I think it also probably comes down to the young home grown players been surrounded by top players in a top team.

More so with backs, (Not saying all) but i think generally there weaknesses dont get highlighted as much as they are not as often put in vunreble situations by the player inside them, and are also put into space by there inside player.

Ive always said if we put half of the Wigan youngsters in our current side they wouldn`t be held in as high regard

Like others have suggested it's a combination of factors. The best are often hoovered up by the bigger clubs however the juniors here haven't really been given the chance so when they're still hovering around the reserves/u20's/u23's as it was they've lost out on valuable development time. This means they are behind their peers at larger clubs who have been playing 1 or 2 years of SL so naturally they will fall down the pyramid rather than move up.

If they don't get a sustained chance they'll never improve.

P&R will set the development of youngster at the lower end of SL back as clubs look outside in the hope of surviving. The RFL have compounded that by apparently increasing the non-fed limit and reducing the club trained requirements.

Having said that, after 6 years of relative safety there is an appalling lack of regular first teamers in the Trinity squad who have come through the ranks.

I guess ideally academies ought to be taken away from the clubs and regional academies set up run by funding from the SL TV contract. A kind of draft system could then be introduced so that the worst team has the pick of the best youngster. This would resolve the issue of the biggest clubs cherry picking the best talent. However it won't make the worst team play them.

You are correct, it's certainly easier to bring youngsters through in a winning team, than it is for them to have to play long minutes is a losing team.
The point with the "Wigan" juniors though, is that more of them do go on to make it as full time SL quality players.

What story does it tell wrencat, I'll tell you what ,we've had em and done nowt with em,but I've banged on about this subject since I've been on this forum but I'm afraid what's been put on this thread tells me no one was interested .If your academy wins the national title at under 18s losing just two games all season against all the super leagues youngsters surely that tells you the quality was there but nothing at that vital age was done with them.Let's wait until this season ends and let's see if this crop of youngsters are worth developing, if they are let's hope they get treated better than the last group, I certainly agree with wildcat26 view about the Wigan youngsters and also khlavs opinion about lost development time wrencat its obvious why the Wigan juniors go on to make SL players the get top class coaching and plenty of encouragement I wonder when we ask are the players good enough, if its a case of the coaches who are in charge of them who are lacking in the quality to bring the potential through

If only there was someone qualified to bring that potential through!! Know anyone?

don't think he does irony.

Pick bones out of my post vasty , junior and youth rugby your not in the same class

At least Vastman occasionally shows some, unlike a few others.

You better explain class to me ,cos in my opinion class in sports terms means far superior

Lets keep on topic please, any off topic chats will be removed.

The bit I'm not clear on though is what does the coach need to do.
It can't be resolved in my opinion by just playing them in the first team.
They need to learn something.

So what is it?

this principle works on paper but which starlet would want to get drafted to the weakest side, the difference is like chalk and cheese

Surely the coach doesn't just pick a youngster , his job is to encourage him make him feel the job in front of him his just up his street make him feel what's needed from him and make him feel that as a coach you think that he's the man to do the job for him, I'm not sure our coach can do that

this theory of selection is only to better the weakest side and like you said there is no trusted bond between player and coach, be nice to get a draft pick but it isn't feasible

IMO what is needed is investment in the youth to encourage them to continue within the club, bring back age limit to under 21 and make the reserve side that can play in the lower divisions with no promotion

Doesn't his job also involve actually teaching something, or has that already been done?

Surely there's more to this SL coaching lark that we're all so expert at, than patting a young kid on the back as he runs on and saying "just go enjoy yourself son?"