If true Keith whats your opinion regarding Kite?

Yeah Lynch is under contract for 2012 too.

I'd rather sign a 36 year old Petero Civoniceva.











[size=10PS: The Brent Kite rumour is made up. Just wanna see if Dave 'Nosey' Parker runs with it in the next few weeks.[/size

Now you're just being/been/bean silly.....a man after my own heart

Why the hell not ?

That pack would firmly establish Leeds among the SL rabble who are just making up the numbers.

No difference there then ?

Quite a difference IMO.



Leeds are currently threatening to establish themselves as members of the SL rabble. That young pack suggested earlier in the thread would confirm membership.



Six recent wins on the bounce against the rabble suggest Leeds aren't quite that bad..... YET.



Leeds appear in SL limbo right now... not good enough to threaten the Top 4 contenders, but still significantly better than the rest of the SL rabble. A league of their own in fact.



Are they going to finish 5th this season?



Or are they going to finish... erm... 5th this season?



Tough one that!

I would suggest with the likes of hauraki cross, bailey Ali we are already there!!

I actually avoid watching any NRL these days to minimise my despair at the standards in SL.

I actually avoid watching the NRL as the wwe has less wrestling, this years premier rl comp 1st game that is the State of Origin been a classic example

I just remember my time in Townsville and how much more intense, unpredictable and competitive the NRL was. Live games at the Dairy Farm Stadium were complemented by fabulous first rate TV coverage and a commentary team that I didn't feel compelled to turn the sound down on

SL playing standards have been falling for several seasons, particularly at the top which has been levelling downwards. Leeds and St Helens competed in a 2-team SL competition for a few years with Leeds taking the SL spoils and St Helens making do with the CC. Both those clubs were still on the gradual slide throughout that period which culminated in those disastrous shower-of- England performances in the 2008 World Cup which showed SL playing standards in their true light.



Meanwhile, Wigan have finally awoken from their slumber and Warrington and Huddersfield have made strides forward and promoted themselves away from the rabble. However, none of these teams are currently a patch on St Helens in 2006, Leeds in 2004 or even Bradford in 2003.

Aye lad... aye... they don't play proper rugby in't NRL do they? It's all defense and intense laark and its boring wiv five drives and a kick 'n too much intrefer'nce n' wrestling in't ruck area 'n not forgettin' t'slow play the ball... it shud be entertainin' laark Sooper Leeg is wiv all that time and those wide open spaces 'n players been told to mooooooove away ded quick by ref once they make a tackle just so attacking side gets quick play t'ball and makes 10 easy metres without need for any skill to open up defenses or a decen't t'kickin game cos they haven't got one anyway

Tbh the SOO game last week was a great game, TS mentioned a few years ago that were getting closer to matching the Nrl, but he said last season that SL has taken a step backwards and the Nrl has moved forward, IMO he's spot on at times the rucks in SL are absolutely shocking! And id go as far to say more lying on holding down goes on in SL than in the Nrl.

I think there is more holding down in the NRL but it is more controlimg the ruck

I think there's more intensity and more dominant tackles in the NRL, hence more latitude allowed by their refs for the defence to compete on a level playing field against the team in possession.



In SL you'd think it was a crime if a defending side didn't "mooooooooove" away from a tackled player and retreat 10 metres within a nanosecond of any tackle taking place.

I watched the dragons vs wests yesterday and even in a comp as competitive as the Nrl st George are are cut above, and that's mainly down to the attitude to defense Bennett has instilled in them, I think before yesterday they'd conceded less than 100 points in 9 or 10 games that is an amazing record

Didn't think you would chomp that easy.

It amazes me that such a miniscule difference in refereeing style between the NRL and ESL can have such a massive influence on the spectacle.



The NRL ref’s allow about a second and a half longer in the ruck than in ESL but the knock on effect gives us two very different games.



One results with a game played at a blistering pace, higher scoring with smaller more agile players having much more of an influence.



The other played at a slightly slower pace where a more tactical and structured approach is required resulting in a need for a higher skill set and more spectacular scores.



It’s horses for courses.

There you have it....the answer to our prayers...James Corden as our new prop forward.

Or Bradford as late as 2005? Our swansong before we became crap when the money (that we never really had) ran out and the world and his dog saw who won the Hetherington/Caisley pìssing contest.



Still think SL will struggle to see a better all-round team than Bradford of 2003.

Leeds 2005 team was far better than any of those sides. It might not have actually won anything, but that was down to disruption when it mattered rather than the quality of side. The rugby played that year and the quality of that side eclipsed any of the championship winning sides of that decade.

the problem, according to a first team regular, was smith stopped the rotation policy and flogged the players in training more or less every day. the players were shattered come the play offs.

the player said smith was the best coach he ever played under but couldn't understand why he hammered them that season

Bradford of 2003 is certainly a very good shout as the best team in SL. Daniel Gartner in particular was immense but never seemed to receive the appropriate accolades. Thought they were showing signs of being on the slide by 2005 despite winning SL that year... a final swansong if you like. I'd favour Bradford of 2001 over Bradford of 2005.



Saints were very good in 2006 and also at the start of the decade and a few years beyond (as Bradford were). When you consider the Bulls had players like the Paul Bros, Vainikolo, Vaikona, Vagana, Gartner, Lowes, Fielden, Peacock, etc,... then Saints with Sculthorpe, Long, Fairleigh, Albert, Shiels, Newlove, Britt, Gleeson etc... all in their pomp around that time, you realise how far standards at the top of SL have fallen. Even Wigan weren't too shabby back then despite not winning SL.



I'll rule out Leeds in 2005 on the basis they won nothing apart from a WCC against a disinterested half a reserve grade Bulldogs side who only decided to wake up when Bailey put in a cheap shot which riled SBW and generated a quickfire 24 point response. Leeds were a better side in 2004.



Current SL playing standards are depressingly mediocre in comparison.



The Hetherington/Caisley ing contest was an embarrassment according to the wise and entertainingly significant according to the majority t brigade. In the long run, there were no winners of that spat because Hetherington has now lost his beloved derby fixture.

I can think of a couple of legal firms who may disagree with that assessment.



That Saints side that took Leeds to the cleaners in consecutive Challenge Cup semi-finals early in the decade was pretty impressive and has a good shout for being the best of the SL era IMO.