Graham Clay has said that he thinks the team will be made up of younger players. Look how we got Anthony Bowman back from Wigan. He could play in the team for the next 4+yrs if needed (not that he will though)

Im sure it will. But as we all know its not something that we expect to happen over night.

Im hoping to see some good local tallent developed through this team.

In response to your question, there are loads of current under 18's in the town's amateur clubs at the moment, surely those who are considered good enough and some who aren't happy at their pro clubs will be given the opportunity to have a go at Halifax.
Siddal, KXP & Elland all ran 18's this last season and all of them have 18's lads who are excelling at open age within the Pennine premier division or division 1. I would have thought that would be a good starting point. Nice to have you back on here posting BTW mate.

this sends out all of the right signals about us being on a solid growth path,
another license box ticked

Has anyone heard anything more re the U20s ie players and coaching team

Given your comments after last year's demise of the U21s are you hoping your lad gets picked again or would he tell them to get lost after the way they treated him?

BTW I can't make the night out on the 19th, I'm off to New York on 18th.

Why, was he treat any different to the other lads & coach's in the squad ?

If Fax treat these kids so badly why don't they just move on to other clubs, I know if my dream was to play professional RL, I would not let one club say I wasn't good enough, I'd be down to Keighley and the like and trying to push for a place at a lower level, It's about backing yourself to perform at a better standard not just running off to Siddal or wherever because you've already proved you are a big fish in that pond.

IMO the truth is if these kids were good enough they would have been retained, I was at all 3 of the U21's GF's (plus quite a few of the league games too) and the only real prospects there were Sam Barlow, Joe Hirst and Andy Bowman (one signed the others dumped us to join other teams. I still think Andy is a good year off breaking the first team, he's too individual for my liking, it's time Anthony was given a run though) In the last one we were laughed of the park by a more professional, better drilled and more highly skilled team. As was said before, Salford, Bradford et al have all our best juniors signed up and this will continue until we get back to SL.

Note in the programs last year when there was a profile of the kids in Gibbo's college course, none of the kids on it were Fax fans, all Leeds and Wigan etc, think they are going to play for Fax if they are any good? I would be surprised. We should put a clause in the scheme that says Fax have first refusal on all people who sign up for our course (if we don't already).

Playing in a winning team at Siddal is better than playing at places like Keighley and the like as at least you get trophies and its a good standard, I disagree with you.
As for all the lads supporting Leeds and Wigan do you really think who you support affecs who you sign for these days???
Nah its who will give you the chance and the best deal for you.
The lads who play for Colleges are not that good anyway.

What a plonker! Your big fish in a small pond statement says it all.
The lads that went to Siddal could have played and were offered deals at a number of semi professional teams but as I have said before you have to way lifestyle with commitment. For the lads that want to get on with their life and play a bit of rugby, Siddal is a good option; well run club, good facilities and playing at the highest level in the amateur game. Not a bad spectacle as well.

The problem is Halifax need quick results so time to 'coach' and improve talent is not really high on the agenda. Anybody that did watch the U21's (and I'm not talking last year) knows that more than half of the team had the talent, given the necessary time and investment to go further at Halifax. They definitely had the talent otherwise why would they have been selected in the 1st place?

I'm afraid what happened at Halifax with the U21's was the equivalent of a Lion inheriting non related cubs into his pack.....goodnight Vienna!

I can see local talent requirement coming back to bite fax when the franchises come up for renewal.

p.s It's genuinely good to see some of the Halifax fans continuing to watch the ex U21's up at Siddal.

It's your right to have an opinion as much as it is mine and that's my opinion, sorry if it upsets you or one of the ex juniors but like I said that's my opinion and I'm allowed to have it, care to explain why that makes me a plonker?

If what you've just said is that the lads that went back to Siddal don't have the commitment and belief to play at a higher level then Fax are well shut of them, if they are content to not put the work in and back themselves to make it, then that says a lot about the quality of the kids that we were seeing in the U21's.

Again please feel free to explain your statement because the way it reads to me is that you agree they aren't good enough because they don't have the commitment.

You will note if you actually read my post that I said if [iI[/i were in the situation where [iI[/i was good enough to be pro or semi pro [iI[/i would be testing my ability at a better level. It's true that it is about weighing up lifestyle over commitment but if they aren't willing to put in that commitment in the first place then Fax were right to slaughter those cubs.

For the record I didn't just watch the U21's last year, I have been watching them for a few years longer than that, long enough to see our best juniors sod off to other clubs and please don't think that I am having a go at Siddal, or think Siddal are a badly run club, they wouldn't be where they are in the amateur game if they were and I as an ex Ovenden boy will admit that.

Like I said, I personally would rather be testing myself at a higher level If I was good enough to to get there in the first place, rather than taking a step back into the amateur ranks.

If that's true about that colleges why are we affiliated to the course anyway?