Under 16s is notoriously unpredictable but Leeds always sign up the best whilst Cas and Wakefield snare the best of the rest.

However there is a huge dollop of luck involved and quite often the players from the top team fail to step up whilst a lesser teams ends up producing a good batch of SL players - it’s so hard to know.

The advantage Leeds have is sheer numbers and occasionally and certainly far more often than most clubs you get a golden crop.

In my time at Wakefield I’ve only seen us do it once and that was basically a team of rejects. I think it was 2000ish and included amongst others Ellis, Westwood and Brough over a few seasons. You do it far more often than that which IMO is a good thing for both Leeds and the game because as we know you can’t keep them all

Has he chose warrington over us or were we not offering him a deal?

£££ over Leeds and Leeds wont pay it.

Thought as much, they love throwing money at other clubs scholorship players. Would of liked to keep him, he's a good player , but dont think he's one thats really special for his age, delaneys a better prospect imo. Gold luck to him though, hope he does well for them.

Always is with them & imo they've ruined Morgan Smith already.

It has nothing to do with money lads. At that level unless you are a real stand out, there is hardly any difference in money offers for first year under 19’s. Ganson isn’t a stand out, he’s a good grafter.

Where Morgan Smith was concerned, money was bigger, but not the reason for switching. Just like with Cameron Smith it was bigger money terms, again a stand out.

Wakefield best U16s player, Corey Hall, has just left for Wigan after Wakefield offered him a derisory contract for the Academy.

Stand out player.

Definitely, with his kind of potential he could be anything he wants to be. His type are few and very far between, I’m not sure what Wakefield were doing by undervaluing him that way.

Castleford and Warrington were also in for him!

Anyone know which lads have been offered/accepted deals with us?

Warrington throwing cash around at anyone
At the moment. Thats more a reflection of how poor their youth development system is than the actual players they are targeting/Signed .
Pete Riding has a rep for offering the world and delivering nothing . His track record is poor at developing
Young talent.
And theres a lot of kids and parents in the game that can verify that . If you want to take the money then fade out of the game after 3 years hes your man . Any news on the 16s announcements???

Theyv been doing it for years, its a very poor approach imo. I know all clubs do it to a degree if the chance arrises to get a special talent from another clubs scholarship, but it appears to be a clear strategy for warrington, scout the 16's games through the season then throw money at other teams standouts. They'v done it to us, most notably with mickey learmonth and morgan smith, who were both seen as special talents, but didnt live up to the hype, although smith still has time to, and theyv tried to do it to us many more times. They did it with Ben Currie, Will Dagger, a lad from Widnes, theres quite a few more who's names escape me.

Iv heard the argument of there catchment area not being that great which forces there hand, but its a weak argument imo. Wigan have forged good links with siddal and sign quite a few to there scholorship straight from there, despite them being the other side of the pennines, theres nothing stopping warrington doing the same, instead of letting other clubs put time, money and effort into the lads, only to lose them to warringtons £££...As a club, leeds have the resources and talent pool that its not that much of a problem if we lose a couple, teams like wakefield and widnes arnt so fortunate.

Wakefield have the right amateur clubs and a rich local talent pool but everyone scouts the area and picks over the best of them leaving Wakefield to fight hard for their share or take the lads that get passed over.

Kyle Wood done ok under his uncle Pete.