I agree.

That said I fully anticipate Sutcliffe will still be at 6. If that's the case I'd like to see a really strong/physical middle rotation and dominate that area with Mik and Prior starting, Smith 13 and Tetevano and King coming off the bench. Maybe Thompson starting in place of mellor too to add even more physicality to the pack from the off.

He should but i reckon Alex Sutcliffe would get the nod but lets see.

We seem to have a glut of centres at the moment - Nichol and Stewart coming through, noises that the club might see Edwards as a centre too. Noticed Oli Field is apparently wanting to move to 13 as well. I know we haven't seen them play for a while but there is still some cracking talent in the system. Can't wait to see the academy start up playing games again.

I quite like aspects of A Sutcliffe's game and he seems a good professional .

Do we have any halfbacks coming through?

Got all nostalgic yesterday watching Widnes V Leeds from 2002 when Danny Mcguire scored his first SL try.

Stevi said something like these young kids will be the spine of the Rhinos for years to come and lead them to success - he wasn’t wrong!

Its worrying that not one half or hooker of note has emerged from the academy since McGuire and burrow and Diskin (mcshane let go could be counted at a push)

Thats a lot of years of draught for such important positions.Mcshane IIRC wasn't rated by McDermott.

Its a game wide issue in truth. How many other clubs have produced top quality halves and 9s in the last decade? They simply arent there..

Currently Jake Trueman is top drawer. Harry Smith is very promising at Wigan, Mickey Lewis will get wasted by KRnt but has talent, Lewis Dodd at Saints tho he doesnt impress me when ive watched him but hes very highly thought of.

Basic skills of passing a ball accurately are sadly lacking in young players in key positions never mind the tactical and organisational side of the sport.

As ive said previously Covid will make junior development even worse.

People want highlight plays, if a hooker makes a good run people think hes a great hooker even if he passes the ball behind or above the 1st receiver half the time or passes it to a prop on the last tackle rather than to the kicker.

Broadbent
T.Briscoe
A. Sutcliffe
L. Sutcliffe
L. Briscoe

Gale
Myler

Oledzki
Leeming
tetevano
Thompson
Martin
Prior

Dwyer
Smith
King
Donaldson

Wishful thinking I know, but that's what I'd run with

Probably Kai Morgan a scrum half from Siddal who will be first year Academy this season and Jack Sinfield who will be a second year Scholarship this season are the 2 most highly rated natural halfbacks, both a while off yet, very young.

Alfie Edgell has played a lot at 6 for kippax but fullback seems to be where the club likes him for now

Oli Field has always been a very classy 6 but, as mentinond a few posts ago, he's moving to back row according to Coby Nichol, was always a possiblity as Fields a big lad.

Jonah Parsons is a lad who i thinks very good, for me he's better at 9, but the club seem to like him at 7 aswel

Looks a better balanced team to me that. Personally id have Mellor in and Thompson on bench for King but the halves make it a better team in my opinion. Myler has to be better than Sutty in halves and Jack has potential to cover full back well.

Weve just got to get thru the next month and get some strike players back havent we?

I'd stick with myler at FB simply because moving him weakens us there without improving the halves. In fact I'd stick with last week's back line, suttys limitations as a half back notwithstanding.

Poor coaching at amateur level coupled with over coaching at scholarship and academy in my view.

I only picked Thompson as starting back rower as I don’t really rate Mellor, and we could do with a bit more grunt in the pack against Cas.

I know we always like to run with at prop at 13, but I thought we signed Tetevano as an out and out front rower? I think Prior is great at loose

In an ideal world so would I, but we need a 6 & 7 today, Sutcliffe, well I don’t know where he was supposed to be playing last week, but it certainly wasn’t stand off. I reckon Gale and Myler would be ok together.