Have beaten Warrington U19s 38-20. Warrington have one of THE best academy setups so I think thats a massive result for the club. Well done all.

Haha I was just about to make this thread and you beat me to it



Great result, sounds like we're getting things right on the academy front once again.

Good win for the U19's lads!

Our 19s played really well today. With a bit of luck it could easily have been over 40.

13 of the 26 man squad are 1st years apparently. For us to look so good against a team that has far more in the way of financial support is really good.

There were some stand out performances and some excellent tries.

I'd urge people to get along to more U19s games. It's free to season ticket holders.

Makes it more the impressive with so many first years. anyone catch your eye Bullseye

That's really good, well done 19s.

Liam Kirk looked good at prop.

Not sure who our stand off was but he looked very good. Has a great step and looked very classy.

The pack were great despite looking smaller than Wire they bossed the middle.

It's good to see they're the future of huddersfield Giants them lads

Well done to the young lads!



Who was at 7 and was he any good

Would it have been Brandon Pickersgill or Luke Hooley at 6 by any chance?

Disappointing that there isn't a match report or even a team sheet from the 19s game on the club website.

Just checked and a decent report complete with team sheet is now on the main Bulls site. Just click " on the pitch" , then " results" then under 19's. There is a small icon on the right of the score. Click that and the report appears.
My disappointment is that RL Express does not seem to mention anything about Academy matters this week.
By the way the name of the stand off mentioned by Bullseye is Jacob Trueman. He certainly caught the eye of the reporter.

I'm sure Trueman has just come from the 16's as well.

That is correct and a player that is highly rated within the club.

Go on, tell Huddersfield.......

Oh dear, look who's back.

Team sheet on the report is wrong. Ross Oakes was starting left centre scored the first try and is not mentioned on the team sheet, played the whole game. Could well be others that's been missed.

I know Jacob, a very good player and a smashing lad from a very good family.

Take no notice of this clown Peter Hood

He has, from coaching him I don't even think he's 17 yet

He looked very good vs Wire.

Hooker and back row good too. Despite being smaller than the wire forwards we made more ground and offloaded better.

Look, nobody believes you know anything so you might as well not bother with this faux "in-the-know" stuff, it's really boring now. Or if we're all wrong, then prove it by posting something interesting.

PS you have been away - did you forget about you sponsorship pledge?

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It's the old old story of life in the lower divisions, in any sport, of course - when young players start getting plenty of publicity, it attracts attention - lord knows, we sometimes found ourselves being 'attracted' a bit in the past.

We can still punch above our weight with the academy lads. The calibre of our staff and the way the players are developed both on the field and off it means we have in the past (and again now) are able to attract players that are targeted by SL clubs.

When it comes to money we might be handicapped but we’re ahead in many other ways. BullBuilder keeps chipping in for those special extras that can make a difference.

Now the club is building better links with Bradford community clubs too we’ll get more Bradford lads in the side which may also help keep them on board. That fits into what the Foundation are doing getting young kids interested in the game too around the city.

Things are starting to come together and there was a real feel good factor at the game at the weekend. I recommend others check out the U19s.

Well put Bullseye.
John Bastian told the BullBuilder AGM that it was important to foster a culture in the academy structure. Young players who felt part of that culture and valued their teammates are less likely to be drawn away. Involving parents in activities helps recruitment and retention.
I am sure O'Brien, Olbison , Mellor and Addy all had opportunities to go elsewhere. And I've been told ( and believe) that many of the two current youth squads were courted by other clubs.
As fans we can do our bit to support them and make them feel valued.

On the subject of Bullbuilder, I understand there was to be a discussion at the AGM as to whether to continue to put all funding into the academy, or to start putting some towards the first team? Out of interest, which way did that discussion go?

I am a member but was unable to attend the AGM, but I am interested what happened with that.