Leeds are in a bit of a quandrary at the moment and the mood at Headingley was bleak this evening post-match.
First a couple of fans really got on Toopi's back in the Rhinos 2000 bar after the game when he materialised for a Q&A session. Smith kept the squad back for a good 20 minutes after the game tonight and appeared to have done a pretty good job of deluding them into thinking that things weren't so bad after all. Which is probably the best he can do in the circumstances: so Toopi was full of "positives" and "you can see we're getting better game after game", whilst the loyal (sic) R2K members were all up for a lynching, demanding to know what it was the team did on the training pitch during the week and why Tony Smith clearly doesn't give a sh*t because he shows no emotion when Sky capture him during games, esp. after Leeds concede a try. (seriously, this is a major bone of contention for some of the dimwitted Leeds fans: you couldn't make it up could you).
We then moved upstairs to the Long Bar where Smith gave his MoM and did his usual little post-match speech. I honestly thought he was going to need an escort out of the place: he did his thing, got a little cheer at the end as he issued a rallying cry and scuttled for the exit using Harry Jepson as cover: no-one would dream of getting at him whilst King Harry's about.
Hetherington meanwhile looked glum: but there was no indication that sacking Smith was on the agenda. I don't think that's likely at all, although if the season did peter out in line with the last few weeks, then his departure by mutual consent in the close-season would not be unthinkable any more.
As for what's wrong, well there's a couple of things. There's the short-term form problem that most teams go through. But there have been mistakes made of which I think the following are the most pertinent:
1. Pack. Leeds have the best second row options in the league and the worst prop options. This appears to have been a conscious Smith tactical decision and can be considered a failure. The loss of Danny Ward before the season began wasn't planned but in any event, Smith's choice to go for a light pack with second rowers covering has been exposed as a miserable failure. Thackray and Leuluai +1 (possibly) coming in and Feather and Bailey (likely) going out would be a decent improvement for 2007.
2. The hooking problem. Leeds management would now almost openly concede that they made an error in giving Diskin a new 4 year deal the year after he came back from his serious knee injury. He's never been the same player since and doesn't look likely to be. It might have been part showing faith in an important member of the GF winning team but in retrospect it looks foolhardy. Whether they have the balls to let him go, free up the salary cap space and get someone else in is open to question. That would involve bloodletting of the type last seen at the end of the 2002 season and would be very harsh on Disko. But it might just be the way out.
3. Creativity. Even when the pack are operating as they should be there is something of a creative void at the heart of things. Sinfield, Burrow and McGuire would be the halfback/LF choices but are they the right combination? The absence of Dunemann this year has exposed the failings of this trio as a unit.
I would actually say this is the biggest conundrum that Leeds face. They have lulled themselves into believing that Sinfield/Burrow/McGuire are the future of the club. This issue has been around since 2003 at least. They are all individually excellent players and have certain combinations that really come off well. But it's become more and more obvious that, despite certain illuminating performances (such as McGuire at Hull the first time this year) none of them can really lead a team around the park and put the pressure onto the opposition line. Sinfield is more of a grafter but it all too often falls on his shoulders and fails to come off. McGuire and Burrow are much more brilliantly individualistic. What it tends IMO to mean is that if one of those two don't do something themselves then the team can be camped in the opposition 20m area for ages and fail to score. It's like watching GB during the Andy Goodway era.
But would Leeds have the balls to bring in someone like (for the sake of argument) Stacey Jones to give the team the lead on the pitch? It would break the hearts of Leeds management to do so because that player would be virtually guaranteed a first team spot, depriving one of presumably Burrow or McGuire a place. And at this stage of their careers I can only see the exit door as being the result for one or other. So again, I expect Leeds to fail to bite the bullet on this critical issue because of the pain, both personal and, trust me, from the fans that would surely follow if and when Burrow or McGuire left the club.
Having said all that form can swing so quickly that this could all be forgotten in a couple of weeks. I remember last year Leeds went to St Helens just after the 2005 slump, beat them and were in the GF. It'll be harder still this year, but with the pressure off due to recent events, Leeds might just shock everyone all over again.
