Reserves : Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:54 pm  

Just noticed if I am right that there are 'only' 12 Championship Reserve teams they are:-

Barrow
Sheffield
Leigh
Doncaster
Whitehaven
Featherstone
Widnes

Oldham
Keighley
York
Hunslet
Dewsbury

The top section are all Championship teams and the bottom section Championship 1 teams.
So it begs the question why other clubs in our league have decided to not have a Reserve team (Toulouse obviously as it is too far away to justify one - is it the same with the Catalans? - if so its another reason why the French clubs are an ill thought out idea from the RFL).
Plus is it any benefit playing the Reserve teams from the Championship 1 clubs (no offence meant to them but)?
I know not having a reserve team means no game time for fringe players is a problem but what do you gain from no offence playing Hunslet Reserves?
I know in the longer term we need a Reserve team but I think that its probably best not to have one this and possibly next year?

: Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:07 pm  

exactly.

the standard was awful. even the fringe players getting game time wasn't enough of a reason, as the game time they were getting was not of a reasonable enough quality.

our reserves have produced nothing recently of note, bar a trophy.

: Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:21 pm  

pinballwizzard wrote:

exactly.

our reserves have produced nothing recently of note, bar a trophy.

So they didnt keep the rest of the squad match fit? How are the fringe players in the middle of the season going to stay match fit? Will they stay at the club?

Re: Reserves : Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:51 am  

Fax4Life wrote:

Just noticed if I am right that there are 'only' 12 Championship Reserve teams they are:-

Barrow
Sheffield
Leigh
Doncaster
Whitehaven
Featherstone
Widnes

Oldham
Keighley
York
Hunslet
Dewsbury

The top section are all Championship teams and the bottom section Championship 1 teams.
So it begs the question why other clubs in our league have decided to not have a Reserve team (Toulouse obviously as it is too far away to justify one - is it the same with the Catalans? - if so its another reason why the French clubs are an ill thought out idea from the RFL).
Plus is it any benefit playing the Reserve teams from the Championship 1 clubs (no offence meant to them but)?
I know not having a reserve team means no game time for fringe players is a problem but what do you gain from no offence playing Hunslet Reserves?
I know in the longer term we need a Reserve team but I think that its probably best not to have one this and possibly next year?

My main issue is that if our first choices stay fit, how are the rest going to keep match fit and play themselves into the first choice place, without being able to demonstrate to the coaching team that they are better than our first choices.

We could end up loaning players out, or worse still loosing players who get fed up of not playing and then when injury does hit we have no suitable replacement.

I understand the financial savings from not running a second team, but I do think it is dangerours.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:21 am  

The decision to stop running a reserve team is the first phase in a long-term restructuring plan that began with the creation of a scholarship scheme, which now has 25 players enrolled.

Those players will form a junior academy side next season, which in turn will develop into a senior academy side. This is costing the club in excess of £50,000 per year, and is seen as an investment in the future. To find that money, the old reserve team had to be sacrificed.

The aim is to offer talented Calderdale players a pathway to first-team rugby with their home-town team whilst receiving an education at the same time. In the meantime any players deemed good enough will be promoted to the first team squad - such as Anthony Bowman and Graham Charlesworth this season.

This is being done partly with an eye on the next round of Super League licenses in 2012. Clubs must produce a certain number of home-grown players. This restructuring will help us achieve that, and eventually stop Super League clubs luring young players out of Calderdale.

Hope this finally makes things clear!

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:28 am  

Halifax RLFC wrote:

The decision to stop running a reserve team is the first phase in a long-term restructuring plan that began with the creation of a scholarship scheme, which now has 25 players enrolled.

Those players will form a junior academy side next season, which in turn will develop into a senior academy side. This is costing the club in excess of £50,000 per year, and is seen as an investment in the future. To find that money, the old reserve team had to be sacrificed.

The aim is to offer talented Calderdale players a pathway to first-team rugby with their home-town team whilst receiving an education at the same time. In the meantime any players deemed good enough will be promoted to the first team squad - such as Anthony Bowman and Graham Charlesworth this season.

This is being done partly with an eye on the next round of Super League licenses in 2012. Clubs must produce a certain number of home-grown players. This restructuring will help us achieve that, and eventually stop Super League clubs luring young players out of Calderdale.

Hope this finally makes things clear!

What competition are they going to play in ? , as there isn't a junior academy comp at NL/Championship level

Are you hoping to enter the SL academy comp ?

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:01 am  

Halifax RLFC wrote:

The decision to stop running a reserve team is the first phase in a long-term restructuring plan that began with the creation of a scholarship scheme, which now has 25 players enrolled.

Those players will form a junior academy side next season, which in turn will develop into a senior academy side. This is costing the club in excess of £50,000 per year, and is seen as an investment in the future. To find that money, the old reserve team had to be sacrificed.

The aim is to offer talented Calderdale players a pathway to first-team rugby with their home-town team whilst receiving an education at the same time. In the meantime any players deemed good enough will be promoted to the first team squad - such as Anthony Bowman and Graham Charlesworth this season.

This is being done partly with an eye on the next round of Super League licenses in 2012. Clubs must produce a certain number of home-grown players. This restructuring will help us achieve that, and eventually stop Super League clubs luring young players out of Calderdale.

Hope this finally makes things clear!

Yer did I read it somewhere that you will have to have 8 'home grown' players in your squad by 2011?
Thats going to be hard for the 'expansion clubs' and some 'lazy' SL clubs me thinks???
Good idea though as long as they police it and don't allow 'fiddles' or exceptions.
Come on if the game wants to expand as it says then they should make the expansion clubs follow the same rules to get players in London, Wales and elsewhere!
Otherwise whats the point in 'expanding' the game?

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:06 am  

Halifax RLFC wrote:

The decision to stop running a reserve team is the first phase in a long-term restructuring plan that began with the creation of a scholarship scheme, which now has 25 players enrolled.

Those players will form a junior academy side next season, which in turn will develop into a senior academy side. This is costing the club in excess of £50,000 per year, and is seen as an investment in the future. To find that money, the old reserve team had to be sacrificed.

The aim is to offer talented Calderdale players a pathway to first-team rugby with their home-town team whilst receiving an education at the same time. In the meantime any players deemed good enough will be promoted to the first team squad - such as Anthony Bowman and Graham Charlesworth this season.

This is being done partly with an eye on the next round of Super League licenses in 2012. Clubs must produce a certain number of home-grown players. This restructuring will help us achieve that, and eventually stop Super League clubs luring young players out of Calderdale.

Hope this finally makes things clear!

I had read this earlier and I do understand the long term decision and how it will develop talented younger players from the area (if they are not poached into SL clubs), but this doesnt address the issue about where the players who are not picked play to keep their match fitness.

The two players mentioned are fine examples. If Charlesworth and Bowman do not get picked for the first team for, say 10 weeks, where do they play to keep match fitness and demonstrate to Calland that they should be picked.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:11 am  

Halifax RLFC wrote:

In the meantime any players deemed good enough will be promoted to the first team squad - such as Anthony Bowman and Graham Charlesworth this season.

This still doesn't answer Spanishbob's question. How are the likes of the Bowmans, Charlesworth and the other fringe players going to get any game time?

Wonder if we're going to be the first RL club to introduce a Chelsea like squad rotation policy.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:41 pm  

Caliban wrote:

This still doesn't answer Spanishbob's question. How are the likes of the Bowmans, Charlesworth and the other fringe players going to get any game time?

Wonder if we're going to be the first RL club to introduce a Chelsea like squad rotation policy.

No Pete, Whitehaven did the very same thing against York last week, midweek and got slaughtered 36-6 with their coach Ged Stokes getting some stick over issues regarding his non-selection of certain players who work at Sellafield, the midweek travel to York etc etc.
Now, York got 3 group points for the win but then lost at Batley the following sunday but gained a valuable "bonus point" in that loss.
'Haven on the other hand got zero for their midweek trouncing but three points for their derby win at the weekend.
Is this squad rotation, or is it paying a dis-respect to a cup match ?
The reason I ask is that York are currently in the play-off position on seven poins and 'Haven are not in the play-off positions on six points. I know where I'd rather be......


I see nothing wrong with our fringe players being "loaned out" to clubs in championship div 1 with a similar "call-back" arrangements that the SL clubs have imposed on our loanees, for the sake of the lads getting some game time. The SL clubs have started this gobbling up players, just look at Scott Moore on another season long loan out, he was on a similar thing last season, who does the lad belong to ? It's a ridiculous situation really.