Smith is a clever opportunist - he knew Warrington had the money to create a very good side, just like he did at Huddersfield and Leeds. Smith is a great coach but it helps if you can sign the likes of Atkins, Myler, Morley, Monaghan, Hodgson and Ratchford on a regular basis. Compare Warrington's recruitment with that of Leeds over the past 3 years?

i don't rate BM but i don't think recruitment, or lack of it, has helped him

Admiral Hanson is spot on. Warrington are an older side than Leeds and in the long term context have the same issues in terms of having to replace players. It is going to be a problem. Saints went through it a couple of years ago and have dropped their level.



The differences between Leeds and Warrington are that some of Leeds' older players are past their best, whilst Warrington's Dads Army brigade are still top performers even if they are past their absolute peak, and also in terms of the age profile Leeds have a bigger gap between senior players and a lot of young lads (of mixed quality), Warrington have been bringing in early to mid twenties guys that have proved themselves in SL, like Myler, Atkins, Ratchford etc, so there is less of a gap in age and experience.



Now I know some Leeds fans may be automatically defensive because I'm a Warrington fan and say well why are we the champions then, but that was due to one fine performance last year that knocked us out of the playoffs, overall you can't deny that for three years we have been a better team so I'm not trying to score points by bashing Leeds.



Leeds have something that we don't which is a long proven youth academy and so external recruitment of young players from other clubs is probably less of a priority for GH than it is for us, although in recent years our youth set up has got better. We have been able to bring a handful of decent players like Riley, Harrison, Cooper, Evans, McCarthy into the first team but we haven't had the numbers historically of Leeds or Wigan or Saints.



In terms of recruitment of overseas players though it's been a while since Leeds have made really good signings of overseas players, back in the mid 2000s you were bringing in Lauititi, Donald, Furner real top class, but in recent years Leeds have signed a lot of average players where we've done well with overseas players, the Monaghans, Hodgson, Waterhouse have been class and before them King and Hicks too.



I still don't think Leeds are far off but you need a bit more up front in the pack. Bailey should have been released a while ago. I wonder why Leeds weren't in for Carvell when we signed him at a time we were crap and Jimmy Lowes was coach, but ever since we signed him our pack has been dominant and we've been winning trophies. Also Leeds never replaced Ellis, someone like Waterhouse would have been a great Leeds signing.

Its easy to say we've just brought moore and griffin in this season and therefore should not get rid so soon but realistically, Leeds Rhinos should be aiming for a top 3 finish every season. Currently 5th, and have been as low as 8th, I believe 4th should be the minimum for a club of our stature. Therefor I believe that changes need to be made to the squad to be bale to secure a top 3/4 finish. We wont be coming from 5th and winning the GF every season.

Bailey is OOC the end of this season, so those wanting him out may well get their wish.

Is that just your wishful thinking or do you think his contract wont be renewed this time? GH has previously said that some players still under contract might be released. The next few weeks could be very interesting with the aim of buliding up an improved squad so as to challenge for honours in 2013.

You could say that Super League is full of dead wood. Look at Wigan for example, they're after Blake Green to replace Brett Finch. That would see them go from Finch and Leuluai to Green and Matty Smith. That's hardly what you'd expect from the side who've been the best in the comp for the past couple of years.



Same could be said of Saints with the likes of Clough, Dixon, Wheeler, Foster, Perry and Magennis in the Saints squad despite them all being nothing short of mediocre.



Its not just Leeds, its the whole of Super League.

Leeds did replace Ellis with Eastwood but he couldn't make it in 2009 because of a visa problem then when he did arrive he never settled and fekked off back to Oz - We've not managed to fill the gap that Eastwood left with the same standard of player.

I don't want to open up the whole play-offs debate again, but I think if you are honest, last year's GF win, while it was a great acheivement after such a mediocre league campaign, only served to hide the problems that you obviously had, and still have.



It wouldn't be far fetched to say that, for the last 3 seasons, you have been a fair way behind both Wigan and Wire, its just that you have a small core of a side which occasionally can raise their game and match any side around.



I wouldn't go as far as to have a huge clear out....As I say, you have a very talented core in Sinfield, Burrow and McGuire, and have a number of able and talented players, but you do have a small number who seem to be carried along (Bailey and Ablett would be the most obvious two who could be replaced by better on similar salaries).



Also, and I know he already has his detractors among your fans, Brian McDermott's position must also be questioned....Being a Wire fan, I've seen first hand just how much of a difference a coach can make - I think nearly all Wire fans can now see the folly of keeping Paul Cullen for the length of time we did (similarly, the madness of replacing him with Lowes).



I sense a similar thing with McDermott, in that he fails to get the best out of what he has at his disposal.....I honestly think if you had the same sides, but swapped the coaches around on Saturday, then Leeds would now be celebrating a win.

Nor did we replace Big Ali either.

I think the last few games have also shown that maybe Lunt is not the answer.

Get McShane back and play the lad FGS

Also bring back Amor and release Kylie who admittedly does a job when he is on the pitch.

But he is not on the pitch for long which is a problem with the number of interchanges nowadays.

JP needs to pick his games.

Ablett needs to play in the pack so does Sinfield but again he thinks he is stand off.

We need a Briers type half back a centre and an Ali type back rower as new signings.

Burrow or McGuire at SH

JJB, Clarkson and Bailey need to up their game or move on.

Moore and Griffin should be given another year.

I also think Achurch will play prop next year.

What is really needed is a new extra person in the coaching set-up, someone to work on the defence because if you think the defensive structure is bad and gets caught out now when we have plenty of experience in our side, guys who have played in hundreds of games and many finals and seen it all, then what hope do you reckon the defence has if we put together a much younger and less experienced pack? Sure they'll have youthful enthusiasm and energy but you've got to still have great team structures in place especially in your own 20m to keep the oppostion out and if the current lot are struggling with it then i don't see how less experienced guys will manage it.



As for some individuals,

Peacock - some said we should make this his final year but i've always thought he should still be here in 2013. We should follow the route Warrington did with Morley though and have him starting on the bench a bit more next season. Given the enormity of a CC Final he was able to roll back the years but on a weekly basis can't be your number 1 prop all the time.

Bailey - copping a lot of flak for his CC performance but i think this season he has played quite well. He pretty much got dropped into the Loose Forward position out of the blue when Ablett had to revert to centre and Clarkson underperformed but has had some good games there. I've been fine with him selected there these last few months but for the 2013 season i think Ward will be ready to start games there, so reverting back to prop/possibly 2nd Row on the cards.

JJB - Maybe like Peacock, time for him to be starting games on the bench a bit more in 2013. Depends on two things really, how well Achurch does, and if Ablett is returned back to the forwards with Keinhorst gettingt the 4 shirt.

Lunt - is he worth signing? If we had no one else then yes, but he's solid usually with the good game here and there and we have McShane and Hood in the wings.

Clarkson - Still worth holding onto for 1 more year unlike Hauraki to see if this year's hoped improvement comes in 2013.

Moore - gave a good account of himself when given a chance but can't see the point in keeping him ahead of giving Singleton the 4th bench spot on them occasions instead.



For 2013,

Outs - Hauraki, Webb, Moore, Lunt........Clarkson (loaned to another SL club if possible)

Ins/Promoted - Someone to work on the defence, Achurch, Singleton, Hood, McShane, Amor or a new STARTING prop, not a 3rd or 4th choice one (if so then possibly Kirke to leave too).

We badly need a game breaking forward.something most have suspected for a while,but after saturday needs to be made a priority.we will not progress with our current crop.as soon as i saw our bench compared to wires on saturday i feared for us.no impact whatsoever.