Blooding those players could have also have left us 4/5 points down on where we are, and still looking at playing large parts of the rest of the season with many senior players half-fit/not-fit. We are 4 points of 3rd with two games in hand, that’s a lot better position to start introducing youngsters than being 10th and 2 points of the play-offs with 2 games in hand and many senior players playing large parts of the rest of the season with many senior players half-fit/not-fit.

You could also argue, and probably with more reason, that we have lost points because of not rotating, or blooding those players earlier.

We had 2 games in hand at Easter, and were better than 4 points off 3rd. Why not do it then?

It never happened and since they have come in they've shown their worth so i'd say it's 99% that the scenario you suggest wouldn't have happened.
Also like i posted they wouldn't have come in cold either to a decimated team which is a completely worse scenario to step into.

You could. You could argue anything you liked. Its just un-provable speculation on things that didn’t happen.

The only hypothesis we have evidence for is the one McDermott is using. So far its brought us two SL titles and half-way through this season we are 4 points off 3rd with 2 games in hand and a relatively easy run in.
As for why not do it at Easter. Why do it at Easter? What are we trying to achieve here? Success? Titles? Or to give games to youngsters? There is a balance to achieve of course. But clearly we aren’t struggling in getting home-grown players in to the squad.

Indeed. And who's to say whether some of these lads would have featured at all these season had it not been for injuries. So it's pointless to say we should have introduced them earlier if the plan was to not introduce them this season at all surely?

Keinhorst played well last week at centre, which is his usual position afaik. To suggest moving him now to second row would be a bad move IMO.Watkins is out for a few Weeks so leave Keinhorst where he is and give another under 19 forward a bench spot

Really? With a 4 point win at Wigan, a draw at Bradford, and a 6 point win at Warrington, those results could have very easily swung the other way. That’s 5 points right there. And that’s 5 points we could have lost not by the youngsters being poor, not even by them doing well, but by them being not quite as good as the senior players they are replacing.

Also the youngsters haven’t come in cold have they. They have been 18th man, being introduced from the bench, been given less responsibility whilst on the field. They have been introduced to the first team, not just dumped in.

I've no qualms about blooding 1 or 2 young lads v Bradford and NO-ONE suggested we rest 1st team regulars v Wire or Wigan.
By "Cold" i mean with no minutes under their belts in a confident team like we've done in the past.
In terms of senior players they are replacing many have shown poor form or clear signs of fatigue the policy i'm reffering to has served us for over a decade all i'm saying is stick to it and in terms of the pack at least i don't think we have.
Singleton ,Baldwinson ,Sutcliffe (when injuries 1st bit Keinhorst) and even Mcshane should have had more gametime this year than they've had imo and i stand by that.
I'll also repeat looking at our pack and FR in particular we should be rotating more and introducing the younger lads so we at least have 1 or 2 ready to step up or at the very least know where we need to recruit when the elder lads hang up their boots or in Bails;'s rumoured case leave the club.
Delaney is a machine and JJb's workrate is huge aswell but do we need to see them against Cas etc ????

McDermott didn't create the high level competitive environment - that culture was there well before he took over as head coach.

Looking back over this wonderful decade for our club do you not think that the plan was ALWAYS to introduce yioungsters into the 1st team as per EVERY season since 2003??

I've heard Moon has picked up a groin strain and won't be playing.

Sure. I just meant perhaps all these lads weren't in the plan for this year therefore the argument we should have chucked them in earlier was a little irrelevant.

I can believe Singleton and perhaps Sutcliffe were always going to get a shot this season but maybe Minns, Baldwinson and whoever else we see as a result of these injuries may have had to wait a bit longer anyway.

*shrug* I don't know, it's all just speculation as has been said anyway.

All players have at some stage 0 minutes under their belt. We haven’t seen loads of youngsters dumped in with little preparation. Arguably only Minns has, and he coped ok, and he was barely mentioned as cover on the wing by people on here. Singleton has been in and around the 1st team for a year or so and played at Wakefield, Keinhorst has been 18th man and played last year, Sutcliffe made his debut when we had a full compliment of half-backs. WE cant on one hand argue the players are being dumped in the first team then on the other hand they should have played more.

Baldwinson, Minns and Sutcliffe are 18 years old. Very very few players are getting first team rugby at that age, even fewer in the pack. McSHane is getting game time but I have yet to see a performance from him which demands the shirt for next week. He is 23 and really needs to kick on, that’s down to him though. Maybe Singleton could have got a few more games but he has been a bit hit and miss. Realistically, it’s not particularly a big issue.

I'm sure that's true. But two Grand Final wins don't lie either. He maintained and extended the legacy. His methods are unconventional, at times, but they appear to have often given this team the edge when it matters against very good, conventionally-coached teams.

Smokey-Re Mcshane do you honestly think Burrow has outplayed him all season at 9?
I'm not having a dig in anway shape or form how many games have you seen this year?
For me Mcshane has a better distribution and has had better overall form than Burrow at 9 this year and as for Singleton again imo he should have been in the 17 most weeks.
As for Baldwinson in particular again his form this year albeut at U19 level has been outstanding with EVERY staff member at the Acadamy saying he's ready to step up not just me or a few other "fans".
Whether they are 18 or not shouldn't be an issue we've put Stevie Ward in and Watkins as teenagers and i think some of these younger lads could/should ahve been in earlier.
Obviously we have differing opinions but at the same time i'm not after a p!$$ing contest either thus far i'm sticking to my opinions re-u19's and the squad.