I very rarely go on this thread anymore as I agree I think the nature of its purpose is being lost.

Sent you a PM Seth

An excellent team performance by dragons u9s today beating a spirited shaw cross 9-3. to remain with 100%r record some great play by the young boys there skill play today was very good.they play a tough lock lane next week in what should be a cracker

I packed in with it ages ago

At risk of talking about a game rather than getting involved in petty politics, we hosted Gateshead Storm for a friendly yesterday; both sets of players put on an outstanding display and despite being a friendly, it was a full-blooded and tough encounter.

The Gateshead lads play and train together all year, switching to RU in the RL off-season, so they're a well-drilled outfit; after an evenly matched 1st half, we rolled on a few subs and they took advantage to surge into a lead which the Spartans lads couldn't claw back.

Great to see Andy Kelly on the side-lines - he was the RFL's development officer in the NE so has a stake in the Storm; he also has a passing interest in the Spartans! Judging by the quality of some of the players we saw, RL is alive and kicking in the NE.

Oulton Raiders Under 7's got taught a bit of a lesson by a much more experienced but very, very good Townville side. Both defenses were on top for the first half and it was 0-2 to Townville, but they pulled away in the 2nd half that they timed and it went on for around 30 mins.

The main difference between the 2 sides was the fact that just about the whole of their line moved in together as a unit and put pressure on our lads who couldn't get on the foot and played much of the game in our own half. Every break they made they scored from just about, but every break we made their cover defense managed to clean up.

I would be surprised if we play another team as good as this all year.

We have training tonight and friendly against Shaw Cross on Thursday of this week so plenty more rugby to play.

Surely this dispute should be conducted between the people involved? It would be a shame if Big Al lost patience with this thread and closed it down - some of us are actually interested in the jr game, as opposed to the petty arguments that seem to surround it.

Schools finals at belle vue today year 11

Both boys and girls

Good luck with your endevours , its all a learning curve and the score is incidental actually.

May i apologize. For any upset caused here.
brayton started this thread after asking myself a few years ago and i think its the best on rlfans as it welcomes fans and parents players etc from all club.

some get carried away and once someone gets a bee in their bonnet its hard to pack it in .im 1.

if you know me as a man and parent i want the best for kids all the kids. Im the worse person i know. However for not being able to leave something and if i get called wrongly then i regrettably get drawn in.

it doesn't really help the thread imho when another thread then forks off about how we don't post anymore. I gave in nodding so i could freely post on this thread , my idea and a resignation not accepted straight away contrary to storytelling.

i really am sorry for arguments or biting back but if you look back please. At my posts my main. Issue. Is getting drawn in

im not alone.

Back to the rugby

congratulations to

CAS HIGH GIRLS AND OUTWOOD BOYS UNDER 16

Been on the fields today where kettlethorpe used to play. Its a worrisome site.
Hard surface, glass like toppings and of course where the field has dug up it ad now hardened into hazardous obstacles.

Never been a fan of the juniors playing in the summer , i have many political reasons but they are far outweighed by by H&S.
Clubs can't possibly keep the playing areas some a drive away from the club house up to the requirements needed.

watching the lads tackle in the 11s can at times be brutal and the 13s is just part n parcel. I shudder to think what the 17s go through.

i also firmly believe that the amount of breaks being taken in the league program is way more than the old winter 3 month break.

I hope the YJL admit a mistake and go back to winter as i believe truly the vast majority of clubs would vote , WINTER.

I have some sympathy Mutley but I wouldn't be voting for a return to winter not unless there were sufficient training grounds with adequate lighting and playing surfaces that you didn't need wellies and goggles to train on.

I agree with you about the number of breaks in the season and the integrity of the league competitions being poor because of absentees from teams for one game and then being available for the next. There's also a concern over the hardness of the pitches which at the moment are like concrete dust bowls.

However I can't get past the superior training and development that better weather and light nights affords us. There's simply no comparison between the quality of what can be done when compared with struggling on dark winter nights in freezing cold and wet weather.

Ateotd it's about development and not results and while I accept that development also takes place from playing regularly its at training where the largest percentage of development takes place and training in the summer massively outweighs training in winter.