The club were very quick to heap plenty of praise on the u15/16's and yet how come they haven't signed the cream of the crop?

Chris Plume apart, our youth coaches and staff are pretty poor.

Is John Bastian still at Wire?

Yep and looks like he's reverted to Mcbanana tactics re-youth development "poach every player possible from Leeds".

Yes, it's around the time that he left us that warrington seemed to have got their act together in terms of junior development and we went backwards.

Who would the poor ones be?

Well Barrie Mac is never the right man to have in charge of youth development is he? IMO the head of youth development is one of the most important roles at any club, you need someone with experience. I'd also question whether Damian Gibson is good enough.

We've retained 9 of our u16's www.therhinos.co.uk/news/16916.php

We've retained 9 of our u16's www.therhinos.co.uk/news/16916.php

Out of the list it's Learmonth i'm disappointed to of lost mate he looked a really good prospect but of course those 9 that have stayed look good prospects aswell so we've not totally lost out on this batch.

Anyone who has watched the under 16 side this year will know these are the most exciting bunch of youngsters to come through the academy since the mags n burrow era. Time will tell obviously but id say 2 of these players will be ready for first team in a year the rest give them 2-3 years they will be knocking on the door.

They may well be ready, as some of the under 18's have also been, but they won't get a shot at first team. That is the very reason why some have gone, and some won't come to us. We have this silly plan where the plan is not to introduce to first team until they are around 20 years old.

Baldwinson is an excellent prospect.

i no its slow but we do have 2 actual un18s in the 1st team and one who has played 1st team ,so it is there the progression, but i no were your comeing from , all other sides are flying them in and out dipping there toes, my personal veiw is , it makes older players up ther game as they can see whos after there shirt, it also makes the kid more hungry to get out there again !

Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey, McShane, Ablett, Hall, Smith, Jones-Bishop, Watkins, Clarkson, Elliott, Hardaker, Pitts, Singleton.

All members of the current first team squad who made their Leeds debuts while in their teens.

Clearly this supposed policy of not playing them in the first team until they are 20 is failing somewhere.

Or it doesn't exist.

I'll let folks make their own minds up which it is.

Always jumping in lately Andy without thought. I was talking about current last couple of years policy, pointing out how good it used to be.

How the hell can you use Hardaker and Pitts as an example? both were transfer signings not developed throught the system.

So we are left with McShane, Jones Bishop, Clarkson, Elliott, and Singleton.

Remind what I said again, then look at the age these players were on debut. Completely accepted by the way Singleton. Therefore out of a list of 16 players you mention, we only actually have one, yes one, that dissagrees to the point I made.

We were so successful at bringing kids in early and developing at the top level, but we stopped it, simple as that. It was a big mistake, not only for encouraging new players, not only for keeping existing youngsters, but bad IMO for their development.

Look at all the top players that have been in super league over last 12 years, all but one, yes one, made their debuts at 18 or below having coming through their respective clubs academy. Players like, Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Farrell, Tomkins, Morley, Fielden, Pryce, Burgess, Cunningham, Eastmond, Wellens, Long, etc.