If anyone could give advice on some players who need it, would be much appreciated. There is 2 players. One who is at a top level championship club in the academy and recently another championship club has said they will look at him for next year. Then player 2 has no experience at academy level but is a top player in rugby union and is very good. These 2 players are going to get looked at soon by the Bulls scouts. Both players are very good players and have lots of potential. Lots of people rate these two lads very highly. One a full back and the other a stand off. What will the scouts be looking for in these two for their positions as they want some direction, as there is only so much you know. Thanks everyone!

Not being a scout or a coach myself I wouldn't really know what technical aspects they are looking for. Having being looked at by scouts myself though and knowing where I came up short, the one bit of advice I would give anyone, particularly in their positions, is to be very vocal. Communication is a huge thing in rugby league. Tell them to make sure they get themselves heard and to be supportive of their team mates.

Other than that I suppose they would be looking for the raw, often unteachable skills more than anything else. Positional play etc can be taught. But if a guy stands out as having particularly good speed, or passing or has the ability to go round a man then they might take a chance even if other areas are lacking.

I'd agree with that, clubs often look for a good attitude first, certainly for younger players. They know they've got to work on and improve skills (sadly because the amateur game is quite poor in general at teaching the core skills) when they get them in their academy or scholarship setups so as long as there is a base level of skill they'll look for a positive attitude.

You can Coach skills, you cant coach attitutude. Most coaches would take a good player with a great attitude and work ethic before a great player with a poor attitude and work ethic.

If they are being looked at i would say they have already noticed the skill factor, its highly likely they will be scouting just what kind of players they are and if they have what it takes to work hard and go the extra mile with professional coaching.

Scouting SL style.
"Do you speak Aussie ,kiwi or south seas island?
If you answer yes you are signed.
Development?
See under dual registration and not giving a jot about the rest of the game.

I fundamentally disagree with this.

Sorry to switch to football for a minute, but I'm a Chelsea supporter. I've seen some of our teams virtually refusing to play because the UEFA Cup was too small time for them and they couldn't be bothered. The Chelsea players are probably the most famous team in the world for getting rid of managers if the managers aren't good enough to coach them.

But on the flip side when they have a manager they believe in they'll pretty much run through brick walls for him.

You simply cannot say that coaches can't coach attitude. There's just too much evidence that proves it to be a lie.

When faced with an incompetent boss who asks you to do stupid things and damages your career, there's no way you're having a good attitude about that. Faced with an awesome boss who gives you full support and makes you a better person, you'd have to be a pretty sad git to let him down.

There are thousands of champions who are pretty horrid human beings and their attitudes stink. There are probably millions of fantastic attitudes that are ignored because the talent simply wasn't there.

OK, you can alter attitude, but skills are easier, and the right attitude will help develop the right skills more so than skills develop attitude.

Cleck: Athletic ability above all else, so make sure they are properly conditioned, in the right way - i.e. not a mountain or muscle or set to run a 2 hour marathon. Then vocal leadership, attitude, well rounded skills...i.e. can attack and defend, can step and pass either side, etc.

One final tip: If the scouts are there to watch the whole team, make sure your player has something about his appearance that stands out

In all your time posting here have you ever had anything interesting to say?

It simple, if they are good enough they will get selected. Every scout will look at different things and see different things, they need to be themselves and play well.

But that's not true is it. There are plenty of players who don't get selected that are just as good as some who do get selected.
Luck and, sadly, which team you play for can play a big part in if you get selected or even noticed in the first place.

Clubs rate player attitude very highly in their profiles for players. Coachability is important, those who are highly skilled can tend to come with big egos and therefore not be open to advice or critiscsm.

Game sense is also important, being able to read a game and vocalise it is important for a fullback. A half back should be able to run a game and plot the coming plays and direct which players he wants where.

The kid who's with an academy side. I'd tell him to forget about impressing a scout. He should be impressing the coaches at the side he's playing at, and learning to cope with the jealousy that comes from the other players.

The kid who is not with a club. I'd tell him to not worry about impressing a scout, because he could have just put up the best 20 minutes of rugby in his life, the next 10 minutes could be spent recovering, and those 10 minutes could be when the scout decided to turn up, make quick judgements and leave. I'd tell him that if he wants to be a RL player then get himself along to a SL club with a good rep for youth development and ask to train with the academy lads for a month to show that he skills that they might be able to use.

thanks everyone for your help will be really useful for the lads, will pass it on. Much appreciated.

No it is very rare that a player who has the ability is missed. It might be that you see a player and think that he has the ability but the club thinks the other. They are proffesional scouts who look for specific things in players. They even want to see parents and grandparents to look at size and possible development.
We all think we can pick out a great player at 15, but the clubs can pick a great player at 25 when he is 15 that is the difference.

It isn't rare. I'm not talking great players, because there are very few of those in the first place, this is about standard/average players. There are plenty of those knocking around who haven't been selected by scouts. Partly because scouting is more an art than a science but also as I mentioned before luck plays a huge part in it. If the scout comes to watch and the player has a poor game, if the player is in a side that's getting hammered every week, if the player is at a club that doesn't get as much attention from the scouts or a club that plays at a lower level. Not to mention the fact that people develop at different rates, some flourish at 15-18 and develop their athleticism and confidence at that age, others it happens later.

The scouts will get some, but there's plenty of others knocking around who could have done just as well as some of those selected by scouts, especially in the "less popular" amateur clubs and leagues and those outside the traditional areas.

Yeah there aren't many Sam Tomkins or Kallum Watkins' out there but every club has average players in their team, often second rowers used as tackling machines. Plenty of players could fill that role.