As stated above the Academy can only go so far – up to the age of 19. There’s a need for another tier to enable players to be ready for the first team since many aren’t ready at 19.

Looking back very few players are the finished article at 19. Only the very best fit in seamlessly at that age and they’re very rare. It’s a bit harsh to criticise the Academy set up when it’s the system itself that is at fault.

Ditto

I have watched every game this season on Rhinos TV and have been impressed with Joe Sanderson, does anyone think he could become a good SL player in the future ?

Not at start of season, didn't think he had a chance. Now wondering how we have gone through all the problems we have, and they haven't given him a chance to see if things change.

Jack Walker, Oledski and Smith are obvious standouts of the first year players but I hope Jack Norfolk gets to stay on at the club even though he will be too old for Academy footy next year.

Oledski needs to get some aggression in him. Hes a gentle giant. Physically he is going to be immense but he looks like he would help an attacker to ground rather than hurting them when tackling.

Cam Smith is Delaney mark 2. Looks like him, walks like him, plays like him lets hope he doesnt get injured like him. Good prospect. Tough and hard as nails.

Big win for the academy against Warrington. The first years seem to be adjusting nicely at this stage, and some of the older lads like Brady, and Sanderson seems to have improved massively this year.

Is Ryan Jones injured at the moment?

Sanderson is going to be a dilemma for the club at the end of this season. Probably not quite ready to be out on dual reg at a top Championship side, but won't be eligible for the Under 19s.

If we ran a reserve side, then we could keep him and play him in reserve grade along with some of the other "might be worth keeping" third years. Wonder if the club would consider keeping him on and finding a League One club to take him on loan for a year?

I agree we should have a reserve team, very unlikey we will in 2017, he could go on loan to Hunslet if he isn't going to get to play at Fev.

If not good enough for championship rugby then not good enough to persevere with IMO. I see no benefit in league one rugby. I think the reserves will be a certainty next year though.

Our 19s are our reserve team.

He'd probably be good enough for Championship rugby, but given our dual reg club has ambitions of making the top 4 and getting promoted into SL they're probably not going to want to take an unproven young half-back and build a team around him.

Pretty sure Fev would also be miffed if Leeds started sending kids out on loan to other clubs in the Championship, hence the suggestion he goes to play League One as a first taste of open age.

joe sanderson has really improved this season and i agree that the club have a dilemma on their hands with who to retain and who to release.
imo joe won't be retained in our 25 man squad so our only option is to try to get him into a club in league 1 on a loan deal and see how he handles it

the sanderson's are quite a talented family,all of who'm have been half backs too, his dad mark played professionally with mansfield marksmen back in their day as well as for milford,whilst his older brother michael plays for drighlington, and he kicks goals from absolutely anywhere on the field and is also a very good player

No, the 19's are our top age academy. How many of the 19's have played this season in an injury crisis? one, who is actually a member of the first team squad. Fev, dual reg is our reserves, although not utilized to any degree due to injuries.

Under 16's which covers two age groups, under 18's which covers two age groups, then the reserves is where the future should be. Quality players who are still 16, but professional cotracts, can develop in the reserves to show what they have, to be ready for first team, if they are of a quality above the other 18's. Or if the club chooses it can also utilize dual reg, if that method continues alongside.

Dual reg would work if the lower leagues were a genuine feeder competition. Since they all want to be promoted we're in a horrible half-way situation using them as a buffer for a few players to keep fit/get experience. If that won't change we have to go back to a reserves team.

The reserves would include all fit first-teamers not selected, plus a few squad players who are happy to hang around and get the odd game in the first team, and a place to try out the best kids. The coaches would get the chance to experiment with no pressure to win, whilst making sure all players follow the same structures as the first team. The fact that the quality would be low is irrelevant. What we have now is just such a bad way to try to run a professional sport its ridiculous.