like TNW but think he I simply too small for prop in the modern game. The other 3 you mention are very young and have a way to go before can play SL
In terms of the pack, I think the 3 key ones in the next year or so are Ruan, Hudson and Warren. Ruan is a big, strong unit but I’ve not seen much to suggest he is a natural player, hope I am wrong.
I have no clue about Hudson and Warren, I’ve not seen them live.
We’ve invested a bit in recent years in these 3 plus of course Walters , if none of them come through it will be quite a let down in our recruitment. Eseh looks much further down the track as Wigan’s 9/10th choice.
I’m sure Blease gets all this as he mentioned the Graham Murray pack in the first press conference. I think he knew where we need to go from the outside.
The other 2 are Of course Fergus Mc and Sinfield, I can see Sinfield being a Harry Smith type. Fergus has a bit going on and a real chance as well.
It would be great for a bucket load of them to all make it.
Agree. I really want TNW to make it because he's a cracking lad and captain material IMO, but he reminds me of Louie McConnell (I think he now plays for Doncaster). He might make a better 13 but there is more competition there than prop.
Sinfield would be in first grade already I reckon except for his D. If he can nail that, he is definitely a chance.
Said it before but I actually think there's a player in Hudson. It's a shame he came to the game so late; it doesn't look like his body can take it. Hopefully he can get and stay fit and we can have a proper look at him.
Want us to sign Eseh; I did before he went to Wigan and I do even more now I've seen him on the field together with Mik. We look very mobile up front with those two on, they complement each other really well.
We'll see if a new coach can drag this squad into better performances this year: but IF we can get the next 2-3 first grade signings right, and our young lads develop, I could see us being up there next year.
Another benefit of having more than one youngster come through at a time is not putting all your eggs in one basket. If Simpson comes back fit and kicks on along with Ned McCormack and maybe Smith, we won't be betting everything on Newman staying fit/not throwing his toys out of the pram. That doesn't mean I'd want rid, but we wouldn't be held to ransom and end up paying overs.
That's why junior development needs to be continual, a lesson lost (amongst many) during the Golden Generation. For every Danny McGuire there are multiple Jordan Lilleys.
I will stick my neck out and say that both Presley Cassell and Zak Lloyd will make first grade. Matts knows the junior set up much better than I do but from what I've seen these lads both have what it takes. There are others too with good chances especially in the younger scholarship side.
A back row in a couple of years with a fit Gannon, Cassell, Lloyd, Littlewood will put lots of pressure on the existing first graders. A few lads that haven't made it in recent years basically haven't been big enough - I think the ones coming through now have a great mixture of size and talent. Would include Simpson, Smith, Lumb (once he fills out) in that mix for the backs too. Hudson, Ruan, Warren and a couple of others are also going to be in the mix for 2025 if we retain them.
Anyway lots of positivity for the future in my view, but we still need to fix up some holes in the squad if we're going to progress next year. If we did sign Eseh permanently, it would take immediate pressure off prop but I still think we need a marquee type proper prop to push everyone down the pecking order.
