Mick, you can't just throw the kids in and hope for the best. The result of the match is far less important than the future of the young players. Even in the remote chance we make the play-offs, we're not going to win anything.
There are four in the squad, who I assume will play today, (I'm not including Whitehead, he's a 'senior' for me now; unfair, I know) and that is sufficient, especially given the the form of the team in general. These lads should be progressed through the grades by the coaches using a proper, thought through process, not just pushed up, en-masse, into a mal-functioning team just because A. N Other and S. O. Else aren't up to scratch.

I fully appreciate the dilemma caused by the current injury situation, and the fact that 'best practice' can't always be adhered to, but at best, they should come through in ones and twos, not fours and fives, also it is better they come into a team that is playing reasonably well, but obviously, that isn't something that can be guaranteed. At the very least coaches should make every effort to ensure that their early first team games, what should be a time of opportunity, aren't a traumatic experience which damages their confidence, for me that is far more important than the two points this afternoon.

tend to agree with all of that. outside the young players already named in squad theres only wardle and crookes with SL experience. Crookes is injured, not sure about wardle but neither is a 2nd rower so wouldnt displace worrincy who is biggest underperformer in team. Soits probably the case that coaches consider that olbison apart the other young 2nd rowers arent ready to make the step up yet. reardon will be under pressure from finnigan,sheriffe and halley so its not guaranteed he'll play just because he's in 19 man squad. atleast one of those 4 has to drop out, hopefully not finigan who hasn't really put a foot wrong yet.

Crookes has played for the under twenties in the last two or three games, so I'm guessing they're just letting him get some match fitness before bringing him back. There is no Valvoline game this weekend and the French friendly game was also cancelled, so I did think he might have figured in first team action this weekend but he hasn't been included in the nineteen man squad. So, all in all, I've no idea exactly what Jason's situation is just now.

Someone make this post a sticky

And how many points have we been leaking?