Just been announced on Facebook, Sam Bates is to leave the club. Seems to be due to his ankle injury. Shame for the lad but these things happen

Real shame as he looked good when he played for us.

I just hope we don't turn our back on our junior development and stop giving youngsters a chance. We had Purtell at half back a long with a loose forward while our promising HB is on loan.

It isn't beyond the realms of possibility that we would have persevered with Sam all things being equal, but we need a bit of room in the squad for someone else?

Being brutally honest, I don't think he was ever going to make it. Certainly not as a prop. I remember being shocked at just how small he was when he played in that game against Wire a few years ago. I can't knock his enthusiasm because he certainly ran the ball in with gusto, but he just got mullered every time and lost every collision.
I noticed at the start of this season that he was no longer listed as a prop, so I guess the coaching staff didn't think he was big enough either.

I wish him well and who knows, maybe he'll get a gig somewhere as a second rower or loose and kick on once he has a few games under his belt.

He had 2 Super League outings last year, not 'a few years ago'. He's 19, for God's sake.

Was it only last year? Feels like longer.

Well it seems to have been heavily hinted by Ross that we are targeting further recruitments so it might well be linked. Interested to see who we're looking at because you wouldn't think there would be many quality players available at this point of the season.

You can't keep em all. Good luck to the kid.

I have a lot of faith in our academy set up and it will produce players for the 1st team. It will tske time and patience for that to happen.