Don’t agree at all that’s just a RL excuse. Wakefield could field two or three reserve teams if required though they couldn’t actually afford it - not suggesting that most would ever make pro but that’s not the point. Every year there are literally dozens of Academy players let go, all with nowhere to go - it’s tragic.

These Academy players are far better trained than those who used to play in the old A team structure which nullifies your argument imho.

The A teams fulfill three roles - keep/get first team players fit. Allow genuine up and comers with somewhere to play. Finally and most importantly to me allow late bloomers somewhere to bloom within their own team environment.

It doesn’t matter that the bulk of these players won’t make it, it’s the chance that some will.

It’s a myth that there is a shortage of players, there is imho a shortage of opportunities. That’s the problem and it’s a typically lazy (not digging at you) RL attitude to developing the game, always has been but never as bad as it is today.

Note: I know it works because in an odd way Trinity are SLs second chance team. Few of our players arrived with any reputation. Even our young home grown players are scraps from the West Yorks table Johnstone was going to give it up before we took him, Batchelor was playing College rugby for fun. None were signed as the best juniors in the area - goes to show when you look at Leeds the club who signed the so called best.