BrisbaneRhino wrote:
Morley was a very very good second row when he left Leeds. Have a look at footage of him before he left if you want proof. He bulked up in Australia and transformed himself into the most feared prop in the competition.
I agree to an extent that Leeds have been riding on the coattails of the batch of kids developed almost ten years ago. We have produced a few others since - Smith, Hall, Ablett etc - who have been pretty good. But it can't be argued overall that we've really excelled since then.
I also disagree that it would be 'disruptive' to produce a lot more. If they can pressure the first team and even push out an established player sobeit. If not they'll leave and become established elsewhere. That's how its supposed to work anyway.
The fact is that in most positions Leeds haven't been producing real quality consistently. The club went outside for young forwards in Pitts, Ambler and Amor precisely because our own juniors weren't deemed good enough. We haven't produced a single halfback who is playing regularly in SL since Burrow/McGuire.
SL clubs generally don't produce enough quality juniors. Until we have fewer poor overseas players and genuine options in all positions for England then no club can or should be pointing the finger at anyone else.
I think you are wrong, and i think it is silly to expect any club to basically bring through a new crop of 17 players every year.
The big crop, the 'golden generation' werent produced 10 years ago, they came through 6-8 years ago
then the next generation of Ablett, Smith, Scruton, Murrell, came through 4-6 years ago,
then 2-4 years ago we had Hall, Golden, Fox and Burgess, Ratu, Gibson, Broughton and Allen,
and in the last two years we have seen, and are seeing Watkins, BJB, Clarkson, and Mcshane come through
we have brought through plenty, in all positions, Danny Allen left specifically because he couldnt get in in front of Danny Mcguire, and imo (though im sure some Wigan fans will disagree) nobody has brought through a SO better than Mcguire since Mcguire. Similarly im not sure anyone has brought through a winger I would take ahead of Hall or Smith.
Only the very very best are getting into the leeds first team, thats why it looks to be a fall, when in fact it isnt, it is simply raising the bar
The club went outside for those forwards for 2 reasons, 1) players like Pitts and Ambler were quality youngsters, they were scouted and the club thought they had what it takes to be special players and 2) this 2 year generation of forwards werent thought to be good enough. Which is fine, we arent going to produce at top level SL player in every position every 2 years, its not that this generation of players werent good enough, we have seen one already cement a first team place, another impress as first choice whilst on loan at another club, and they werent even the hottest prospect we have who would expect to have been a first team player by the end of this season if not for his injury, its simply that in one position, one where it is very hard to see who will make it at youth level we had no-one who stood out
but whilst every year or 2 we are seeing three or four come through to cement first team places, and one or two with the potential to go to the very very top then i dont think we can complain.
