you are correct, a reserve grader needs someone to take a shot on them so they can move from reserve grade to first grade,

so why not give that opportunity to a british player

Obviously not!

you are making excuses, oh no bigger boys are better than us, we are ty little wakefield we cant do as well as the bigger boys, blah blah blah, you are in SL, you should make the same contribution as everyone else, if not expect to get criticised for it





why isnt the evidence making it on to the pitch in wakefield colours every week then?

and you're right, leeds youth development isnt perfect, and there huge potential for improvement, but its about 10 times better than most in the league, so right now, its fine

I think you'll find that we are making big steps in this area but you cannot bring 15 and 16 year olds in to play Super League as you'll destroy them.

In the past we have relied very heavily on imports rather than developing players for well documented reasons. Over the last few years that policy has improved and we are now developing more players at youth level but they need to be given some time to reach maturity before being shoved into playing SL.

You can ask for proof but until they are old enough who can say whether they will work out or not.
In the same way you can't prove at the moment that the next crop of Leeds youngsters will all make SL players (until they are playing at that level how can you judge?).

I've missed most of this thread. Could someone give me a precis of what it is that the RFL and Wakey are singing about?

Its simple really. You play reserve grade and progress into 1st grade.

Many in the UK are concerned that guys who are Oz reserve graders come over here and take 1st team places. For this reason there was a 75% NRL (now 50%) 1st grade games rule. So only proven players come over.

However fortunately for Wakey a cap in 2006 in a developmental game is enough to by pass the 1st grade game rule.

No it means i answered the question but you cannot understand it.

considering you failed to understand a quite simple and direct question, lets try another tack,

ill try and explain whats going on, because to be honest you seem out of your depth, but that doesnt mean what you have to say doesnt have merit or you shouldnt say it, so ill help you through

you have made a statement which is,

[iLike Trinity most clubs will need to bolster their team/squad with overseas signings of varied experience and quality all subject to the circumstances prevailing at the time. [/i

and i am asking you to evidence this, im asking you to validate your statement, what is your evidence behind it,

so which clubs are [iLike Trinity[/i, which clubs [iprevailing circumstances at the time[/i demand that [ithey bolster their team/squad with overseas signings of varied experience and quality[/i to the level wakefield have?


its not too complicated, its fairly simple, if you still dont understand just ask, im very patient and happy to help

Who would you suggest is a big enough player who has a very good off-load game? That is available and very cheap

if wakefield have plenty of 16 year olds who are going to tear up SL in 5 years time, then great, i couldnt be happier,

it doesnt alter that it is a legacy of poor administration previously that has put you in the position you are now, and there needs to be a downside to that, we cannot keep papering over the cracks with players like winterstein,



how has it improved though? you are still relying on 11 overseas players!

once again, im not saying that you need to throw 16 year olds in to the mix,

neither am i saying i dont understand why you need to bring a prop in,

what i am saying is, that because you already have 10 players trained abroad, you shouldnt be going and getting another one, if you need a prop, look local, look at getting a youngster in on loan from an SL club, look at the NLs, look at france, look at RU, just dont bring in another overseas player

in isolation is dont have a problem with winterstein, i dont really think he is of the quality we want to bring over, but im really not upset if wakefield bring in a poor player, its the fact you are now at 11 which is the problem, there has to be at some stage a downside to bringing in more and more overseas players

Careful Smokey, your facade is slipping



It is! And in time it will do so in greater numbers.

Anyone with any knowledge of how youth development works will understand that success is gauged on an individual basis.
One young player produced is a success.

To produce greater numbers of 1st grade players means broadening the base and that means greater finance and resource.
There are a number of reasons why some clubs are better positioned to grow their Youth programmes more quickly than others.




Which is why I chose to include them in my statement.

Why? You had £100K for Bird.

What has the way a Ltd company spends it's money got to do with you.

For a club that is only kept afloat by a sugar daddy, a team with virtually no home grown players, a stadium rented from a football team, fans who mostly turn up on a freebie, to question another is a touch rich. However it's really non of my business how the body snatchers of SL spend the old mans money.

Hull seem to have plenty of props, Thackray could be a decent shot


but again, that isnt the point, If wakefield need a big offloading prop and cant find one here, fine got get Winterstein

but when you also cant find a winger so you need two players trained overseas, or a hooker, or a centre, or second row,

it stops being an issue of producing a big offloading prop and you start to wonder what we are actually producing,

and even then, Why do wakefield need 3 overseas hookers? is there really not a young british player good enough to be 3rd choice hooker? and why do you need Henderson, Martin and Demteriou when you have Atkins, and Gleeson who can play centre and Grix, snitch, wilkes, ferguson, bibb, pitts who can play 2nd row and you have let Golden go to Quins?

There's your problem fella!

You choose to add your own spin on what I said by adding to it and then you then ask me to justify a statement that I never made.