Quote: Div "I'm not sure. Clearly those clubs have a track record of turning out quality lads in numbers over a long period of time. You would hope that if the pro clubs have quality scouting that they would look at all clubs to identify talent. I guess to a degree the talent will gravitate to the stronger clubs. I think if players are poached on the suggestion that they have more chance of being spotted at a certain club its a bit dodgy but I'm not close enough to say whether that goes on or not to any degree.
Strangely Wigan St Patricks gave a game away to Blackbrook recently on the basis they couldn't raise a team as did Oldham St Annes and Leigh East - the latter were top of Division 1 at the time all very odd. As a result Blackbrook are Division 1 Champions following the controversial relegation from the Premier Division last season for non fulfillment of a fixture against Pilkingtons based around there being no warm water for showers !'"
One of the reasons blackbrook and St pats have more players that go on to be pro players for the likes of saints and Wigan is because these kids parents know the kids have better chance of being picked up at these clubs, hence all the better kids sign for likes of blackbrook and St pats.
When I was a kid we moved to widnes, I was 10, my dad drove me to blackbrook every Tuesday, Thursday and sunday. When I asked why I can't play with my new widnes friends at widnes tigers , he replied you got better chance of signing for saints at blackbrook.
The ironic thing was saints never come knocking but I signed for widnes!
