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Can see SL losing a few of our best players over next year or two on back of that

We might see more English lads leave, but there will still be a pipeline of Aussies and Kiwis coming the other way, as whenever a raise in the cap happens it gets applied across the board - everyone gets a raise. Its the problem with the idea of just raising our own cap without working out how to make it work for the game and not just existing players. Not saying our players don't deserve more, but its quite possible increasing the cap could cause more financial problems for the game as a whole without solving any fundamental issues.

Leeds worst ever overseas signing was John Gallagher. Dreadful and costly.

Can't agree with this. He was actually doing great till he got spear tackled at St Helens, after that was never the same

He was never great. He had some good moments but he was nowhere near the quality Leeds expected. Of All Black converts around the same time Botica was a far better player for Wigan and Matthew Ridge was a much better fullback.

Knock on, head and feed to Saints. Shocking refereeing.

Gallagher went to the wrong club - he may have been better going somewhere else where there was less pressure and he wasn't going to be hated by the club captain. He ended up playing behind a pack that at that time was lacking in toughness so was often faced with huge rampaging forwards bearing down (something he never had when playing for the all blacks). Leeds threw a lot of money away on Gallagher (did the same with David Young).

Think two possible candidates for bad overseas signings were Clyde and Mullins. One was crocked and the other had off field issues.

Gallagher didn't look that good even when we played poor teams. The spear tackle undoubtedly finished him, but he never showed much to suggest he would have done better elsewhere. He could run a great line in attack but he wasn't that quick and never looked a quality defender.

He and Young were examples of signing RU players without actually looking at them as players rather than names. For all his faults Laughton could spot RU players - Offiah, Tait, Devereux, Davies, Koloto etc at Widnes and Innes and Fallon at Leeds. He went for Innes precisely because he said he looked like a league player playing union.

Suspect Gallagher and Young were Director signings rather than players David Ward wanted.