Leeds are equally guilty with 7 overseas players next year. I know some Leeds fans don't care so long as we win things, but I'd like to see no more than 4 at ANY club (with allowances for maybe 1/2 more at Quins and Crusaders).

The problem with some arguments is its based on where a club is today. Well, had Wakey - and others - started on a half-decent youth development program five years ago they wouldn't be where they are 'now'. Instead of a bunch of 17-year olds who I would agree aren't ready for SL as a bunch, they should have a host of lads in their early 20s in the squad, and need only to promote a couple of juniors each year.

Where Wakey are now - needing up to 11 overseas players just to make a possible mid-table team - should be considered an abject failure, not just for Wakey but for SL as a whole.

The same argument was being had last year re KR, and I wish fans would stop being so oversensitive when their club is mentioned. Quite happy to go on record as saying Leeds' current direction with respect to overseas players is completely wrong.

how is having 7 equal to having 11? its not really is it


however saying that, and i said this last season, i would have been happy to see Donald and Lueluai go and be replaced by british talent, and i think we could still be successful with replacing those two players with players already in our squad, which is the most disappointing part,

we also need to bare in mind though that the Rhinos dont exist in a vaccuum, and it is only fair that numbers are brought down throughout the league, rather than expecting some clubs to sacrifice success to so they can make a statement

i completely agree with everything else you have said

Totally agree,nobody has anything to shout about,Wakefield are just the worst of a bad bunch.

At least get the facts right.It was actually Super League that tried to impose the 4 point penalty,based on a 74% spend.The RFL then looked at it and decided that the spend was in fact 58% and it only merited a 2 point deduction.Huddersfield were relegated because they were gash and didnt win enough games,not because Wakefield were only deducted 2 points and not 4.

you see I have an issue with that!!!... look at the tri nations final...

two players playing for england who came through the Trinity Junior ranks... Ellis and Westwood, another one (Fox) who cut is teeth at Belle Vue after being discarded by Leeds and, had he been fit, another (big four) discard in Ryan Atkins who also came to Wakefield to make his way...

the big issue is not for Wakefield to produce players... nor indeed their ability to bring them through to first grade and then to border international selection... the difficulty is keeping them once other clubs come sniffing round.

Compared to the structure here in Australia... where pay structures are pretty good on the whole... the UK is prepared to pay far too much for average (comparitively) players... the four nations showed that these young UK players are NOT prepared to work hard enough for their money.

Smokey - 7 obviously isn't the same as 11, but it is in the sense that its too many. I'm just throwing Leeds in there because as the 3-time winners of the Championship, whatever approach Leeds take is going to set a benchmark for other clubs, and IMO where we're heading is the wrong way.

Underground - I do take your point about wakey produced players elsewhere. From Leeds though (for example) we could add Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Fox (if you can have him so can Leeds), Carvell, Morley, Newton, Fozzard etc etc at other clubs.

Genuine question - why do you think they have moved - money or improved chances to win things?

The point with Fox is that he had no future at Leeds ... and had been pretty much discarded... it wasnt until he went to wakefield that be began to blossom as a player... and by the time he went to HKR he was a genuine talent!

other players that fit that mould are Sean Gleeson (Wigan) and Ryan Atkins (Bradford)...

why do players leave Wakefield... usually for money.... and generally because the club has to sell them to stay afloat!

only Ellis has left when the money on the table at Wakefield was more than on offer at Leeds... but Gareth is a unique player amongst english RL players ... he is a man who wants to challenge himself... thats why he is now playing is the NRL.

Westwood went for a fee because we needed the money... Fox was out of contract and we couldnt/ wouldnt match HKRs contract offer

Atkins has gone to Warrington because we needed the money!!

DO NOT FEED

Is there an echo in here?


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this isnt an acheivement by Wakefield, allowing other clubs to do your development work for you isnt a good thing,

Had Fox not gone to Wakefield he would have gone elsewhere,

a better example would be Jason Golden, a player Wakefield were in an ideal position to sign, who went to school a few hundred yards from their ground, yet only ever got to Wakefield via Hunslet Leeds and York

being a dumping ground for cast-offs isnt a position we need filling,


all of which surely questions Wakefields ability to be a top flight club

in your map of the world.... maybe....

but we have a club who continually confound the nay-sayers and last season finished a very creditable 5th and a group of youngsters who won the academy league... easily!
there are genuine prospects... with solid backers ... for a new staduim.

we ahve an excellent coaching and backroom staff

I prefer to see the sitution as positive with real hope of planned and sustainable progression....go figure... I am an optimist.

with a squad full of NRL developed players, anyone could do that



The academy league is nothing, good luck to the lads who won it, but that wasnt the important thing, becoming SL quality players is

and Wakefield should have been doing that 10 years ago



how many times have Wakfield said this? you apparently had Geniune prospects and solid backers for the Thornes Park project, how'd that turn out?



do you apply that optimism to all clubs?

Of course it does dear!

I've put the case across - I won't keep repeating it, so they can take it or leave it but, for those who read the threads and aren't sure, there is something to balance the argument.

We know where we stand - and I'm not at all uncomfortable with it!