So the season is finally here! Anyone missed it?



This should be a tough, physical opener against a much strengthened Hull team. I'm hoping home field advantage plays a big part next week and thank god the weather is improving.



For Hull, new club captain Gareth Ellis returns to play his 1st game back on English soil against the team that he gave 4 years to, winning 2 SL titles in the process. It's good to have a player of his standard back in the Super League and I am sure he will get a good reception when he runs out onto the newly laid Headingley pitch at about 7:30 on Friday evening. Hull, of course, are coming off of a bad loss to their near rivals Hull KR in last weeks preseason friendly. This though means nothing and anyone reading into last weeks game will have a shock coming their way. Hull will be pumped up for this game. They are playing a rival club in the opening game of the season, who happen to be champions and will want to start the season in a positive manner. A big crowd with a good Hull following will only help them too.



For Leeds, there is little change from last year. We have the 2 new signings in Mitch Achurch and Joel Moon, plus the late arrival of Joe Vickery, who will bolster the strength of both the run on and the the 25, but for me I am most looking forward to seeing how the younger guys develop over the course of this year. Kallum Watkins had a very good year last season which started with a crucial try against Manly where he turned Matai inside out and was capped off when he broke into the England team, scoring 4 tries in 3 games. This is a big year for him now. He has established himself but needs to kick on and become dominant in every game. He has the skill set to become the best centre we have produced in a long time. What impresses me most though is his attitude. He knows he is good but he isn't arrogant and looks like he wants to learn and improve, even if he has just come off a hat trick game.



Zak Hardaker is a young guy who I already think is the best out and out full back in the country. Does he have the same attacking threat as Sam Tomkins? Maybe not, but he is one of the most dangerous runners in the league and as awkward as he sometimes looks, he always manages to beat the 1st man, a bit like Paul Wellens used to do. The difference between those two though is speed! He must be the quickest white guy since Allan Wells! Once he finds the gap it is game over. Add to this his safe hands (people who went to the testimonial last week need not comment) and his defense and he makes us a much more dangerous prospect than we have been since Brent Webb's back went.



The biggest question for me, however, is how will our aging pack go this season. We have a couple of props who are very close to retirement, Ryan Bailey and then the quality drops off. If Leuluai and Peacock have any problems I could see the pack struggling against the bigger teams and as history shows us, when we are beaten in the pack, we don't go too well.



Anyway, Friday is week 1. This is the time of year where the "shocks" happen and although Hull beating us won't be a shock, it will be an achievement, given they are playing a team who rarely loses these opening home games (have we ever lost a week 1 match?).



I am looking forward to this already but remember, if we lose, it doesn't matter... the season doesnt start for another 8 months





Im going for a 22-14 win to Leeds.

Going to be a tense, close game though I reckon we'll win by a couple of scores, our quality will come through towards the end, not expecting us to tear the ground up though, will be relatively slow build up to WCC.

Our props are the biggest concern for me aswell and i hope we rotate more this year plus i wouldn't have Kylie and JP in the same 17 anymore.

I hope we will line up like this..

Hardaker

Vickery

Watkins

Moon

Hall

Sinfield

Mcguire

JP

Burrow

Bailey

Jjb

Delaney

Ablett



Mcshane

Achurch

Griffin

Clarkson/Kirke



It may sound like a broken record but i wouldn't have kirke in the 17 especially going by the Testimonial performances

Dare I ask what the supposed logic in that is? It's not even like they are interchangable, they have quite distinct roles in the team.

Im assuming Rhinoms meant on the field at the same time, not in the 17 at the same time.

Looking forward to the game and the season arriving. It's been to long. Going to be a close game.

He said in the same 17. It was pretty clear. I too am interested in the logic behind this.

He also mentioned rotating. That's where I think his meaning was, if you rotate Peacock and Kylie by playing each week and possibly out the next, then only one will be in the 17.



It's not really that bad a logic for the regular season games.



Think Peacock is well capable of playing more than that though. Although I do agree with rhinoms, that he should get much more rest time this year when possible.

I am all for a bit of rotation, but every other game seems OTT.



Both JP and Kylie would be in my first choice 17, spelled with other forwards as appropriate. I'd give both a few weeks off at strategically planned points in the season (allowing for other injuries) but I'd expect both to feature more often than not if they're not out injured.



I would agree with the comment that they play differnet roles. Peacock has always played longer stints than Leuluai, and I would expect that to continue.

Can't think of any coach, anywhere, ever who's used their frontline props on a week on/week off basis. I certainly can't conceive that Brian would do so.

Really looking forward to Friday.

It's always a good game when our "friends" from East Yorkshire arrive.

Neither can I, I was trying to understand the point. But then again, I also can't recall seeing other clubs have two such battle scarred and aged props as their frontline props each week. So it does need putting in perspective.



At the end of the day, when Kylie was given a new contract for another year, there was a lot of critisizing of the deal on this board. Infact, I don't recall one poster applauding the decision. Therefore if you looked at it from a point of view of his contract might not have been renewed, it does not look such a bad statement to question both Peacock and Kylie been in the same 17 each week, if a poster wants to do that.