Just out of interest who are they to judge????????
I've heard many youngster's slag off bastian aswell but i know who i trust!!
From what i've seen this year our pack isn't big enough and in many case's isn't good enough at this moment in time.
I still think though that the like's of ambler,liam brown,gareth moore,dane manning and mcshane will make it along with watkin's and broughton.
I do like the look of ratu aswell but he doesn't look like getting a chance anytime soon.

No I didnt but I do know now ...

rhinoms.

Leeds have as bigger catchment and service area of any other team in Super League. A fact our often previously jelous other teams fans continually pointed out, when we were regularly producing stars.

Now with that been the case, the only things to think about at this moment are:

1) Somebody in charge of recruiting the yongsters is not doing his job, and is not picking the best in our service area. I think that is unlikely.

2) The Development of these youngsters is not good enough any more, and we are not doing it the way we used to. This is possible, but I would be suprised.

3) The coaching of these youngsters is not adequate, and we are wasting a tremendous potential. Personally I think this is the most likely scenario.

Or do you think we simply dont have the large service area and it is a myth that we often get the best youngsters?

That's your opinion fair enough but i think it's wrong to expect the acadamy reserve team to produce so many 1st team player's every year.
I still think we have potential within the reserve grade but like i said above the pack isn't big enough at the moment!

why sign a forward if you think hes not big enough, a club like leeds must look at this before signing them, size doesnt guarantee you anything if they arent good enough, maybe other teams have just recruited better at the moment

What's any of that got to do with us having a small pack and not been good enough????
We signed ambler the rest have come through our scholarship!!
Out of our current pack at the moment i think only manning,ambler and liam brown are "big" enough compared to most other pack's knocking around the reserve grade.
We won't produce 8-10 1st teamer's every year and other's take longer to develop so it's hardly a crisis.
I agree re-other teams maybe thay have got better player's at this level at the moment.

agree with the pack situation and that is the number one reason. I know that willie is not a great coach, and so do a lot of staff and he is learning.
But to say how would the players know ?? Some of these players have been in the system at Leeds from 12 years old, and under many coaches in that time, so I would assume that they know a little bit more than you probably do about coaching and coaches.

didnt say they wasnt not good enough , i said size doesnt guarantee you anything, bigger forwards not always the best , its ability at the end of the day

I dont get that mate. Its complete boll0x to say we can't produce players every year, and sounds like an excuse.

I already pointed out that we have the biggest service area of any other team in Super League. Unless you are saying that despite that massive service area there is not always a future star every year, then I don't know what you mean.

What you are saying would be true for a club like Saints, Salford, Huddersfield. But not for a club like Leeds with the massive service area we have.

Either we are not identifying the right ones, or we are not coaching them properly to fullfill their development, if we don't have stars produced each year.

We certainly managed it perfectly well for a good 5 years between 2001 and 2006. So what's changed? For a start we went two years without a dedicted head of youth development. For a second we have fulfilled all the coaching roles with inexperienced ex players.

John bastien has only just left!!!!
What's an excuse???
I'm saying you can't expect to produce so many 1st teamer's every year,this year we have potential in player's like liam brown,mcshane,ambler and dane manning.
Just because we have such a big service area doesn't give us a god given right to produce superstar's en masse!
How many did bradford poach from our scholarship??
How many has bastien took with him to warrington??
Do you expect the acadamy to produce the amount of player's and quality all the time that saw us get mcguire,bailey,walker,calderwood,burrow,ward,carvell,sinfield,mather's etc every single year???
I think that's unrealistic no matter how big our catchment area is!!
At this moment in time it's not happening for the reserve grade performance wise but that doesn't mean there aren't any potential 1st teamer's in that squad.

These were the Wilkinson & Cook legacy, a crop of world class kids

Exactly and proper coaches. Which followed Dean Bell and Daryl Powell.

And in response to rhinoms. When was John Bastian appointed Head of Youth Development? When did Wilkinson the last one before him leave?

Our only ones ready at this moment are Watkins, Allen, McShane. Not the ones rhinoms mentions, and Ambler was from Salford, from the Halifax service area. Watkins is from the Manchester service area.

Where are all the Leeds service area stars? dont tell me they dont exist. I spent years watching junior rugby and there was potential stars year on year on year in the Leeds service area alone. They do exist, and we are not bringing them through like we used to.

DISA,

You like a good moan don't you?

I think the Bulls would be a good team for you to follow. You'd be climaxing with the amount they have to whinge about.

Is this really a thread you should be commenting on? You know bugger all about juniors or their development. Stick to first team spin from the club, its your only source of information it appears.