No idea maybe 1 0r 2 some were already on the fringes like Massey etc but id counter that with the fact he's improved EVERY player that was either signed or already there.

It's not just the improvement, but you are also looking at players like McMeekan (who was signed as a Junior), Maher, Robson, Holmes, Westerman, Fitzsimmons, and Douglas, who have all come through under Powell and Orr, along with the "projects" he has made a miles better job of than McDermott.

No I don't Tad and I also apologise when i'm mistaken, like i've done in this very thread actually.
I know it might be hard for people like you to understand but you don't have to make stuff up on here to get points across, push life long and silly agendas or in your case to insult someone to impress your troll mate.

Now have a lovely day won't you.

McMeekan would've been a star regardless, he was already a class above in a poor London team, same with Solomona, not so much with Channing. All the juniors mentioned are still unproven. Powell has always been good at bringing players through and identifying good players, but imo, his real skill is getting players to work well within his structure. Gale had looked brilliant at Cas. He's always looked brilliant at times, but when he was taken out of that structure for England, he looked rubbish.

The u16s squad for fridays game is basicly an u15s side....Who in the 15s have people have got high hopes for?

Westerman, Gotcha?

I posted a few months back, that of the 15's they missed out on quite a lot of quality ones, I think because they knew their under 16 lot would give a high batch of quantity to work with. But of the one's we have, for me Harry Anderson the standout player with a lot of potential. The Burton brothers were also excellent young players, and looking at tonights team it looks like Joe has now come to the Rhinos, having initially turned them down. Of the other ones, Jacob Gannon and Lewis Delaney are very good prospects.

It seems as if we've gone to Kippax for most of this crop of youngsters, makes a change from Oulton Raiders I suppose.
Where are the lads from East & West Leeds?
Those from North Leeds are RU players it seems to me.

What you find across the junior league is that one team will dominate in a particular age group. There is about six clubs that dominate, and they will be the ones at the top across each age group.

Siddal at under 16 now, have dominated completely for three years now. This year must have been a waste for most of their players, as they have hardly played due to teams forefeighting the game beforhand. half of the scholars that went to clubs from that team went to Leeds, and the other half Wigan. Each picked up one of the best two players.

Kippax at under 15 are the best around, although when away on scholarships the Dewbury Moor and Hunslet lads are at the top. That Kippax team though, when they were under 13 age group they played up a year at under 14, because they were untouchable at their own age group, so generally you would expect them to be the best for the under 15's.

Likewise, two years ago at under 16, the Oulton team were untouchable, hence why you saw a lot of Oulton boys into the academy.

Thanks Gotcha.
Do lads in other areas of Leeds prefer soccer to rugby?
Seduced by the lure of the money involved I wonder?

No, there is plenty of other good players below these top teams. Although further down the division you go, and older you get, you tend to find teams folding due to lack of players, even though they also may have one or two good playres. These top clubs though tend to have the bulk of the players wanting to join them, and hence end up with a bit of a monopoly. That Siddal team for instance at under 16, that dominated for last three years, after under 13 age group held trials each year for any new playes wanting to join, and it didn't matter where they were from. Whereas some other clubs are more of the community side, and they take on players no matter what level or experience, and no matter how many numbers they already have.

If you don't get them before under 15's then you are restricted, as you can only have so many scholars at one club, unless you have developed them through the age groups yourself. So if a club already has six scholars at the club, and one wants to transfer to them who is also a scholar his registration might well be refused, so he has to go to another club.

Two lads from East Leeds at u15 have scholarships,one at Leeds,one at Huddersfield.
There's also a lad from West Leeds who's in the 16's at Leeds but he plays for a South Leeds team.

Where are Holroyd Johnson Martin Broadbent etc etc??

Thanks gotcha.....What do you think of liam tindall?he looks a good size already for an u15s winger

was just thinking this when i saw the u16s highlights

Anybody know how the 19s got on in there friendly yesterday? Score,scorers,good performers?The more info the better. Thanks.

They won 84-6 or something like that

What happened with the young lad we had on trial/loan from newcastle last season,alex donhaghy...Anybody know if he'l be with our 16's next season? Also how highly rated is liam tindall who'l be in our 16's next season? He looks good from the little iv seen and it seems like forever since we had a good winger coming through.

Think the academy is in a great situation at the moment with talent right through the 19's down to the 16's. Thought id do a 1-17 from players who are still young enough to play academy rugby nxt season goin down to the scholarship,of players who have cought my eye,not who are necessarily the better players right now but more who i think look the most talented for there age group. Iv got a big interest in our academy/Scholarship but dont get to see anywhere near enough to be confident in my predictions, Would love the opinions of the posters who have seen and know a lot more of all the lads in our system on what they think and any players iv missed who they rate higher. (I know a million things can change in players development in the coming years)

1.J walker...3rd year u19s
2.K hartley...2nd year u19s
3.J broadbent ...1st year u19s
4.H newman...2nd year u19s
5.L tindall...U16s
6H anderson...U16s
7.H spence...1st year u19s
8.M oledzki...3rd year u19s
9.C johnson...1st year u19s
10.T holroyd...1st year u19s
11.B martin...1st year u19s
12.A sutcliffe...3rd year u19s
13.C smith...3rd year u19s

14.H whitely...3rd year u19s
15.O trout...2nd year u19s
16.S moorhouse...1st year u19s
17.L mcconnell...2nd year u19s

Oledzki - Looks like a fine prospect.
C, Smith - Not sure if he was struggling with injury but was very poor indeed for us on loan.

Yeah smith was really poor for you last season,im giving him the benefit of the doubt tho. Hopefully it was just an ajustment for him from being the star in probably every team he'd played in coming through the ranks and probably finding things too easy,to playing against seasoned pro's where you'v got to put 100% effort in for the full 80 mins. Could be the experience he needed. Im hope the leeds staff will be telling him he needs to up his workrate from what he showed for you.

think walker is pretty much first team now. he wont play academy anymore unless the're short or something. he is way too good for that level and will gain nothing playing there, if he is not playing in first team he will be loaned out, but reckon he is going to be in and around the first team squad permanently. Oledski as well played too much open age to go back down to academy level. expect him to be pushing for regular game time or dual reg at Fev.

Im not saying that will be the academy team,walkers clearly first choice for the first team going into next season. Its a team of who i think are the best talents we'v got in our whole system who are still young enough to play academy and younger.

Yeah no way Walker drops out of the first team squad now, and certainly not back to the juniors. the lad more than held his own in the semi and then a SL GF in front of 73k. I would say the shirt is his to lose from the first game of the season.

But realistically he's still got physical development over the next few years. If he plays 20 - 25 games a season for the next three years that will be plenty.