www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27289819 Interesting seeing as RL no longer has B teams. Takes me back to what AMc said at a resent fans forum as i know he is keen to get the B teams back. I think the England national team would benefit from this look at Spain and Germany who have been doing this for years. Something RL to think about? Also whats the setup in Aus with reserve teams?

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27289819 Interesting seeing as RL no longer has B teams. Takes me back to what AMc said at a resent fans forum as i know he is keen to get the B teams back. I think the England national team would benefit from this look at Spain and Germany who have been doing this for years. Something RL to think about? Also whats the setup in Aus with reserve teams?

In Australia they have a reserve grade with regional leagues with semi pro clubs that are official feeder clubs of the NRL teams, but which do not necessarily bear their name. For example Wentworthville Magpies are the feeder club of Parramatta Eeels.

In Australia it's there as there is sufficient talent to fill it and have it as an aspirational setup, ie if you play well at amateur level you are signed to NSW/Queensland Cup level. Play well there and you are playing NRL. Over here, can you imagine the standard of the reserve grades? It would make no sense for an aspiring young player to play there, so it would be full of truly second rate players. It would also destroy the Championship teams we have already, although that may not be a bad thing. They could of course become feeder teams. It works in Aus as they have such strength in depth, they have strong junior grades and the best juniors go to the NRL. The 'potentials' go into the reserve grade and some flourish there, others stay there permanently. Over here, if you aren't good enough for SL, is there much point?

It would give some of the younger players a better place to prepare than the u19 and dual reg. duel registration is good but SL teams are still limited to 4 a game and do not have full control over the coaching setup. I would rather have a Saints B rather than cannibalise a poor championship club like Rochdale.

It would also shut up a lot of "we belong in Super League" championship fans when a Saints/Wigan/Leeds B teams beats them

The difference is that in Austrailia Wentworthwille accept there place in the scheme of things and are happy to get a Chris Sandow thrown at them now and then.

Here they all have delusions of grandeur and think they can play at the highest level. Which is why dual registration is struggling under the current system.

Would be interesting to see how reserve teams would go. They would have to be limited to championship 2 and below though, as the new structure would risk saints vs saints b (for example) otherwise. So I question how much benefit could be gained from it.

The best thing we can do for the sport is stop ever convoluting solutions to basic problems. Bring back a reserve league, and we'd all be better for it.

if it aint broke..............

The problem is that it is broken.

The U19's has been a disaster, and some of us said it would be from day 1.

All it needs is an u18's with no overage players allowed and an U23's with up to a maximum of three overage players allowed.

I'd agree with that.

Yup.

The current system is broken, I agree but I would have these teams in the championship.

The issue previously with an under 20/21's comp was that the quality was poor and there were a lot of players that were just making up the numbers and would have been better off establishing themselves in the lower leagues. An u23 team added to the championship would be much better than having an u23 league.

Sorry that was in reference to the old reserve system.

The football clubs wont go for it.

But with the new system coming in I think this is a great idea for RL.

Championship 1 split into regional leagues with added A teams.

Cuts travel costs and attendance boosts.

The A teams would never get promoted but has it been confirmed that there will be automatic P and R from these leagues anyway?

Dual contract can be scrapped on the back of it - but proper loan deals can stay - no recalls during loan.

And I wouldn't have A teams in the challenge cup.

Not every club would want to field a team but I think there would be 6/7 A teams.

For Saints if these matches were played on Sunday afternoons, with the U 19s games I think you would get a couple of thousand.

An surely it would be better for player development and coaching development to have all your playing staff under one roof.

Agreed. if say 13 year old 6 & 7 have a potential good partnership and play together right up to the 19's then get split up its madness. We need to forge partnerships between players from an early age. Look at Sinfeild, Burrow & Maguire @ Leeds.

And tyrer, ashurst and Dixon at saints..........

Sensible suggestions here.

Return youth sides to U18 strictly.

U23 reserve sides which are entered into an expanded championship, as effectively championship clubs which cannot be promoted into SL, but can be relegated and promoted within the championship leagues.

The current championship clubs can compete against the up-and-comers of the SL teams, providing them with a test against quality (and possibly some decent gates), and providing the SL reserves with a real match against experienced pros which will stand them in good stead for the rough and tumble.

Job done.

Problems ?