Scott Moore?

Take your point about Stevie ward but since leaving the GF in 2012 with a busted shoulder he has had one serious injury after another and not got through one season without one. Was excellent last year and we have missed him. Hope he can get right whether this year or just take more time and build up for next season.

I wish smith all the best tonight but he if ends up with Splinters in his backside I won't be too disappointed or surprised.

Stevie Ward was 18 and 4 months when he made his Leeds 1st grade debut in 2012 - that season he started 3 at SO, 2 at SH, 4 at SR and 2 at LF with another 10 appearances from the bench.

In terms of other Leeds forwards (excluding hookers) age on debut:
16 - Nick Fozzard (1994)
17 - Adrian Morley (1995), Garreth Carvell (1997), Jamie Jones-Buchanan (1999), Nick Scruton (2002)
18 - Danny Ward (1999), Jason Netherton (2001), Ryan Bailey (2002), Carl Ablett (2004), Danny Allan (200icon_cool.gif,Brad Singleton (2011), Jordan Baldwinson (2013)

Seem to recall him making his debut as a scrum-half for St Helens away at Wigan as a 16 year old - surprised Ian Millward escaped with just a caution for child abuse on that one.

Bateman was 17 at Bradford wasn't he? That is the sort of player Smith is, with organising skills. Hasn't Bateman played continuous since?

I thought he was a hooker but I could be wrong

Wasn't Sam Burgess 17 when he got his debut at Bulls?

If he gets his chance I for one wish him all the success in what is hopefully a small stepping stone to a long and successful career at Leeds

must have been he was 18 when he made his debut for GB and put that monster hit on Moi Moi.

It's case-by-case as to which young forwards are ready. Nobody could say Sam Burgess wasn't physically ready for open age rugby at 17. Craig Huby played a full season for Cas at 16, iirc.

Take the point. Sam Burgess is a bit of a one-off but he still had suffered shoulder surgery on both shoulders before age 21.

Quote: Sal Paradise "I thought he was a hooker but I could be wrong'" Not when he made his debut at 16, this small article appears to confirm he started out at scrum-half: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 595010.stm FWIW - I didn't agree with Millward pitching him in to the then fiercely contested derby away at Wigan. Nowadays in the comparitively powderpuff version SL has become I suspect it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Quote: Sal Paradise "I thought he was a hooker but I could be wrong'" Not when he made his debut at 16, this small article appears to confirm he started out at scrum-half: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 595010.stm FWIW - I didn't agree with Millward pitching him in to the then fiercely contested derby away at Wigan. Nowadays in the comparitively powderpuff version SL has become I suspect it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Darryl Clark must have been young when he broke through at Cas.

Possibly at SO rather than LF but Sinfield was playing at 16.

at other clubs theres Tom Burgess at 18, Westerman 17, Clark had just turned 18 i think, Wasnt James Graham 17 on debut? I think Chris Hill was 18 too

In James Roby's first season (2004) Millward played him on the wing in a playoff game vs Wigan even though they had Ade Gardner on the bench.