: Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:14 pm  

Leeds are a top team but an imporvement area would be your centres. Watkins looks a great prospect but Senior is now a plodder a la Newy in his later years.

Surely out of Gibson/Smith/Hall there is enough talent to make a good std SL centre?

: Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:44 pm  

G1 wrote: If I kept archives I'd dig through them. Here's one from last night's YEP onlinewith no digging required: "I'm enjoying being in the back-row," he said. "It's difficult in the centre, that's not a position I'm really familiar with. I have been doing my best for the team, but I'm relishing being back in the back-row and trying to improve every week." Regards Carl Ablett

G1 wrote: If I kept archives I'd dig through them. Here's one from last night's YEP onlinewith no digging required: "I'm enjoying being in the back-row," he said. "It's difficult in the centre, that's not a position I'm really familiar with. I have been doing my best for the team, but I'm relishing being back in the back-row and trying to improve every week." Regards Carl Ablett

: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:24 pm  

I was hoping you wouldn't see that and, if so, you wouldn't link it to here.

How silly of me.

However, no doubt the lad is better in the 2nd row, no doubt the lad prefers the 2nd row, no doubt its' harmed the development of his game playing in the centres - all points I have readily made.

Doesn't alter the fact that he is perfectly adequate cover for the centre position in the event that he's needed and it wouldn't stop us winning a championship if he were needed there.

: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:15 pm  

Gibson at least looks like a centre, as opposed to so many British players put there like Atkins, who looks like a winger trying to be a centre. From what I saw of him before he got injured he looked a classy player - and we should be thankful he's not a biff and barge merchant. If England are ever to be competitive we need creative centres.

Watkins looked physically the part, and if he fills out a bit could be very hard to stop. Errors at his age have to be expected.

One thing I did note was that Leeds generally didn't seem to create much space for either centre to shine in attack. On the left it seemed like the ball Watkins was getting was more suitable for Senior, and on the right a few moves apart the space was often taken up by McGuire. Not having a go, as it has obviously worked, but Leeds' style does not utilise centres that well TBH.