Cry Havoc and let slip the Dogs of War!

The weekend is upon us. The wait is over. Diccon Edwards has named his side for the opening fixture of the season. The team is peppered with young hopefuls, eager to make their mark and establish themselves in the 1st XV: Craig Hampson at 9, Ollie Richards at outside centre and Curtis Wilson on the wing. Add to them newcomers Ryan Burrows, Davie Young and Stevie McColl and the Tykes fans will not recognise half the team. Diccon Edwards stated that his teams will always have a winning mentality when they go onto the pitch. This starts tomorrow when he lets slip the puppies!

Now is the Time....

Well we are on the home straight this week. September beckons on Thursday and with it the start of the Championship, which for Leeds, is a jump into the unknown, despite the fact that we seem to be there every other season. This time we have to negotiate several familiar hurdles ( being the relegated team we are the scalp to take, we have lost most of our squad again & hence have no real idea how the new boys will get on)  plus the rugby equivalent of Beechers Brook which is the play-offs.

Already I am filled with trepidation, not just because Bristol got tonked in the play offs & Wuss nearly came a cropper last time round but because we have no experience of this phenomenon. Do we come out of the blocks like a whippet on speed or do we build slowly for the main event in the new year. Both strategies have their merits. I would settle for a first day win and then a nice steady progression climaxing in a play-off final win. Well you can dream!

Where's the Beef Martin?

So Martin Johnson has announced his squad for the coming World Cup. Am I filled with eager anticipation, waiting to see if England's finest can bring home the silverware? No I am puzzling over some of his selections, wondering at his omissions & thinking that his squad has a lot of similarities to the Leeds squad for the coming season.

Injuries at 9 or 10 will leave them exposed & the squad is still 2 or 3 players short to have any chance of success. It applies to both squads! England will have a lacklustre World Cup and Leeds will misfire throughout the autumn. You heard it hear first.

World Cup - a minor distraction?

The close season has really dragged. I have suffered withdrawal symptoms & even dreamt that I had started playing again after 17 years! Now we are a couple of weeks from the start of the season and I am getting quite excited. But wait. In 3 weeks time we have the World Cup starting in New Zealand. ( If there was any justice it would be starting in Japan.) I have been so preoccupied with the domestic game I haven't really given much thought to the WC.

Presumably the Chokers will start as favourites which should suit everyone else. Who will knock them out this time around? It would be nice if it was one of the unfancied sides. Can England win it? A big ask I think.

Which would I prefer: England to win the WC or Leeds to get promoted? That is a no-brainer for me as the cup is just a minor distraction.

Time to dust down the yellow hat!

Leeds Carnegie got their pre-season underway last night with a defeat up at Kingston Park. The scoreline reflected the fact that Leeds had 10 players making their debuts for the Tykes. Despite the heavy defeat the match gave Diccon Edwards a good marker to how effective  training has been. The season proper starts 2 weeks tomorrow. The lads have another run out at Rodney Parade on Tuesday and then the real event starts on 4th Sept. First up is London Welsh & you do not need a long memory to remember the opening day when the Exiles won at Headingley. Time to exact revenge methinks.

That was the week that was!

When Leeds Carnegie announced an open forum night I was sceptical, to say the least, about the amount/quality of information that would be made available to the supporters who turned up - if any. Well I was wrong on both counts. There was a full house. GH declared that nothing was off limits & proceeded to give a candid talk on the mistakes, finances and, more importantly, the club's plans, targets & ambitions.

There were some shocks when the list of playing staff was announced - mainly because the "released list " was now 21 players long & the squad list contained approx 8 "anos". Presumably the  released players could not agree terms & the club will fill up the squad with cheaper options.

A pleasing aspect of the night was that the club are focussing on youth - plenty of academy lads have been promoted to the senior squad & the new coach has assured us that they will feature.

The other shock was the new shirts, designed to mark the 20th anniversary of the club. Green black & white will take some getting used to! But it also helps to reinforce the "rebirth" of the club - new coach, new strip, new ethos. I came away from the session feeling very upbeat ( as did a lot of other people) and looking forward to next season. The rollercoaster is back on track & I want to be on it.

Time to Look Forward

The appointment of Diccon Edwards as Head Coach at Leeds has been welcomed by the majority of fans. His first statement gives us much encouragement as to the side he will build to get the club back into the Premiership. Having worked with the academy players up until 12 months ago Diccon knows that this is the strength of the club.

Giving youth it's head and " if they are good enough they are old enough" is a bold policy to have. Certainly Neil Back was very cautious when it came to unleashing the kids but  Swainston, Denman and Wackett all got, and took, their opportunity to play in the Premiership under Back.

Edwards is looking to blend the youthful element with some seasoned professionals. Andy Titterall and Jon Pendlebury are already committed to the cause. Others have said that they want to be part of it. I guess that the re-sign announcements over the next seven days will tell us just what the players think of Diccon's appointment.