IMO this is only a step in the right direction, they do this in oz and that way the door is never closed to players who aren't physically developed, spotted or fully developed as a player yet. Great examples of this - chris hill, peacock, hardaker etc. I think its great hull fc are the first club to definitely do this. I know warrington, wigan and saints are interested as well as teams like the Bulls according to steve ferres. The championship have operated this style comp this last year has has been a success. Players pushing through to first grade and giving injured players gametime before getting back to action. By having more teams with this it will only strengthen the competitions for home grown players. Another example before I stop - Alex Walmsley who was playing amateur rugby league for Dewsbury Celtic and playing university rugby league at leeds met was luckily spotted by John Kear. There is still a lot of unseen talent out there who deserve to be at a professional standard from amateur leagues to university teams with some great talent especially from teams such as leeds met, Loughbrough, Northumbria etc. Bring it back I say and retain talent!

Are Hull and the other clubs entering an u23 team going to have to fit the new squad under the 1st team salary cap? Could be a short term advantage to the clubs who don't have an u23 team

if it happens it will be the final nail in the coffin for the stupid idea that was dual reg

It's a great thing if it happens but I don't think it should be an U23's league, just a good old fashioned reserves league, where squad players can have a run out and players coming back from injury can get match fit before going straight in to the first team.

A limited number of 'overage' players would be allowed unlike the current U19s

It wasn't a stupid idea, it just wasn't implemented very well.

The problem with a proper reserves league is that it's a competitor for the Championship. If players are good enough for SL reserves then they could be playing in the Championship instead.

The Dual Reg idea was a good one. It was trying to get the benefits of feeder clubs without the Championship clubs loss of identity or independence. The problem was that it needed to be a joint partnership between the SL and Championship clubs not something that was just brought in and then SL clubs would find DR partners almost like they do for any loan. It has to be a deeper partnership than that. The SL club should be providing coaching expertise and training facilities alongside managerial and marketing assistance to their Championship partner.

If this had happened, amongst other changes, I think you'd have seen a much wider acceptance of the scheme from Championship clubs. I still think you could run the DR scheme alongside an U20's with a couple of overage allowed. I think the best place for youngsters who are too good for the SL u19's to develop is in the Championship and if Championship clubs gained a proper partner rather than just a couple of fringe players as and when, then they'd benefit hugely too.

They shouldn't operate a reserve grade U23s league. First problem is the salary cap, how can clubs account for that? The idea currently is for clubs to operate it on an unregulated basis, so where do those players fit into the cap? If clubs are signing an extra 10-15 players to fill those squads, do they suffer on the cap or are they excluded? If excluded, it allows clubs like Wigan to accumulate players purely to stop other sides signing them, like with Chelsea in football.

A better idea would be to formally appoint reserve grade sides in the Championship and below. It gives them a glass ceiling future, but lets be honest most haven't got any future as things stand. I'm not talking rebranding the sides either, just formally making it known they are linked like they are in Australia.

Agree with that.
The alternative is that SL sides run reserve sides themselves but they're entered into the league structure like in Spanish & German football.

The above two posters are talking rubbish on this in my opinion and seem to have no clue as to what is good for the game in this country.

Every club has a first team. There should be Under 23 and under 19 leagues for all clubs. It should be compulsory for Super League and Championship clubs to run under 23 sides in the respective leagues.

Under 23 teams will be allowed to play up to x number of over age players say 5 eg for first team players coming back from injury.

Salary cap rules can be amended to fit the structure but it only covers the top 25 highest paid players anyway.

There should be a suitable limit on the number of age over 19 players that a club can sign as there always used to be.

Good players below super league standard will start to sign for teams below SL now there is an open route to SL via the new structure.

Any young players that progress can be signed by SL clubs by paying a transfer fee to the lower league side thus helping the finances of the game as a whole.

Reserves isn't a spectator sport; the Championship / Super 8s is. If fans of teams outside SL are treated like feeder club fodder the game in this country will die.

Dual Reg was a stupid idea and is being killed off just in time.

Dual registration was and still is a bad idea It benefitted no one except those clubs who would rather take the EASY option of buying players rather tan the hard wotk of FULL development, and those clubs who saw it a quick way of getting "better" players rather than the HARD work of developing their own. Basically the players were being used as mercenaries, with minimal, if any, club loyalties to their 2nd club, and probably less to the primary club who were prepared to let them go, whilst overseas crocks take the position they were being "trained" for.
Add to that, the crazy scenario of 1 week a meaningless championship game, next week full on SL game (LOL) because of injury to a "precious player" who had your place. How do you a player REALLY feel about that, especially if several weeks later, "precious player" is fit and you are farmed out again. Brilliant for team work and morale I would suggest. As for the recieving team, it dissillusions the existing players when they know that one week they play and next week on the scrap heap because a "precious player" is now fit at an SL club so the dual reg player is back and taking their place. Motivation shot to hell, teamwork shot to hell, systems shot to hell and the fans confused as well.
Add to the fact thatsome clubs have several dual registration agreements and the dual reg player could possibly end up playing for several teams in a season.

I know damn well that my company will not let me work for someone else in the same business week about, and I suspect that applies pretty well everywhere.
Dual registration was a crazy idea, given life and the results are there for all to see. I can't see one positive benefit that has helped the game, as a whole, come from it.

Ah well, onwards rolls the RL juggernaut , to where, who knows , but it knows where it has been. That is is the only point on the map that is certain, the trouble is the rest of the map would appear to be lacking other information.

I never said reserves was a spectator sport nor that teams outside SL be treated like feeder clubs. Nor are they now. Nobody is forcing ANY Championship club to use the DR system. Leigh and Bradford seem to manage fine without it. That's their choice. As it would be under the system I proposed.

What you don't seem to get is that an U23's weakens the Championship. Many youngsters, if not signed up to SL first teams go to Championship clubs. Now they won't do for another 3 or 4 years. If the U23's is of a lower quality than the Championship then that hasn't helped the development of players.

If it's really the good of the game we're looking at then Championship clubs will be more than happy to help player development won't they?

As I said, Dual Reg wasn't a stupid idea, it just wasn't implement well and if both Championship and SL clubs hadn't had such self-serving attitudes it could very easily work.

LeagueFan - What in gods name are you on about?

I'm willing to accept different views but that's just complete and utter rubbish.

Any fringe player accepts he's only going to get a game when a regular is injured. That's a fact of sport. Always has been. To suggest that's because of Dual Reg is just utter batsh|ttery.

The "crazy scenario" of Championship game 1 week but SL game next? Isn't crazy. It's what fringe players do. Or they don't play. In the same way academy players play a much lower intensity academy game 1 week then an SL game the next.

Dual Reg is no good for anybody but selfish super league coaches.

Super League clubs have a first team squad of say 27 or 28 players. So, barring an injury crisis, the SL coach will always have first team squad players he'd like to 'get a game' at a dual reg club. Won't be decided until a day or two before the game mind, so Championship club recipients are disrupted but some of them will go for it in the hope of a star player winning the game for them.

Take Kevin Penny. Gets a game with Warrington only if either Monaghan or Ormsby or Evans are not fit.

Gets farmed out to North Wales or Swinton or whatever. Scores a couple of tries. Gets hell's abuse from opposition fans- "p off back to your own club Penny" even though everybody knows it's not his fault. Stops development of the host club's wings, creates unfairness in a division where promotion is on the line. Generally cheeses everybody off.

Penny would be much better playing in a Warrington team in the reserves/under 23 league, playing to Warrington's systems, watched by Warrington's coaches (and maybe Warrington fans if games played as curtain raisers as in NRL) and busting a gut in that situation to win a first team place.

Which other clubs are likely to field u23s next year?

Quote: Sir Kevin Sinfield "Which other clubs are likely to field u23s next year?'" Don't know but there'll be 15 rounds according to this: m.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-FC-co ... story.html

Quote: Sir Kevin Sinfield "Which other clubs are likely to field u23s next year?'" Don't know but there'll be 15 rounds according to this: m.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-FC-co ... story.html