On behalf of the Fax Trust and as a supporter of Halifax RLFC we fully understand and appreciate the importance of a reserve grade to help with the future of our club and the game of rugby league. Unfortunately this is not supported by the RFL and we want this to change!
We have started a petition that we hope will be shared with as many rugby clubs and fans as possible to try and make a difference. Please support us by logging on to Change.org and then searching The Rugby Football League: Preserve the Reserves of Rugby League
or you can visit the Fax Trust Facebook page and follow the link.
We have also sent details of the petition to the League Express in the hope of gaining more support. Please share with everyone you know, the more signatures we get, the greater chance of success!

Many thanks,
Halifax Independent Supporters Trust

I can see the point of a reserves league for the championship/League 1 but I don't think it makes sense for SL.

Well last year we were being told how it was proof it was useful by Hull, Wigan, Saints and Wire's league positions compared to ours.......how's that working this year?

Why doesn't it make sense for SL? Without a genuine feeder system the current dual reg/loan approach is ridiculous.

Because I think there should be a genuine feeder system or if not I think the dual reg system can work better than a SL reserves league that would be a lower quality than the Championship.

You do realise the point of the opening post don't you? which is exactly the reasoning for your point. One is as a consequence of the other.

Every person with an ounce of sense in the game states a need to move back to reserve rugby for super league clubs. I am unsure whether their arguments would prove correct or not, but I do know there is too many with sense calling for it to be ignored.

Loan or DR as it currently stands is better than the current " reserve league purely because there is the opportunity for more games. However as Mac stated in a recent interview when discussing the Bradford four...You have to contend with not only youngsters who need to e tested at next level but the fringe players..there is a quota on how many players can be sent out ( he did not include those returning from injury) ..because of rules there will be players not getting games. Returning to the current reserve league...I had to look on Wigan's web-site to get details . They had two pre-season friendlies ,there are a total of 8 fixtures ..they play Hull FC, Saints n Wire both home n away so yes the benefit of those fixtures will be limited . Saints said last season that when Lomax returned from injury a spell in the reserve squad helped him, I've no reason to doubt that claim.
If there was a fully functioning reserve league running alongside the Super League then yes I would much prefer it to sending out players on DR or Loan. For the record I would keep U16s n U19s.

For me, when you send a player to another club they are not playing to the same structure/ system even if you get cooperation from other coach they will have their own agenda ..their priority is their club. I mentioned this before ..when Keinhorst returned from loan at short notice he stated it was difficult to adjust...as it happened he had quite a good game in a poor Leeds side.

I would use a reserve squad for

1) Players too old for U19s

2) Players returning from injury

3) Players whose form had dipped or fringe players

If there was a fully functioning reserve league with all SL clubs competing then for me that would be a higher level of rugby than Championship level. You want your youngsters playing to the highest possible level if they are not quite ready for senior level stick them in reserve squad where they will be learning off experienced players as it would contain players returning from injury or whose form had dipped.

On the later two, sending them to play in a lower league, especially the fringe players cannot exactly be good for morale. By having a reserve league they will still feel more attached to the club. I would also hope or believe that a reserve squad would improve the quality of players within the senior squad...If a player is not performing for varying reasons you send him in the reserves..if they still fail to deliver the goods then you terminate the contract. Conversely if a player shines in reserve team , you promote them. A reserve team would provide true competition for places n stop complacency amongst players. It also gives time for a club to develop players better rather than DR which provides uncertainty ..you then get disillusioned players realising they no future n leave....we have lost two many players who then gone elsewhere n doing well..

GH claims the reason for not doing it is cost...ok you would need extra coaches.. a bigger squad but ,even he stated that with the increase in fixtures, close number of games, you need a larger squad...when players are out on DR or loan you cannot get them back.

A reserve league for me would improve the standard n quality of the SL but benefit the national squad. ..the standard of home grown talent should also improve.

I think injuries have affected a lot of reserve games this year.

We have only played 2 reserves games, both back in March. We had to postpone one in April due to availability - 12 injured players, only allowed to register 65 per club and we had a first team and U19s game that weekend.

With SL clubs having first team squads of 30+, a reserves comp could actually be a decent standard if all players were fit.

It could but how many squads contain 30 fit players these days? And that's without the extra games that a fully fledged reserve league would entail which would presumably result in yet more injuries.

reserves to replace the U19's maybe? limit 6 over 19's playing.

Would a player like Mikolaj for example benefit more from playing reserve grade rugby or Championship rugby?

As things currently stand , Championship rugby would benefit him more...but if there was a proper reserve league featuring all teams. same number of games as regular league..reserves consisted of academy players, fringe players, those returning from injury from seniors...then surely the reserve would be better as they would be competing at a higher standard.

Looking at the need for a reserve team another way. Take Tom Briscoe , Mac still has faith in him or least says he is a quality player but he is not afraid to drop him. He doesn't though send him out on loan or DR. So he misses a game or two ..then when comes back still not sparking because not been involved in matches...If had a reserve team could place the likes of him in the team. When we up to full strength..will Ferres on current form be in ? Again shove in reserve team...either they will up their game to force their way back into seniors or eventually you off load them at seasons end. They would still be playing to Sl standard just in reserves which surely better for game.

Personally for me a reserve system offers very little to benefit a club like Leeds. We currently have squad men out on loan and thats the way to go. Lads like Mikolaj, Lilley and Cam Smith have to show they can play at that level.

A reserve team of mainly 19s and a few returnees and dropped players would do little.

Do you think a player like Delaney would get any benefit from coming back and playing reserves for week or 2? He would go thru the motions.

But how much does Mac really see of these players? The only player that seems to have benefited from the dual reg system is Jimmy K, and there is a fair argument that he would have come through quicker if the coaches watched him up close every week in our system in a reserve team
I just dont think it is fair on players to expect them to play for a team with totally different systems week to week

The system certainly works in the NRL, even Ben Hunt played a gave of 'reserve grade' this week as other players got a chance