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???

I’m not one for “I told you sos” well after an event. Some players we let go will do well and probably most won’t, that’s life and the club has to make hard decisions sometimes without the benefit of a crystal ball.

However, there have been just so many underwhelming signings for YEARS now, (or in some seasons hardly any at all when we needed it)...

I’d respect him more if he owned it, apologised and we move on. Gary does know a thing or two about the game but he has let arrogance get in the way IMO. They had so long to plan for the end of the Goldens.

I wouldn’t expect us to win every year of course. But to be almost last in SL three of the last four years, looking at our facilities, resources etc compared to those around us - I’m sorry but it’s flat out mismanagement.

What exactly is it about Leeds becoming regular relegation fodder that Gary is NOT in large part responsible for?

Clearly the right time for KS to come in.

I understand him defending himself but the results speak for themselves.

The fundamental problem was trying to replace club legends in key positions with bargain bin players. That was fine when we were signing squad players but not the big guns.

GH's record from the NRL has always been mixed. He clearly has no real idea about how good or bad most players are. Fallon was sadly predictable, Galloway was a plodder and as for Tui I have no idea where that came from.

Junior development has been just as bad until recently as well.

All in all just an epic fail really.

We have totally failed to ramp up junior recruitment in time to support the end of the Goldens. To be fair, you have to look maybe 5 years ahead and it’s never easy to predict how a player will develop. I think they’ve signed many of the current good crop of youngsters only after 2016 gave them a kick up the bum.

We’re paying the price now for arrogance when we were winning, and sloppy project signings for the senior squad.

Not until we signed the marquee players last year has the club tried to make an adequate response, and then we’ve messed up a critical coaching appointment.

We have a bright future ahead again now but the club fell in love with itself and has mismanaged the squad for years.

KaeruJim wrote:

I’m not one for “I told you sos” well after an event. Some players we let go will do well and probably most won’t, that’s life and the club has to make hard decisions sometimes without the benefit of a crystal ball.

However, there have been just so many underwhelming signings for YEARS now, (or in some seasons hardly any at all when we needed it)...

I’d respect him more if he owned it, apologised and we move on. Gary does know a thing or two about the game but he has let arrogance get in the way IMO. They had so long to plan for the end of the Goldens.

I wouldn’t expect us to win every year of course. But to be almost last in SL three of the last four years, looking at our facilities, resources etc compared to those around us - I’m sorry but it’s flat out mismanagement.

What exactly is it about Leeds becoming regular relegation fodder that Gary is NOT in large part responsible for?

Clearly the right time for KS to come in.

100% agree. It's simply outrageous that weve been relegation candidates 3 out of last 4 years. Mismanagement of the highest order brought about by arrogance and laziness.

I get a bit of what GH is saying, but honestly it’s mostly bluster. We’ve had a bit of bad luck, some signings didn’t work out as well as they could do, but he’s polishing a turd by saying he didn’t really get it wrong.

To start with, we knew when the goldens were likely to finish, and also that it usually takes 5 years to sculpt a 16 year old into someone who might make the first team, so to have such a poor recent record with youth development since the goldens came through just smacks of arrogance or incompetence.

We lost big chunks of salary cap along the way and replaced them with championship quality in most cases, so either we didn’t want to spend the money, or we spent it foolishly.

Seems we are slowly getting onto the right track again, but to really recover from this takes 5 years minimum, with each of those years being critical.

Whilst I agree with a lot that has been said it does make me laugh when people say we never replaced the golden generation.

These types of players rarely come around and they retired at a time when the NRL market was pretty much closed.

Which signings by any team should we have made instead to replace Sinfield, Maguire, Burrow and the phenomenal JP?

We shouldn't be where we are now but there was always going to be drop off on and off the field once those type of players left. They set standards on and more importantly off the field for everyone at the club.

I think everyone expected a drop off but not to be relegation candidates for 3 out of 4 years. Thats the crucial point here.

The results of recruitment have generally been poor, but at the time of many signings, I think we all we're probably excited about them:
- Galloway - state of origin front rower - turned out to be totally crocked when he arrived
- Falloon - had just won GCT player of the year - still rubbish
- Achurch - his highlight reel was pretty similar to Martins - never fulfilled early promise
- Cross - highly recommended by legend Buderus - also rubbish

It's always a risk signing overseas players, big Ali was a huge risk, but he settled and thrived. I remember Achurch being interview (think YEP) when he came over asking if he would commit to England or Australia for internationals!!!!

There's definitely been mistakes, but it's too easy to look back with hind sight. Same with academy players. On this board every crop of youngsters is the next golden generation (including this one). It's just not really how sport works unfortunately.