Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Sat Mar 16, 2019 5:20 pm  

Seth wrote:

Talk of Burgess, Graham etc surely they’d be on marquee wages so not a chance.

Not necessarily a problem, marquee is only about how much counts on the cap, not what you can pay them. We have a huge chunk of cap coming free next season, with the quality of the kids coming through, we should be looking at getting quality around them an bringing them through surrounded by top pros.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Sun Mar 17, 2019 11:39 pm  

Gotcha wrote:

Half back and second row are our biggest weaknesses. Sure we are short at prop, but those other positions offer us absolutely nothing, and it is where other teams have an edge.

Agree with this. People are often quick to point at the props when we lose but from watching the games we aren’t getting penned in our own half. We are making plenty of ground. I’m not saying we can’t strengthen at prop, we’re a bit short especially if we have an injury or 2. But the bigger areas of concern are as you say the halves and second row.

On numerous occasions this season our forwards and outside backs have got us into a decent position on the last tackle only for a god-awful kick to totally relieve any pressure we might have been able to apply. I could accept a Myler/Lolohea combination, or at least I understand the reasoning of having Myler to do the bog standard basics of a half just moving us around and use Lolohea as more of a running or passing threat. But that doesn’t work if the kicks and last tackle plays are going to be so awful.

I can remember criticism of our second row in the past saying the likes of Ablett, JJB and Delaney added very little to the attack, and I’d agree with that, however by god they tackled anything that moved in defence and helped tighten up the middle and cover out on the wings for McGuire/Burrow etc. Our current second rows offer nothing in attack and nowhere near the same defensive rigidity or quality. I suppose if we got another quality prop we could move Merrin from loose to the second row which might help.

For me the priority is the halves. They’re killing us at the moment in my opinion. I’d have more sympathy if the only issues were just struggling to put plays together with each other or the outside backs as they’re still learning to play together. But the terrible kicking worries me, because it’s not a one-off and it’s not only when they’re under pressure from the defence.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:06 pm  

Our kicking game really is just terrible. I've seen some really great passing from Tui but been disappointed with what I've seen so far from his kicking game. Myler's is almost non-existent so was really hoping he'd come and fill that void. Absolutely dreading us being in a golden point situation. Can't see a team in that league I'd back us to kick a drop goal before. Seem to remember seeing Myler take a few goes in those tight games last year and he wasn't even getting close to scoring. I'd love to see Tui step up and show he can play that role but aside from some great passes he's looked pretty average. Which game was it this season where he missed a couple of conversions that didn't even reach the posts, let alone go through? Yet others he's kicked really sweetly. Hoping the inconsistency is just down to lack of game time and will come with time, as will hit fitness/pace but surely things like conversions ought to be just straight up technique based. It's worrying

Still… I suppose at the moment we'd be pretty happy to be in a position to even be thinking about drop goals. *sigh…

Him wrote:

Agree with this. People are often quick to point at the props when we lose but from watching the games we aren’t getting penned in our own half. We are making plenty of ground. I’m not saying we can’t strengthen at prop, we’re a bit short especially if we have an injury or 2. But the bigger areas of concern are as you say the halves and second row.

On numerous occasions this season our forwards and outside backs have got us into a decent position on the last tackle only for a god-awful kick to totally relieve any pressure we might have been able to apply. I could accept a Myler/Lolohea combination, or at least I understand the reasoning of having Myler to do the bog standard basics of a half just moving us around and use Lolohea as more of a running or passing threat. But that doesn’t work if the kicks and last tackle plays are going to be so awful.

I can remember criticism of our second row in the past saying the likes of Ablett, JJB and Delaney added very little to the attack, and I’d agree with that, however by god they tackled anything that moved in defence and helped tighten up the middle and cover out on the wings for McGuire/Burrow etc. Our current second rows offer nothing in attack and nowhere near the same defensive rigidity or quality. I suppose if we got another quality prop we could move Merrin from loose to the second row which might help.

For me the priority is the halves. They’re killing us at the moment in my opinion. I’d have more sympathy if the only issues were just struggling to put plays together with each other or the outside backs as they’re still learning to play together. But the terrible kicking worries me, because it’s not a one-off and it’s not only when they’re under pressure from the defence.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:58 pm  

I would say Myler is one of our more consistent players, and always tries hard. For me he will never be more (or less) than a solid mid-club player, but there are other players/positions I'd address before him.

Tui has struggled for form it's fair to say, although his passing game can be fantastic a la Webb. He does have errors in him too, whether this is just him, the pressure, or a combo.

I was expecting him to tear it up and he hasn't. I'm still hoping he can do something at Leeds, he has skill but he's been like a lost lamb at times out there for whatever reasons.

Regarding our back row, most of you would take a combination of Ward, Merrin, Smith surely? I'd allow Ferres to leave along with JJB and Ablett at the end of this season, and bring in +1 real top drawer player but I don't personally think we're desperate there for this year. If we get the right props it allows Merrin to take a BR spot and we look better balanced IMO. Oledzski and Peteru have been OK, and Crosby to come in is OK. Whoever we do sign, unless it's literally a 1 year contract, needs to be a "keeper" now. Enough projects and rejects. If we continue to take other club's rejects, we become a reject club. There is no magic about Leeds that will transform players who haven't made it elsewhere in their mid-20s. Our great facilities still can't provide talent that just isn't there.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:41 am  

Agree with pretty much all of this, particularly re the back row - we have the players (when available) in the squad but were either not playing them or playing them out of position.

The only thing I'd slightly disagree on is making something of players in their mid 20s who haven't quite broken through. It's been said on this forum innumerable times but look at what Powell has built at Cas with players rejected from elsewhere. There's an element of luck in getting the right players at the right time, but you can't underestimate the value of a coach with genuine people skills.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:58 am  

HRS Rhino wrote:

Agree with pretty much all of this, particularly re the back row - we have the players (when available) in the squad but were either not playing them or playing them out of position.

The only thing I'd slightly disagree on is making something of players in their mid 20s who haven't quite broken through. It's been said on this forum innumerable times but look at what Powell has built at Cas with players rejected from elsewhere. There's an element of luck in getting the right players at the right time, but you can't underestimate the value of a coach with genuine people skills.

Agree re the coaching. Tony Smith made a real impact with us, Graham Murray gave us some steel. McDermott, love him or hate him, time and time again got the side up for big games even if true league form eluded him.

Powell is a fine coach no doubt.

My point was more that we have rested on our “we are the best” laurels for years; we have certainly failed, on the whole, to find magic sparks in project players. We’ve made mistake after mistake.

Not all of them will make the grade but we have a particularly fine crop of academy talent coming through now, and they need to be our projects. Without that pool of upcoming talent I’d be very glum right now!

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:26 pm  

Interesting to see Merrin deny the homesick rumours on Rugby AM says it was the first he had heard of it and he’s here to stay, he does seem like a genuine guy

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:51 pm  

When we’re losing it’s inevitable there’ll be some tension among the players and staff sometimes, but amongst it all we still do have a nucleus of very good people at the club.

Yes we need some real quality adding to the squad, everyone realises that, but I think the team deserve support through this transition phase.

We have some fantastic prospects coming through and if we do find the right balance in that first team, it won’t be too long before we’re competing again. Might be 2-3 years before we’re winning silverware but the ingredients are positive.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Sun Mar 24, 2019 3:15 am  

Re Merrin, on the Sunday Footy Show they said he'd contacted St George with a view to joining them. They may have cap room due to dispensation with de Bellin suspended. Don't know how true that is but if so we should cut our losses now and use the money elsewhere.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour Thread V2 : Sun Mar 24, 2019 5:47 am  

This whole Merrin going back to Oz won't go away will it?

It gets denied - then it reappears.

I think there has to be something in it.