Hooley, Olpherts (who was directly responsible for errors leading to their first three tries IMO), Ruan, Sinfield, Donaldson are all reserve/back up players. That’s 5/17.

In addition we have a back rower at 6 and a winger in the centre.

Most of the players didn’t lack effort. The team is busted and falls apart under pressure in the circumstances.

Oledski was the player running back to try to take their winger into touch for that first try. McDonnell and Holroyd always give 100%. Smith tried hard too.

It does annoy me when people make broad brush statements like players are all 3/10 when we lose and 9/10 when we win. It’s just rubbish. Of course we should have performed better last 2 games but some of you would sack Hetherington, JJB, all the players, all the coaching staff and Betty the tea lady.

The effort last night was awful, it wasnt just the quality. Highlighting Oledzski chasing back, alright, what about the weak carries and getting brushed of by mcmeeken like he was nothing. Lisone when he came on, Fusitua, in patches Handley, Gannon played to the level where hes at, beyond that im struggling.

I don’t think Oledski was the problem last night. Cats took us down the edges very effectively where Handley/Awfulpherts couldn’t handle defensive structure and Newman wasn’t much better on the other side. Hooley seemed out of position, I like the see the FB somewhere in the frame at least when you’re broken in the centres or wing.

Actually thought young Sinfield had a better defensive and all-round game as well.

We got mullered but I think RS had it about right in the presser: too many player changes and then under pressure the team cohesion broke and we had individuals trying to solve too much.

We'll disagree then, aside from the much publicised disruption (why are we having incidents like Nene and Austin like to the level weve not seen before, RS?) there are fundamental expectations on professional players at this level that were dire, park the excuses we get them, this season has been awful punctuated by an absolute sht show this last couple of week that goes far beyond mitigation.

Austin is and always has been a firebrand and that’s part of the reason he’s over here and not NRL. His temperament is poor. The club is right not to be dictated to by individual players.

Nene I have no clue what’s happened there but I suspect he has been offered an NRL deal off the back of his form and is looking at 2x salary or something with a new baby over there too - also another one with a chequered past and poor decision making.

I’d rather the club was more disciplinarian not less. Newman’s antics are embarrassing at times.

Bentley has also embarrassed the club with his fighting around the England set up last year.

This is where a McDermott or a Wane just wouldn’t put up with some of the stuff happening with players.

My reading of this week's Yorkshire Post interview with GH was that basically 2023 was written off as a bad job. I'm not really surprised that this attitude has filtered down to the players and probably explains, along with the limited availability of playing staff, why the last two results have been so poor. The way they treated players on the last year of their contract wasn't the best way to motivate players to give their all for Leeds, so we have players leaving during the season with no replacement available, and this will probably make it harder to bring players in new players in the near future. Refusing to discuss new contracts until the end of the season isn't exactly matching up to the old "loyalty" angle they used to sell to the players. Along with the corrections to suggest things last year went better than they actually did, the old standards like emphasising the academy when asked about signings, and not so subtle comments putting the responsibility on the coach, these leave me with no more faith in GH's optimism than I've had for a long time. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... re-4336911

My reading of this week's Yorkshire Post interview with GH was that basically 2023 was written off as a bad job. I'm not really surprised that this attitude has filtered down to the players and probably explains, along with the limited availability of playing staff, why the last two results have been so poor. The way they treated players on the last year of their contract wasn't the best way to motivate players to give their all for Leeds, so we have players leaving during the season with no replacement available, and this will probably make it harder to bring players in new players in the near future. Refusing to discuss new contracts until the end of the season isn't exactly matching up to the old "loyalty" angle they used to sell to the players. Along with the corrections to suggest things last year went better than they actually did, the old standards like emphasising the academy when asked about signings, and not so subtle comments putting the responsibility on the coach, these leave me with no more faith in GH's optimism than I've had for a long time. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... re-4336911

No excuses

Smiths had an absolute shocker this season, not the only issue with the club at present, far from it, but most definitely one of them. Dating back to pre-season, he's got just about everything wrong.

The bull poop that a section of the fanbase keep lapping up is astounding:

We're a young team - are we? and even if we are, Most of our younger players have actually regressed from where they were a year ago

We've been in a lot of close games - Is that meant to be a positive? If we were a remotely decent team, we'd of won a lot of them close games by double digits, not losing them. Hull KR at home, they had all the excuses we currently use to lose that game, but they came, showed a bit of desire and intelligence, and got the win, in the same situation, we down tools and play like brain dead idiots with zero pride in themselves.

Playing structure - We havnt got one, its not that its bad, its worse than that, we just havnt got one. Thats why when squad players step in, we fall off a ciff, the throw the ball around and hope for a bit of magic, dosnt work, because they arnt capable of it, everyone then loses composure and gets frustrated and we fall apart. Well coached teams have a structure that squad players can fit into, they're not as good as the starters, but can still be a cog in the system.

The seasons been an absolute shitshow from everyone within the club, Smith included.

I think RS has been coaching for nearly 20 years including behind the scenes roles at NRL clubs. The fact that he is attempting to replace the entire spine at Leeds which he inherited tells you where he’s not happy with the squad.

I agree that structure has been missing this season all too often but either Austin and Sezer have failed to provide it or we’ve been running without recognised halves. Individual errors from players have also denied us much structure because we’ve been constantly on the back foot/losing the energy battle.

Our D has actually been pretty good all year other than the last 2 games, which coincides with just too many players gone or out of position.

We are all frustrated but the side will be totally different next year and we’re going to have to wait to see what RS pulls out with a new spine and other key players in place.

Confidence is shot. Players are making the effort but it's as individuals. We saw exactly the same under Furner, and towards the end of his time at Leeds, Agar too.

It's a sorry state of affairs at the club. I'd like to see GH taking more of a responsible attitude than this. When there's implicit blame being passed around from the top-down it doesn't bode well for the health of the organisation, and I agree there's a likely a connection between this message and on-field performances.

As fans, we like there to be a simple solution - a new CEO, a new coach, a new signing etc, but Leeds are in such a mess that I don't think any of these things are going to be enough on their own. The drive to be better has to be sustained from within or the club will be condemned to mediocrity for a long time to come.