People use Jamie Peacock as an example of late bloomers but he went to Fev on loan and had a spell in nswrl before breaking into first team at Bradford.

If reserves are such a bad idea according to Hetherington why do all other SL clubs seem to see the benefit of them? (source League Express article by Aaron Bower). They may be being disingenuous but they all seem to be saying they'd run a reserves if all clubs agreed to do it. Everyone involved in player development I speak to seems to think it's a really good idea too. Are they just trying to conjure up jobs for the boys? I'm not so sure.

Neither am I though I think that different advantages probably apply for different teams. For instance I can see there would be advantages to certain turd-polishing sides who don't bring through too many of their own to have a larger pool of bog standard players on low wages available for them to choose from. But for clubs with good track records of developing players to be strongly in favour then there must be some merit. You'd think. But if the eleven are so much in favour, then how come only two are prepared to put their hands in their pockets? This doesn't need Leeds' involvement for the others to make it work for them.

if its only leeds not in favour then why are only two clubs proposing running a reserve side. seems to me 9 clubs either dont want one at all or just meeh to the idea.

a per usual some people using this to suite there anti Leeds anti Hetherington agenda, making out its Leeds stopping it happening when 8 other clubs are not wanting to run a team either, as you say if it is only Leeds not running a reserves then the other 11 super league clubs can still do it, the fact they are not doing it says they don't want to.

Because they’re just looking at the benefit to them personally. Like I pointed out previously there’s several notable players in SL that Leeds probably could’ve kept if they had reserves but they’re prepared to accept them ending up at rivals.



They have been saying it for about 4 years now yet we’ve gone from 4 SL teams with reserves down to just 2. So how badly do they want them? Leeds are the only one saying they won’t be by the sounds of it, are we really led to believe you can’t have a reserve league with the other 11 and/or a couple of the Championship clubs.

Whilst people may not agree with Leeds’ view you at least have to credit them that they’ve made their view crystal clear and stood by it, not say one and do opposite like many others or flip flop in and out of running a reserve team.

[url=https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby-league/wigan-warriors/wigan-warriors-star-dom-manfredi-s-plea-to-make-reserves-mandatory-1-9466773Dom Manfredi's speaking sense[/url

It's not really "speaking sense" though to insist on them being mandatory, because there is really no need for them to be. As has been discussed at length, you can very easily create a reserve team competition with the clubs that have already expressed an interest in one. Indeed, if Leeds and (I assume Catalans for obvious logistical reasons) are the only two clubs who aren't interested, you can easily create a 10-team SL Reserve League, or introduce Bradford, Fax or whoever else to take their place.

There is no need for anything to be mandatory if the will to make this happen is as strong as we're led to believe it is.

Well that highlighted a problem with D/R in that you couldn’t do it when you reached the 8’s. But that’s not a problem anymore so wouldn’t face that same issue.

I suspect there'd be fewer takers if a reserves league was initiated once the necessary rules to make it work properly were announced. What, for example, would be appropriate penalties for sides scratching fixtures when they couldn't raise a side? Even the union reserves, with their 50+ player squads have been bedevilled with this, along with teams picking various dogsbodies in order to fulfil fixtures. There have been some right mullerings of their under-strength sides too.

Ironically Rob Burrow'scomments on the lad who's gone to Halifax sum up the need for a reserve competition better than anyone on here.

Hanley got into the Bradford side at 18, he also got into other things that restricted his development like other peoples houses!