over on the saints board there are people saying thailer had a good game, and on other boards too. your not all right and your not all wrong. i dont really comment on the refs they have the tougest job of all.



i think most of you were so exited by the hope of an upset that your frustration at the result has clouded your judgement. dont tell me you look at it from an even point of view when you are watching anyone v leeds. ya kidding ya self mate.

At no point did I ever think Crusaders were going to win that game.







Consider it kidding myself if you wish, I know otherwise. In particular in games like that, where the result is pretty much decided before the game even starts due to the massive difference in the sides, I wasn't rooting for anyone or hoping for anything. I was simply just watching the game. Due to the fact I never ever believed Leeds would lose it, I could watch it impartially.



I will agree that if Leeds are playing a half decent side, I wouldn't be quite so impartial. Not for that one last night though. You may as well have been playing a Championship side.

i think the crusaders will take a few scalps this year and will win a lot more than 3 games

Worth putting a bet on the Storm to win the WCC again. The Whinos were not impressive in putting away a very underdone Crusaders, and needing the help of the ref in the way they did, must be giving Bluey nightmares of being the first? (not sure Slackjaw acheived that distinction) SL coach to lose 2 WCC's on the trot.

I'd say if you watched only the last 10 minutes, you'd say Leeds are gonna win the league again. They were clinical in the way they finished off Crusaders once they got their second try.



If you watched the first 60 though, Leeds made a LOT of errors and you'd have to say they may struggle. A lot may depend on the conditions and which of those Leeds sides shows up on the day.

Make the most of your time in the sun. It won't last forever...it never does. And, unless you go into it with the mature attitude that a lot of the older and wiser hands on Southstander do (they know who they are) it'll hurt all the more when you eventually fall.



And no, when you are the top "people" do NOT "thrive" on your failures, and do NOT "live in hopes" of you losing games. SOME immature people do. Surely not someone like you?



For most of the rest of us, well to shamelessly pinch some very apposite words from one of the best-loved novels in the English Language: For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?

if you choose to find them you can see my many posts where i talk about how lucky i am to follow my team in such an era. i know it will come to an end all too soon. as i have said time and time again after watching leeds win nowt but a yorkshire cup in 20 years, 99 and the last 6 years have been a dream. i have posted on this board to win one title would have kept me happy for the next 30 years to win 4 is magical. im lucky and proud to follow my team in a golden age and when its gone i wont be bitter.



if you feel the need to have a sly dig at me regarding how mature i am adey then feel free it never stopped you before.

Sly dig? I don't do "sly" - if I want to say something I'll come right out and say it, albeit diplomatically where possible. Feel free to show where I have had a "Sly dig" at you before. If I thought you were talking bollox, I said so. If I thought you were making a good point, I said so.



But I suggest the tone of your posts on this thread does tend to detract from the mature image you would seek to portray? In fairness, your banter is normally fine IMO, which is why I found your tack on this thread both surprising and disappointing. We'd expect it from the fekkwit bandwagonners (and God knows, we had our crop of them too), but you are better than that, surely?

Happened in a number of games last season, we're all too used to it. A few games were lost because of the number of errors and penalties given away as a result. But as you know having watched a champion team, they have what it takes when it really counts. I don't remember the last time we played well in the 1st game of the season.

Indeed - when you think about it, how many times when Bulls were in their most recent heyday did we all observe that they had not played well at all for much of the match, yet still managed to pull it off and get the win anyway nevertheless?

my tack on this thread was generated by fans on this thread and others hammering the refs for "helping out leeds" or accusing thailer of not been impartial in some rfl conspiracy? all this after just the first game(round 3 proper). its normally when a fans own team gets beat that some fools start blaming the ref! but to see other teams fans having a pop says it all really. answer me this please adey, do you think the ref made an premiditated attemp to gift leeds the game as some are suggesting?

To clarify...



I do NOT believe a referee is indeed biased. I never have and probably never will. There may be occasions in the past where it's looked like one has an agenda, but I never truly believe that to be the case.



I'm not gonna go back and read my comments, but anywhere I say he actually was biased, I am using this as an exaggeration and to highlight which way the decisions were going.



I do NOT really believe that Thaler actually had an agenda for Leeds to win last night. Nor do I believe Silverwood did, or anyone at the RFL.



I DO believe Thaler had a nightmare game and Silverwood gave a joke of a video ref decision. It just so happens, that the majority (and a large majority at that) of the bad decisions went in Leeds' favour. Hence why folk will call it a biased performance (as opposed to if both teams ended up on the end of bad decisions).

No need to respond in kind though? And with a bit of mischievous rabble-rousing of your own on your own board to stir up some of your more excitable elements??



And no I don't. If anything, had the ref had team orders from Red Hall (something I have oft-suspected in the past, tbh) then the calls would surely all have been going Crusaders' way? I do feel Leeds may have too much influence in the corridors of power, but I'd be very disappointed to find that extended to the refereeing.



And you have to assume, despite some of the infamous atrocious calls in years gone by, that it is only the officials' perception or ability (or lack of) (or in Ganson's case, arrogance) that dictates those calls (except for when Cummings sent Bradley off in his last game, obviously). If you start assuming something else, you'll soon lose heart with the game.



I do think though we saw some poor refereeing (remember, its the first league game of the season for the officials too) and Silverwood's call (which had NO bearing on the outcome) seemed totally bizarre at best. But I rate that guy not one bit anyway. Thaler normally strikes me as a decent ref, in comparison.



What Leeds DID do - and always do - is lie on to within a nanosecond of when the ref will blow. I heard somewhere the refs allow 5 seconds, and Leeds time it to perfection. I once timed them to prove it to myself! And of course they look at the ref when the tackle is made - all the better to judge how to squeeze the maximum out of the official's patience. Leeds do it smart. I said all this last year, and suggested Bulls (who were rank amateurs at this tactic in comparison) could do worse than study and learn from the masters of the art.

I'm the same as Dilli, I do not actually believe that Silverwood or Thaler were intentionally biased, even if the majority of 50/50 decisions went Leeds' way, however I would like your views on this Wilko.





Do you think it is just coincidence that Leeds have the easiest of starts out of any club in the league?



Crusaders, Castleford, Wakefield, Salford.





That is by far the easiest first games of any club in the league, I think there is a possibility that it is a coincidence or could it be that the RFL don't want Leeds to be put in any hard games before the WCC to risk injuries? Beacuse, lets face it, the Storm aren't going to bring anywhere near a full strength squad like Manly did, Leeds will not need to be at their best. they'll just need to be fit.



Just to note, Leeds don't play any of Hull FC, Saints, Wire, Pies or us until April IIRC. Nothing like giving the champions a head start

if the rfl have helped leeds out to have a better chance of winning in the world club, for our game over here is that such a bad thing? we have to play everyone twice plus wakey again in scotland so at some point in the year its gonna be tough for leeds. cas and wakey are hardley easy games for leeds its pretty much both their biggest game of the season, wakey finished 5th cas finished 7th. but the rfl giving leeds so called easy games is totally different from saying that the refs and the rfl are on leeds side within the 80 mins of a game. i dont like the idea of ganson reffing his beloved saints but do i think he has a prefixed agenda? no.



the storm are putting out the best team they can just like leeds did against manly when we had webb and buderus out injured and eastwood missing and an injured burrow and peacock who played well below 100%. leeds need to do much more than play well when adam blair, billy slater ,cam smith, greg inglis, brett finch, sica manu and many more are playing.

Think as pig 5hite by the looks of this thread.

Tip:



If you're gonna accuse people of stupidity, make sure you get your own spelling correct.

Yeah those crap teams,eh? BTW How did you get on against them all last year?



You should have more respect!

Comedy gold – I think I might bookmark this thread and when I’m ever feeling low I'll re-read it and simply remind myself “it doesn’t really matter how bad things get I’ll never be as bitter as a Bulls fan”.

Jesus, if you get your rocks off on stuff like that, you really need to get out more!



Still, each to their own I suppose. Whatever floats your boat and all that.

I have respect for these teams, I never called them crap. What I was pointing out (sorry for not being clear enough) is that Leeds don't have a game against the teams I would consider "big teams" (not based on last years league position btw, I'm sure you can work out what I mean) Saints, Wigan, Wire, Hull, Us.



I just think its a bit odd that none of these fixtures arise until april for Leeds, however it could make it worse for them later on in the season I suppose.



Ang good point, well made Wilko, but Storm showed the year bedore last that they couldn't care less about the WCC, whereas Manly did, I assure you Leeds will put more effort in than Storm (good thing btw)

Oh Dear.



First game of the season and some people are already turning an unattractive shade of puce!



We shall of course enjoy our time in the sun, (and in the Courthouse),

and when the inevitable decline sets in, we will probably understand how you sad people feel.



Until then.......

So you haven't supported Leeds long then?

that's an understatement

Delusions of Grandeur sir.



And three of the teams you name weren't playoff teams so you're talking bilge.