Hookers : Tue Jan 19, 2021 8:44 am
Hi all. Long-time reader, first-time commenter. Asking about something that has often bugged me. Ever since becoming more committed/sentient as a rhinos fan, hooker has always seemed to be a constant weakness for Leeds (it may have been fine before my time and/or back in my earlier years, but I didn’t pay as much attention back then and probably didn’t really notice Buderus or Diskin that much. Lunt seemed ideal but had to go back to Hudds after his loan year. Burrow was great impact hooker but was clearly not a specialist nor a traditional option. Parcel was also good addition for a while but not sure what happened there (and I can’t remember who was 2nd hooker with him). Plus a string of seemingly disappointing or unsettled overseas signings, and a number of youngsters who seemed relied upon too early and/or not given long enough to build)
Now, I have a real soft spot for Dwyer, and with the addition of Leeming we now seem to have two proper decent 1st team specialist hookers for the first time since I can remember. Both English and hopefully well-settled too, which should be a big plus for retention and future-proofing.
So, now that we are in a period of relative riches in terms of hooker potential, maybe we can reflect a bit more on the darker ages:
Any thoughts on any of the following?
Q1. Why did we struggle so much for so long at hooker?
Q2. Why did we get keep on getting rid of our youngsters when we had them and potentially there could’ve been an argument for keeping hold rather than getting rid without replacement? (E.g. McShane, Hood, others I can’t remember)
Q3. Did we keep on winning trophies DESPITE our hooker difficulties or BECAUSE of our hooker difficulties? Is the common theory that hooker is one of the most important positions on the field actually unfounded? Does the rhinos’ golden decade prove that hookers are in fact one of the least important positions on the field?
Q4. And finally, am I completely misremembering the last couple of decades? Apologies if so, I’ve been a little preoccupied….