Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:37 am  

Sykes is a solid player. I thought he was worth his England call up.

As for the Roy Powell thing and aggression. I have to agree with Puig a little there. However, it wasn't his tackling that was noticable for me (he tackled people, and he did it really well and was seldom knocked backwards - I think in these days of "winning the collision" and wrestling he would have been absolutely sensational), it was his running with the ball. He seldom broke tackles or hurt people as a runner. But in a balanced second row with Paul Medley providing the impact running and big hits he was possibly perfect.

Replacing him with the likes of Richie Eyres and George Mann was bull$!tt.

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:53 am  

My mates dad had season tickets in the centre section of the North Stand for ever in the 1960s/70s/80s and in that way that all the old fogeys who inhabit the North Stand think they know everything there ever is to know about RL they could summarise a player within ten seconds of him first pulling on a Loiners shirt.

Roy Powell was always "Dead Ball Powell" because apparently whenever he took the ball he'd run it into a tackle and keep hold of it, the old men in the North Stand had spoken and it was so, "Dead Ball Powell" he was right through his Leeds career.

Old North Stand members know best.

[Matt_Horton]

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:17 am  

This Ian Kirke fella. Is that the same Ian Kirke that's got 3 grand final rings?

[Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino]

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:24 am  

Oldham Rhino wrote:

This Ian Kirke fella. Is that the same Ian Kirke that's got 3 grand final rings?

Yup, the same bloke who Peacock gives props to in his autobiography.

Mind you i await the old "so what, blah blah won a challenge cup and he was pony too" argument that is bound to follow.......................

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:31 am  

McLaren_Field wrote:

Roy Powell was always "Dead Ball Powell" because apparently whenever he took the ball he'd run it into a tackle and keep hold of it, the old men in the North Stand had spoken and it was so, "Dead Ball Powell" he was right through his Leeds career.

Old North Stand members know best.

And apart from one notable performance in a JPT/RT Final at Central Park V St Helens in the mud and rain their first impression turned out to be fairly accurate in that regard. As DHM said though there is nothing wrong with a second row pairing where one is a tackling machine and the other is an explosive runner. Graham Eccles and Phil Cookson immediately spring to mind here.

Graham Eccles, just mentioning his name hurts ..... crunch.

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:01 am  

Warrington to beat Bulls by 41+ on paddy power anyone? 8/1

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:16 am  

tvoc wrote:

And apart from one notable performance in a JPT/RT Final at Central Park V St Helens in the mud and rain their first impression turned out to be fairly accurate in that regard.

You know I was thinking of that game as I was wrtiting. He ran exceptionaly well in that match, broke tackles and offloaded, a rarity. He had that little shuffle thing he did with his feet as he was taking the ball up. I suspect in these days of obsession with landing on knees and elbows to get a quick PTB he would have been well suited.

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:31 am  

Roy Powell's standout performance in a Leeds shirt, where he did everything he always did but also a few things you weren't expecting.

A clear Man Of The Match performance which probably explains why they gave it to Paul Loughlin although in fairness he accounted for most of the St Helens points that day (all bar the Neil Holding drop goal) and judges notice that sort of flashy behaviour more.

Poor old Leeds, Garry Schofield, the thickness of a post, so near and yet so far.

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:52 am  

G1 wrote:

If Kirke every gets a sniff of an international jersey I will buy a Leeds carnegie season ticket.

I'll roll out your usual pathetic argument on this point.

Kirke has 3 GF winners rings...............................bwahbwahbwahbwah..............

Maybe only fits when you want to use it perhaps?

Re: it just gets worse and worse for the bulls : Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:57 am  

DHM wrote:

You know I was thinking of that game as I was wrtiting. He ran exceptionaly well in that match, broke tackles and offloaded, a rarity. He had that little shuffle thing he did with his feet as he was taking the ball up. I suspect in these days of obsession with landing on knees and elbows to get a quick PTB he would have been well suited.

I think people are under-estimating Roy's ability with ball. He was sensational going forward in the 1987-88 season. Somewhere in the loft I have a motivational video Phil Larder prepared for the 1988 tourists. It's about 90 seconds highlights from that season for each of the tourists with Labbi Siffre's "something inside so strong" as the sound track (the hairs on the back of neck are rising as I type). Some great runs on that video from Roy. If anyone has a scrumdown tape of a match at headingley against Widnes from 88 you can see a dummy and go from Roy that is so good the camera man even takes it.

I admit that after his collapse against Widnes the following season his offensive game suffered somewhat though, strangely, his defence remained spot on.

Whatever, Mal reilly rated him enough and he was right in the thick of a couple of legendary results for English rugby, most noticeably Sydney 1988 and Wembley 1990.