OK Maybe World Class is a bit strong, international class would be more sufficient seen as though there can be no arguments with facts. Still, it shows that the academy structure has been churning out quality players since way before Steve Mac was head coach and the academy system is in no way shape or form his legacy and cannot be attributed to him. He may have smartened it up a bit but to say its his legacy is ridiculous quite frankly.

I largely agree with that, though there does seem to be a sudden influx of promising players, similar to Leeds a few years back. However the fact that someone plays for their country (GB/England) doesn't qulaify them as international class IMO.

Mais oui.

It is merely indicative of what a p!ss poor International side we currently have, arguably the worst in over 30 years. It is a shame JP, Moz, Ellis, Graham and Eastmond have to mince around with the likes of Tom Briscoe, Peter Fox, Ryan Atkins, Chris Bridge et al. That even Jon Clarke (voted Warringtons greatest ever hooker - nuff said) has had a sniff of a jersey illustrates that David Blaine would struggle to elicit magic out of the current options.

McNamara's legacy at the Bulls however is clear. Produced and nurtured some excellent young prospects yet failed to sign the right calibre of player despite having a budget beyond what I suspect some may believe is the case. Sykes, Worrincy, Reardon, Hall, Sheriffe, Sculthorpe, Jeffries, Tupou, Feather, McAvoy, Godwin, Finnigan, Tadulala and others are players that sadly represent his repeated ill-judgement of players and their abilities.

To his credit, he never lacked passion, belief or desire. Unlike many who served him. That may have been his primary failing.

He was just too soft on the players that were badly underperforming week in, week out.

But did he really have the strength and depth in the squad to do anything about it?

Would you continue to play Worrincy?

Currently? I think you probably have to realistically. I know everyone says Burgess should play instead but if the club say he's not ready you have to rely on that professional opinion. No point sending out all your promising youngsters to get beaten every week and have their confidence destroyed. Let's not forget when the squad was healthier than it currently is earlier in the season he [iwas[/i dropped.

I know there is general feeling that, when two parties disagree, the truth must lie somewhere inbetween. This is incorrect. It is perfectly possible for one side to be totally wrong and I'm sorry to say that, on this one issue, you are.
The club has generally had a reasonable junior set up but, as I'm sure you know, it was virtually binned, in a cost saving venture, at the back end of the Caisley/Noble era, just one example of a number of short sighted decisions made during those years. It was revived by McNamara and Paul Medley and it is through their efforts that it is bringing young players through as it is. Trying to pretend this didn't happen just to satisfy some anti Mac agenda is a total fiction.

Neither Burgess is anywhere near close to being good enough for SL.

Change their surname and few would raise an eyebrow.

I'm glad someone's finally said that.

It was never binned and it has always produced quality player, it didnt need reviving, because it was still alive, where do you think Sam Burgess, Dave Halley, Craig Kopzcak, Matt Cook, Ryan Atkins, and various others were playing? For local amateur teams?

Im afraid to say it's you who is wrong and it seems as if you are one of those that believe the garbage about having to rebuild the academy, it was just fine and was doing what it always has done and to this day continues to.

Very happy to help.

I believe in the last game of the 2006 season we had five players who were recent "graduates" of the academy set-up playing - Burgess, Langley, K Pryce, Cook and Ferres, if I recall correctly Kopczak had also debuted earlier that season.

While there is little doubt the youth system wasn't top of the previous board's priorities (after all Chris Caisley stated that success was not cyclical and could simply be maintained, there wasn't enough money around to invest in anything but the first team in this situation) I don't think it had seized up completely, though obviously it hadn't produced a crop of players of the standard of Fielden,Peacock and Leon Pryce, which was very much the exception that proves the rule in terms of what you can expect an academy to produce.

I don't doubt that McNamara had more of a focus on youth in comparison to the past, but the changes in rules and the quota system demanded that the club would have to start making changes whoever was in charge (and quite rightly so).

Early days, but so far from the poll we have the general feeling that the most supporters are "relieved" and that "the board should have done this two years ago".

Is that what everyones feeling?

I'm not sure who came in which particular year to be honest but that sounds about right. Bulls4 is right to say that the academy never stopped, but just having an academy team isn't really the point. As the finances dried up they moved all the academy lads onto part time contracts and, as they were no longer full time, the amount of coaching dropped. Whilst there were players coming through in this period they were actually from the earlier time when it was serviced properly. During an approx. 18 month two year period they struggled to get quality juniors because other clubs were offering a better quality environment and full time coaching, it was a no brainer really.

I'm sure you're right about quota system changes having a big effect on policy, though it was necessary it still had to be done and it's been done very well. What I find hard to understand is how the blind hatred of one man causes people to deny the good that he did.

Olbison on current form would do a much better job than Worrincy, he's playing excellently.