Can think of plenty of occasions over the last couple of seasons where we've pulled players back from DR as and when needed? That's the point isn't it?

Thats why DR is viewed as a favourable system by the superleague clubs, they have control of which players are available for DR on a weekly, even day by day, basis. If Johnson was earmaked to play for Fev on a sunday, but Dwyer got injured friday morning, we can just pull Johnsons availability to Fev for that weekend and use him ourselves. Its not great for Fev and its one of the reasons a lot of Championship clubs fans dont like the DR system.

Yeah ther'l always be one or two come through without going on duel reg or loan, Walker being the obvious one, but looking at the current crop...Handley, Oledzki, Smith, Newman, McCllelland, Trout, Broadbent, Muizz, Dupree, Walters, Johnson, A Suttcliffe, D Waite Pullan have all played championship rugby as part of there development, think the club sees it as a massive part of the players progression. Just my opinion, but i cant see that changing with reserves being back.

Yep it did. I was a student in Headingly and a season ticket holder. Went to most home A team games and it was free entry.

Wont be part of season ticket anymore im sure of that

The Leeds/Fev DR arrangement has worked really well for BOTH clubs, far more so than for nearly every other DR link-up.

Fev have been able to slot quality players into the team, and almost to a man they have all arrived with an excellent attitude to playing Championship RL.

Leeds have benefitted with some younger fringe players getting regular gametime in a good-quality Championship team in meaningful games, often in front of fairly good crowds. There are plenty of them who have come on in leaps and bounds which has made that leap to SL so much easier. Newman was one of those in 2018 but this year the progress of Alex Sutcliffe and McLelland, in particular, has been off the charts.

Sutcliffe was virtually a forgotten man prior to this season, indeed he was only drafted into the Fev squad when Cam Smith was pulled out late one day, but he has progressed steadily to the extent that if he were a Fev player rather than a Leeds one Fev would have been inundated with enquiries from SL teams.

McLelland looked a bit lost on his first couple of games for Fev but made dramatic progress and was giving some good Championship teams all sorts of problems in the play-offs, helped by having Chisholm as the other half to take some of the pressure off him.

Who knows whether those two will play more for Fev or for Leeds this season, but players of that calibre surely aren't going to be playing for the reserves (as others have noted, five of Fev's reserve team from last season have been nominally promoted to Fev's 1st team with a view to playing the the Leeds reserve team).

Take the point about crowds and meaningful games, and under the last coach (who ended up being assistant at Leeds too), it did seem to work very well - albeit one or two players over there from Leeds were never going to come back.

A Sutcliffe is an interesting one but can you see him getting past Newman or Hurrell, or into Leeds' first grade back row?

I'm just not convinced that players can't progress just as well, or maybe better, in a properly coached and supported Leeds Reserve team. We just haven't had one for years to compare.

For me I still think DR has a place on a case by case basis for individual players, but it isn't a perfect system for all. I'll prefer to see more players brought up through Leeds systems throughout.

Is there anything to stop some SL sides fielding their Reserve sides in the Championship in future? The NRL seems to work pretty well in conjunction with the Cup competitions.

No I can't see him getting past those 2 at centre. 1st grade back row, not sure, maybe, maybe not (he's still only 20). Think he could end up being a very handy squad member.

The problem with SL teams being allowed to run reserve teams in the Championship is it would make it even harder for established Championship teams to attract players because of the massive difference in central funding. The SL teams with their £2m-ish budgets would stockpile even more talent and would be an even more attractive proposition for fringe players because of the obvious pathway to the 1st team.

Haven’t seen enough of A Sutcliffe really but he’s going to have to get to international class to get in the Leeds pack - not being cocky with that statement but Ward, Martin, Merrin, Mellor, Walters, Trout going to be very hard to get past. We have some great younger prospects coming through too.

I suppose Reserves in the Champ is also difficult because of P&R... anyway we’ll see how things work next year.

I can't see a pathway for Alex Sutcliffe with those players Infront of him.Read an interview from Walters and it looks like Agar could be getting him ready for some first team action next season.If we have some injuries to the backrow then I hope he's Infront of both Sutcliffe's.

I’m also not sure whether Muizz will end up in the back row, nobody’s been talking about him but he looked very handy at times last year.

Whilst Sutcliffe might well be behind where he could have been, had it not been for the injuries, he was still a class act as a youngster, and still has that potential.

Yesterday there was a suggestion on Keinhorst. Whether it works for Sutcliffe or not at Leeds, he will be miles above that level. If he goes backrow eventually, he will be a better player than Mellor. But right now he would be and excellent squad player.

Hope the lad goes well but I’d need to see more of him. Mellor been training the house down by all accounts...

Good, he wants to make an impression and get his spot early.

Hopefully there will be good competition and we get a situation where you have to earn your way in etc.

Sorry Gotcha but ive never seen in it the lad. Championship player for me.

Been impressed by A sutty from what I've seen of him at fev. He won't displace hurrell or Newman but would provide good quality cover at centre where we are light and back row if we had some big crisis given the numbers we already have in that position.

The bigger question for me is if he is willing to play DR or reserves for two years while hurrel sees his contract out and at what point broadbent comes into the equation. All good selection dilemmas to have though.