That's a complete myth though isn't it? When did that path happen?

How many of the regular players who came through the academy in the last 10 years have been out on loan?

Mathers, Ablett.......??? Now we have BJB to add to the list as he is now a regular, a guy who went on loan because the salary cap dictated this because of his age and the restricitons to the academy.

But, irrelevant anyway. There is no getting away from the actual, that Leeds have done more than very well with regards Juniors.

There is also no getting away from the actual, that had Leeds follwed the same path over the last couple of years with regards Juniors to the one for which they now have such a good reputation, then there would be plenty more massive potential stars banging on the door.


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But he could just as easily not. One year smacks of ‘having a look’ more than a scramble for a player with the obvious talent needed to make it. Carvill may make it, he may not. But a year’s contract wouldn’t fill me with confidence that the Giants were expecting their gamble to pay off.

Maybe leeds have chosen other players to take their gamble with?

From Leeds own Academy ranks (from memory) there has been Bailey, McShane, Scruton and Burgess and then there was the likes of Feather (not sure if he was in our Academy before joining Wakefield and then loaned back to them) and Hardaker (Academy age) loaned back to Featherstone, Ambler (Academy age) loaned out for SL experience.

Of course there are also those who quite rightly make the transition direct to Leeds' 1st grade but the general progression path outlined is there and fairly well trodden.

Id also add McShane to the list as he is going to be a regular next season.

Next though. I was talking about the system we have previously employed.

This going out on loan thing is just a myth. The ones that have truely made it didn't go out on loan. Not that there is a problem in a system that sends them on loan, especially if going to a super league side.

Hardaker can hardly be classed as someone through the system and going out on loan. We signed him as big money signing, with the agreement of dual reg already in place.

Thanks tvoc for the Bailey and Scruton info. Didn't remember that. But ther is still a list of very few names.

I wasn't saying it was a hard and fast rule, which all players had to go down, just that there is a pattern of a path to the first team.

my main point is that if the player is good enough he will succeed, regardless of whether its at leeds or not

I can see where Gotcha feels Leeds are risking losing some up and coming talent by not offering full-time contracts but unless or until it comes back to bite them on the rear I'm not sure it's a view that is going to gain much traction around here. Obviously I speak from a little experience in this regard.

The primary job of the Academy is to prepare SL capable players to top up the 1st grade squad between numbers 23 and 28 - then it's up to themselves and their coaches to see them fulfil their potential and wherever that takes them. In some cases they'll do that direct, in others they'll carry on gaining open age experience out on loan or through these new fangled dual deals at the Championship level.

Many will neccessarily fall by the wayside and occassionally one may even come back and embarrass the club a little. Such is sport and life.

It's not like Leeds have been shy about giving full time deals to Academy prospects when they think they are merited - clearly in this case for whatever reason they didn't think Carvill was at that standard.

Isn't this similar to what happened with Keal Carlisle when the Giants signed him?

That doesn't make it a myth. We have a few players who have gone from the loan system to the first team, but you should also consider that part of the point of it is to send them out to the grown up league and see how they fare. I would imagine they are watched quite closely while they're there. If some of them are subsequently deemed not good enough and cut loose, then surely finding that out in another environment is better than doing it in our own first team, so you could account that a success of the system. Generally if our loaned out players do very well then they end up back in the first team squad.

McShane did play a decent number of league games (over half) this year, which makes him a first team player in my book.

We had a lot of pplayers introduced straight to the first team around 2000 and 2001, but that wasn't really choice, we just had a very thin squad. It paid dividends in the end, but the powers that be might have preferred to loan out McGuire, Mathers, Burrow, Diskin etc had they had the opportunity.

With the salary cap being what it is, it's handy to be able to delay decisions on promoting these lads by a year to see how they develop shortly. The path is clearly there, so not a myth. WOuld you say unicorns were a myth because you'd only seen 5 of them?

And lets face it - most of those released or loaned haven't been snapped up by clubs at the top of the food chain. Presumably their views have reflected our own.

Why is Mathers included on that list when he was loaned out to Warrington for a spell and IIRC they were keen to make it permanent had Leeds been agreeable at the time.

You may recall it was around the time he was vying for a squad place with Richie Spedding.

gotcha i really would have thought youd have done your homework before you made that statement on ages, singleton is younger than carvill, and in school years a hole year younger,singleton has just come out of un18s,carvill wasnt eligable for 18s this season gone as he was to old !so officaly this comeing season carvill would be in his 2nd year un2os and singleton would be in his first year of 20s, think coz singleton been playing 20s for a long time you think hes older than he is !

At the bottom of this article states that our squad will be announced at the end of this week - www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3947068 Should be interesting to see where abouts the likes of Lee Smith will fit in the squad, can't see there being any signings now, unless we announce one alongside the squad announcement.

At the bottom of this article states that our squad will be announced at the end of this week - www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3947068 Should be interesting to see where abouts the likes of Lee Smith will fit in the squad, can't see there being any signings now, unless we announce one alongside the squad announcement.

I'm very happy with our academy additions of Brad Singleton, Liam Hood and Stevie Ward to our first team squad for 2012

We now look to have the next generation of forwards "prospectively" in line which will accompany our youthful back line for many seasons to come

Regarding Ward, the club recently sent a delegation of players and officials of the club to Woodkirk Academy in order to allow him to be able to be granted school release <and during his important "A level" exams> in order that he can go on the clubs pre-season tour, my understanding is that this has been allowed

im more than happy with the team in my Signature.