With respect, Rovers claimed to have good prospects in Kirk Netherton, Gomersall, I'Anson, Spaven, Esders, Menzies, Haynes, Mariano etc, and as it stands, unless someone decent emerges to contend on a regular basis for one of your 7 non-overseas spots, you could be going into your 6th SL season in 2012 with only Kris Welham brought through as genuinely homegrown. Whatever the extremes of the argument here on both sides, surely you'd admit that would be disappointing.

Netherton has done okay - going on to play with Cas and Widnes. Spaven and I'anson are both at Widnes next year iirc. Esders and Mariano did/will go on to be play a role on the fringes a couple of the weaker SL squads. Apart from Netherton and maybe I'anson they were never considered even a silver generation - we knew we were really starting from scratch with 15 year olds, who are now just getting into their late teens.

To Welham, you can now add Albert Goldthorpe rookie of the year, 20-year old Liam Watts, who has just completed his third season at Rovers and so counts as home grown by the strictest RFL definition. In the same period Hull's long-established system has brought through Danny Houghton, Tom Briscoe (fair play) and blooded Reece Lynn. Tommy Lee and Craig Hall have thus far failed to live up their billing and were released.
We've now got some of the youngsters who were picked up in competition with SL clubs, rather than the 'left-overs' we got previously, coming to RL maturity. There was a lag phase, I expected that, so I'm not disappointed. I think your extrapolation into the future is based on a false premise - but if I'm wrong I will be disappointed.

meh leave them to it.
All SL winning sides over the years have a mix of quality youth, a few decent overseas players and good British players filling out the squads. In fact, you cant win SL without it becuase you cant balance the cap well enough.
Plenty of overseas players will get you a 'decent' side, of course, theyre ready made but unless you have 4 or 5 real quality homegrown players, it just isnt going to do it for you.

Absolutely. Rovers have to start producing/recruiting better young players for themselves, purely from self-interest. If some of them go on play for England then that is nice. But we're not a feeder organisation.

Our choice of senior squad members should perhaps be taken as a reflection on what went on in our absence from SL. SL clubs didn't produce enough spare SL-quality players for us to use in the short-term, so we looked to the NRL where suply seems to outstrip demand.
I'm not necessarily saying SL clubs did a bad job in absolute terms - they're just unfortunate that the only comparator is so strong.

Wigan have been in SL a lot longer and last year needed 9 overseas players to win the league. I still don;t get what people are moaning about? Aside from maybe 2 or 3 the rest of our overseas players are decent quality and add quality to the inexperienced HKR as a SL club and are making us competitive. I thought we wanted high intensity games every week?

theres no way Wigan used 9.
Leuleui has been here since 18 I think which is unfortunate but those are the rules, Hansen is NOT an overseas player, period. Just because he chooses to represent Samoa, the same way that Benji Marshall chooses to represent NZ or any others that choose to represent other nations, doesnt make him an overseas player.

I thought we were talking about players that were born overseas and had not nominated to play for England? in which case Wigan had 9 last year.

Hansen was born in NZ, has been called up for a NZ squad and has played in 2008 and 2009 for Samoa. If we are simply going on players that are inelligible for England/home nations then Rovers don't look so bad!

When you read the posts do you actually take it all in? I said 3 excellent players in 14 clubs, Green will be of less quality than those 3 but better then what is available elsewhere in the british game.



So I'Anson got his chance at Leeds then yes?



It is 'hopefully' with anyone who comes across here regardless of talent, Crossman came to us with a good rep but didn't deliver, Trent Barrett while good in patches did not perform as well as he could and nor did Eastwood from what I've heard.



We don't sign players for the sake of it, if our coach thinks there decent then we'll sign them not just to make up the numbers.




50 or 60??? Now who looks ridiculous? Can you name them for me so I can get Morgan to sign some up so you're happy! How many halfbacks? 3? Yer thats why we're so competitive in the international game, and havn't been for years, now that's balls!



We don't want to drop any places we want to be up there and while the rules allow we'll do what we need to do to maintain our place in the top 8 thanks. We need play off rugby to bring fans and sponsors in. We'll get there in the end don't worry about it.
Webster is a nz international, with respect to Ratu he has not reached that level yet.



We havn't put youth development to one side, we competed against the best sides at academy level this year beating wigan and saints both twice so its improving every year so we are putting in a lot of work, we'll see that when the quota drops. 2 of our under 18's played for Yorkshire a few weeks ago, I find myself repeating things again.
Over seas ringers? I thought you said our aussies etc were not good enough??? Make your mind up!
Why the hell would we challenge the rfl? We are happy seeing a competitive team on the pitch and want our youth to come through in time, there's nothing like seeing one of your own making it into the big time but its just not that easy, if it was we'd all have nothing but brits.

Going on to play for England isnt the main point of the argument. Improving our league and helping it become sustainable is the reason youth development is so important.

Our League doesnt improve in any possible relative measure by relying on players like Blake Green. It simply highlights how we we are relatively getting worse.



firstly, SL did do a bad job in bringing through SL quality players in the first years of SL.

However there are enough players for Hull KA to put out a competitive squad without 10 overseas players. We know this for a fact, they did it last year.

So why keep having a go at the club then ffs?

ok, lets try this again,
1 there are many more than 3 british half backs in SL
2 there are many more than 3 british half backs in SL who are better than Blake Green
3 there are young british half backs on the fringes of SL who have more potential than a 24 year old NRL reject like Blake Green.

this sort of weird argument change reminds of a guy named Bill eerrmm, maybe because you are going into next season with 10 overseas players?

and thats a pretty pathetic total for a club in the supposed heartlands of the game.

Also Rufus, what would be the point in your 'principle' of losing Crusaders and Quins and replacing them with heartland teams like Widnes and Halifax when we dont even have enough players to play for Hull Kingston Australia? where are the new players for these clubs going to spring from?

That doesn't make sense - it's like saying there's not enough English players to play for Manchester United, obviously there is, but there's a difference between enough players and enough quality players.

Couldn't care less personally if people slate Rovers - ATEOTD we're a more successful and prosperous club then Quins or Crusaders, more young players will come through with time, and nobody with a brain could knock our achievements since our promotion four years ago. If we'd played 2007 with a team of purely English players we'd have got relegated. The club therefore has done the right thing having a large amount of overseas players for the class and experience that many bring, to support the development of our young players, e.g. would English lads like Fox and Welham have come on like they have without the skill of Aussies like Galea and Dobson? I doubt it.

So if the latest already much-hyped batch do the same, does that constitute success or failure?
How convenient - jam tomorrow, then, going into your 5th season. Reece Lyne was 13 at that point BTW, since you seem to want to bring FC into it.
I thought Watts came through Castleford's academy 4.50048828125:5