A decent reserves is essential in helping players return from injury too. The game at Wakey was the first game time several of the lads had been given and it showed massively as they were far from match fit.

It’s true. However, another reason why a reserves team needs a reserves squad (or perhaps two thirds of one) is that it is another set of games players can pick up injuries in.

Also at Wakefield, how much was it a case of throwing players back in as soon as they were healthy in a gamble to ‘save’ the season? When you’re thin at first team level, all those players who could do with a run out for fitness and most who are thought of as fringe players are in the first XVII. Then, if you’ve only got a squad of about 35, you’ve a really tough job fulfilling your fixtures - and do you really want to risk losing anymore squad players?

Tbf, adding 10 part-time players to your squad maybe wouldn’t be that expensive. I think the harder part might be convincing them it is better than joining Batley or York or Sheffield.

I remember the cloak and dagger days when we used to trial RU players using exotic names such as A Newman, S.O. Else, A.N.Other etc. Although we don't need to be as secretive now the idea of running a reserve team is one that really needs to happen.

A Director of Rugby from a Super League club expected to field a reserves side in 2019, tonight confirmed that they won't be now running one now until 2020.

I'm thinking that a handful of clubs or merged outfits will play friendlies in 2019 and a competitive reserves league will commence in 2020.

That was definitely the case at Wakey, and Radders even admitted that, but if we'd had a reserves side, those lads could've been getting their fitness up in the preceding weeks instead of being chucked in at the deep end.

To be fair, Sneyd, Griffin and Westerman wouldn’t have had time to play any games. Radford said after the game, it was shoite or bust and we busted trying to keep top four alive.

The main advantage of reserve grade is it allows young players to gain experience by playing alongside seasoned players. In the past every A team had a couple of old heads to give the youngsters the benefit of their experience. As some posters have stated it would also allow injured players to regain match fitness

I don’t think the potential benefits of running reserve teams are greatly in question. Cost-benefit, is a bit more challenging.

I guess what i’m curious about is how people think SL clubs should structure their squads to make it feasible (i.e. fixtures are not cancelled problematically often) and worthwhile (i.e. the standard is sufficiently high to assess and prepare players for SL). I don’t think recent attempts have really worked in those regards, and it needs some better planning.



A bit of lead-in time is likely required if they want something more than ad hoc friendlies, so that seems sensible. Without a structure for SL in 2019 yet announced/agreed, it’s even tougher to organise anything more formal.

On the subject of Liam Harris, I didn't think he was ready for Super League when playing for Donny earlier this season. He was very good in the games we dominated but didn't quite look the same player when openings and opportunities had to be worked for. I could see his game developing though through the good coaching of Richard Horne.

It's hard to judge him on what he's done playing for you as he been playing behind a beaten pack. His defensive weaknesses have been exposed in the Hull games I've seen but I think it's far too early for you to give up on him. He plays with a good attitude and I'm sure he'll be learning from these experiences. As others have mentioned, it won't be a good thing if his confidence gets knocked too much though.

He perhaps needs a season playing in the Championship where he'd be challenged more than he was at Doncaster but not quite put under the pressure he's been put under at Hull.

With regards to Hull running a second team, I'm not sure how that will affect the DR arrangement with us. I've always been a supporter of all Super League teams having a reserve grade but I wonder whether there are enough players around to sustain a proper competitive reserve grade competition?

Super League reserve teams will be made up of first teamers who aren't being picked or need game time after coming back from injury, along with some youngsters who may have been lost to the game when becoming too old for academy sides. I see this as the positive benefits to the game from having a reserve grade.

The additional question is whether Super League reserve teams will also be made up of players who would normally be plying their trade in the Championship or League one? Or will those players prefer to continue playing competitive games at their present clubs?

I suspect the answer to that may come down to money. If playing reserve rugby for a Super League team pays more than playing for a Championship or Championship One side, players may gravitate to the Super League reserves.

If that is the case, the knock on effect is then perhaps that Championship and Championship One clubs will try to raid the amateur game to make up their squad numbers. Would that make life tougher for the community clubs to survive?