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??