Gareth - and then this WILL be my last word, so the thread can resume its rightful course - glad you acknowledge that Leeds' response way well have been punitive. That is one of the two key points i was trying to make.



And of course you know the answer with your Burgess scenario. I would be one of many going apoplectic...just as GH did. And the initial reaction of myself and numerous other Bulls fans to the Harris signing, and to GH's public apoplexy, reflected what our illustrious former Chairman was telling everyone - and indeed reinforced when GH subsequently apologised for his "cohersed" comments. If it is indeed correct that GH DID make Caisley fully aware of the contractual situation before the signing (I have never seen this confirmed unequivocally, so can only deduce it from subsequent events) then Caisley, and therefore the Bulls, were somewhere between extremely unwise and downright reckless in going ahead with the signing. And we the fans would have been very badly let down,and from that need to learn lessons for the future. That should be perfectly clear from what I have said on the subject?



I think it should also be pointed out that the club have never, to my knowledge, publically blamed anything for abandoning their defence other than that they had to do what was in the club's best long-term interests, and have never sought to my knowledge to "play the victim" in all this. Far from it. It is commentators like me who are deducing things, rightly or wrongly, from the circumstances, and so it is against commentators like me that any criticisms should be be aimed - not the club.



As for your "they could raise the money to pay Harris but not to mount a defence" argument, well that defence would of course be on top of what they had to pay Harris so I do not see the connection? Plus it sidesteps the issue of whether the Bulls could also afford to pay £3m plus in damages as well.



You also no doubt heard that Harris was apparently being paid a significant amount of money for his Image rights by Publico, and that for reasons which are still unclear to me these payments were subsequently deemed to be payments to Harris by a "connected party" and therefore within the salary cap - hence the retrospective breach. Whether these payments formed any part of the "£1m salary" you refer to I could not say. If perchance they DID, then it could help explain both how the Bulls were able to afford Harris (and indeed how Leeds might have been able to within the cap, if a similar arrangement was lined up) AND why (once the particulars of Harris' package became public in Mr Justice Gray's judgment) the image rights might have been deemed subsequently to be from a connected party. I stress...this is all further conjecture on my part.



Anyway, I agree. Last word from me now. As you were, everybody else.

Well we certainly dont stand a chance now that Stevo has just tipped us to win on SSN

Football rivalry is more tribal than RL rivalry. In the example you've used, Liverpool fans crow about the fact that they've won 5 European Cups and United only 3. Hence neither side wants the other to win more and catch up/move further in front. No one sees the clubs as 'English' clubs, they just see them as Liverpool or United or whoever else it might be.



As for Leeds and Melbourne... Can't say I'm too fussed, to be honest. Unless they've been saving themselves recently I can't see Leeds winning this one.

Yours,



Arthur Jensen.

[Didn't read other than first page



Not supporting either, looking forward to a great match for neutrals like me.

Judging by the weather the big loser on the night will be the Elland road groundstaff.



By sunday Hunslet could have the best playing surface in the whole of Leeds.

With Dewsbury in 2nd, the sloaping Batley pitch in 3rd and that patchy bit of grass in gipton where they leave the burnt out cars in 4th!

What he said. Got two freebies for Sunday but can't say I'm particularly desperate to use them at such a dump of a ground and a game that could quite possibly be a walkover.

Well, we're good but give Melbourne some credit mate - they're not Saints

Brilliant



Funny guy

We just spit on rah rah pretenders. Like you.



Not genuine rugby league fans from England.



The latter are our brothers.



The pretenders - our enemies.

Now you can understand why not many away fans came to Hilton Park.