: Mon May 11, 2009 6:04 pm  

Rhino Roy wrote:

so if its sooooo crap how do you think Ainscough and tomkins have coped with step up ? and many others ?

because, despite what sky and everyone at the rfl will tell you, the standard of superleague now is not a patch on the standard of superleague 5 years ago!

: Mon May 11, 2009 7:59 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

But how's that going to help.

90% of the Wigan reserve team are still under 20 and they will probably allow 5 or more overage players as they did last year.

From what I'm led to believe you can't have any.

: Mon May 11, 2009 8:02 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote: Have a look at this. http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=875 How can Wigan winning every game at reserve level by an average of over 30 points be any good for them or the teams they play against? The standard is cr@p. I wasn't attacking Leeds as some clowns on here think just stating the fact that something needs to be done about the standards of reserve and academy Rugby. and you avoid answering my question

Rogues Gallery wrote: Have a look at this. http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=875 How can Wigan winning every game at reserve level by an average of over 30 points be any good for them or the teams they play against? The standard is cr@p. I wasn't attacking Leeds as some clowns on here think just stating the fact that something needs to be done about the standards of reserve and academy Rugby. and you avoid answering my question

: Wed May 13, 2009 7:28 am  

I have to say I think that age-group based reserves is not the best thing for SL, as we simply don't have a big enough turnover of quality juniors at any club. Rather than bring back the old A-Team, I think SL clubs should farm out players to other SL sides or to NL clubs - basically how Leeds have been operating for the past couple of years. That to me would give them far better experience. I suspect Broughton's few games at Hull last year were worth several years of academy games.

: Wed May 13, 2009 5:52 pm  

The Joker® wrote:

Like i said he has impressed me but there is nothing worse than a young player going into the First Team and thinking he is the dogs wollocks in front of the senior players just ask a certain Ben Kaye...

A situation a young Leeds halfback is unlikely to be in with Burrow and McGuire contracted to the end of 2013 and when one is unavailable it's generally Sinfield that fills in rather than a prospect from the reserves.

To such an extent that in the last 120 matches (since Dunneman was the last alternative halfback) Leeds have used a combination of Burrow/McGuire/Sinfield in all but four possibilities from two hundred and forty. Two of those were last season in the Leeds Reserves V Castleford SL encounter where Allan and Webb deputised for the International absent trio.

In the current situation what is the point of being a Leeds reserve halfback? Greg McNally didn't see the point in becoming one and who could blame him.