Numbers playing the game in the UK is an issue, we are never going to compete with football there are still huge numbers out there looking for competitive sport that the RFL can go for. I am sure I've read on here that numbers have increased markedly in recent years, but there is a long way to go and it is years before we'll reap any rewards.

Do we need more things like this? www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/8381 ... he_future/

I know it’s not even started but to me it is a very promising link up providing school kids with top class facilities and coaches, and junior players with education on site. I've also read that there could be plans to have boarders studying at the school and part of Saints junior set up, allowing talent to come from far and wide.

Aside from Club and Fan mentality which are focused upon themselves rather than England RL and the fundamental issues with our support play and defence, there are serious issues with the basic development of our backs, we seem perfectly adept at producing forwards who can compete with the best in the world but pace, guile and creativity is desperately lacking out wide.
Bear in mind I only started watching RL in 1993, where are the next Connolly, Newlove, Offiah (I know he didn’t start RL) or Robinson coming from?

Players like Sam and Kyle have the raw skills and potential to create opportunities for three quarters but there are slim pickings of players ready to step in, maybe Tom Briscoe and Ryan Hall have the speed and ability to be very good, Shenton has had a promising 2nd half but he has an awful lot of improvement to get close, if these 3 could kick on we’d be much more competitive but that is such a big IF. Chris Bridge, Lee Smith are two potentially better options than what we have at present but good enough to compete? Doubtful.

Peter Fox, Ryan Atkins have the physique and pace to stand out but seem to lack skill, ability and confidence at International level, we’ve lost a couple of potential players to RU but so many of these supposedly talented backs come through touted as future international stars and then some stagnate or just disappear, Tony Stewart, Kirk Yeaman, Karl Pryce, Ste Tyrer, Kevin Penny, Richard Horne, Mark Calderwood, Ritchie Mathers, Shaun Ainscough, Stuart Reardon to name a few can anyone put the finger on why the forwards can progress and the back don’t? In that same period we’ve developed Graham, Roby, Ellis, Burgess, Joel Tomkins, O’Loughlin, (Hock), Crabtree, Westwood who are more or less as good as their international rivals (and there are several more coming through now)

What about Ben Jones-Bishop, Kallum Watkins, Josh Charnley, Jamie Foster, Lee Gaskell, Reece Lynne, Richard Owen, Stefan Marsh I don’t think any are close to ready yet but are they potential world stars or just promising Super League players great at academy level?

Numbers playing the game in the UK is an issue, we are never going to compete with football there are still huge numbers out there looking for competitive sport that the RFL can go for. I am sure I've read on here that numbers have increased markedly in recent years, but there is a long way to go and it is years before we'll reap any rewards.

Do we need more things like this? www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/8381 ... he_future/

I know it’s not even started but to me it is a very promising link up providing school kids with top class facilities and coaches, and junior players with education on site. I've also read that there could be plans to have boarders studying at the school and part of Saints junior set up, allowing talent to come from far and wide.

Aside from Club and Fan mentality which are focused upon themselves rather than England RL and the fundamental issues with our support play and defence, there are serious issues with the basic development of our backs, we seem perfectly adept at producing forwards who can compete with the best in the world but pace, guile and creativity is desperately lacking out wide.
Bear in mind I only started watching RL in 1993, where are the next Connolly, Newlove, Offiah (I know he didn’t start RL) or Robinson coming from?

Players like Sam and Kyle have the raw skills and potential to create opportunities for three quarters but there are slim pickings of players ready to step in, maybe Tom Briscoe and Ryan Hall have the speed and ability to be very good, Shenton has had a promising 2nd half but he has an awful lot of improvement to get close, if these 3 could kick on we’d be much more competitive but that is such a big IF. Chris Bridge, Lee Smith are two potentially better options than what we have at present but good enough to compete? Doubtful.

Peter Fox, Ryan Atkins have the physique and pace to stand out but seem to lack skill, ability and confidence at International level, we’ve lost a couple of potential players to RU but so many of these supposedly talented backs come through touted as future international stars and then some stagnate or just disappear, Tony Stewart, Kirk Yeaman, Karl Pryce, Ste Tyrer, Kevin Penny, Richard Horne, Mark Calderwood, Ritchie Mathers, Shaun Ainscough, Stuart Reardon to name a few can anyone put the finger on why the forwards can progress and the back don’t? In that same period we’ve developed Graham, Roby, Ellis, Burgess, Joel Tomkins, O’Loughlin, (Hock), Crabtree, Westwood who are more or less as good as their international rivals (and there are several more coming through now)

What about Ben Jones-Bishop, Kallum Watkins, Josh Charnley, Jamie Foster, Lee Gaskell, Reece Lynne, Richard Owen, Stefan Marsh I don’t think any are close to ready yet but are they potential world stars or just promising Super League players great at academy level?