In any given season some teams will improve at a greater rate than others, some, for many reasons may be worse than previous seasons, this should not be surprising.



You appear to be arguing that because other teams are giving Leeds a game, then that in some way is unfair

it assessed the management of the org and business cases...

I suppose their are so many factors involved in success. I think team spirit is as important as anything. Bradford have made some truly dreadful signings in the last few seasons (why the obsession with Wakefield Wildcat players?). Add to these very average players a very average coach and it's not a suprise the Bulls are now struggling. The Warriors and Wolves have great squads yet the team spirit has just not been there. You have to admire Wakefield, Hull KR and Cas. On paper not the best, but it shows how good coaching and a cracking team spirit can put your club right up their with th Rhinos and Saints.

I'm reminded of a time say 7 or 8 years ago when Saints or Wigan would come to town. Everytime they touched the ball they looked dangerous, we'd expect to be beaten royally, we'd call 40-18 a good performance and if we beat them it was like winning the lottery.

I miss those days but to say the standard of that competition touched todays is ridiculous.

Our bench a few years ago featured players like Warren Stevens, Kevin Crouthers, nobodies yet as Smokey put it, Warrington were one of the teams that would compete 5 or 6 years ago. Our bench now features players with international honours, a far far stronger squad and the reality is there have always been two teams at the top, there never was consistantly a 'big four' or 4 teams in any given year that looked like challenging. Wigan were thereabouts on name only post 2000 and Leeds have just replaced bradford as the leagues second dominant team.

This is the key point. For years now we haven't given youth a chance, and have lost a lot of talent at the "potential" stage as a result. Only by giving English prospects game time and the benefit of a first team training regime will we ever get the elite national player pool broader, and the national side more competitive - and our sport will always struggle to grow without some international success. Loyal servant though he was, does anyone really think that people like Keith Senior should have had no competition for his England jersey well into his thirties? Roll on the next generation I say - especially the cockney ones