Doesn’t the fact that Cas used to get loads of praise for bringing through players (Westerman, Shenton, Richard Owen, Joe Arundel and the like) while fighting relegation and generally being cack, but then improved significantly without much input from young academy products suggest that there isn’t just only one sustainable way forward? Opening with a passive-aggressive rhetorical question… might have to change my username at this rate.

A productive academy is obviously better than an unproductive academy. But I really don’t get why it being seen as such a key differentiator is so ingrained in the RL psyche. I don’t think the evidence remotely supports it (unless you go cherrypicking), so it seems like an emotional thing of people wanting it to be true or just one of those ‘conventional wisdom’ things.

At least if you fail in a conventional way there’s no criticism and if you lose games, year after year, while trying to do things ‘the right way’, your eulogies will be full of patronising praise. I wonder which period Cas fans preferred and which was better for long-term sustainability of their club.

The chase for silverware and the threat of relegation and generally trying to win aren’t distractions. They’re meant to be the whole point. Developing players is meant to be just a means to that end, not the main goal in itself.

Ahhhhhh, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Why do you feel so sure it is [ithe[/i way forward?

There’s less value in the NRL market than 10 years ago, for sure. Cherrypicked exceptions like SKD, aside.

But there are multiple ways to mitigate that. Championship players entering their prime, SL veterans with maybe 1 or 2 decent years left, a squad player at another club who in a different position and/or environment could bloom, Fijians in the Army. And, yes, bringing through academy players.

Golden generations stick in the memory but are rare and unpredictable. You can rarely rely on your academy as a major source of first team talent, in the modern era. People will point to St Helens, but I don’t think their circumstances are broadly applicable. If you look at their first GF-winning team, Cunningham is at 9 and Wellens on the bench - but it is clear they had initially to buy their place at the top table. [iMoney[/i is the one way… is that too sad a truth to say loudly?

The other problem is that the current pathway is club- not player-orientated but isn’t even very effective on those terms. Clubs’ desperate (if understandable) desire to own talent likely prevents it from developing in many cases. Let kids come up through the community game (investing [ithere[/i), to league 1, then the Championship and then SL… wherever they find their level. The big SL clubs harvesting 15 year olds then sieving them out over the next 4 years to choose a couple to send for a few games at Rochdale or Dewsbury as prep for a debut in an injury-ravaged SL team… I wonder why that doesn’t work very often! I wonder more why people think it should.

Beat Bradford 38-12 tonight

But your not used to having a harvest of locally grown players, you ripped off half of your team from Bradford.
The way forward is to produce your own players, something that Adam under Hodgson’s guidance will bear fruition. Hudgell tried to grab onto Pearsons’s coat tails with the much vaunted combined junior team but because he didn’t put his money where his mouth is, it failed. Sometimes I read your long winded posts and think there is substance then the trance ends and I realise your just wind and pish. Just stay on your own forum, I’m sure they’ll be more interested.
No need, anyone is welcome here if they post within the AUP which just recently, you aren't. Karen.

So, in brief, it is a faith-based position. Those are fine in certain contexts, but imo this isn’t one of them… or maybe from a fan perspective it is, and I should nourish my feeling side and stand down my thinking side. It’s just that feeling can really hurt and thinking can help avoid the pain.

Or it’s a circular argument… it is the way forward so it will bear fruit and because it will bear fruit it is the way forward. Just one of those things that ‘stands to reason’.

Rovers rode the being patient, building-slowly-from-the-bottom wagon very quickly off a cliff into the Championship. More than any club in SL we paid the price of believing the righteous, one-size-fits-all, long-termist fairytales peddled by the rich Goliath clubs and their supporters, so please don’t give me the money and mouth line. If something hasn’t worked well for us, it is reasonable to wonder if something else might be better, rather than going all in on the same thing again.

I am full of wind and pish, that is true - but I’ve got a decent eye for it too.

I’m also being boring, so I’ll let it lie for a bit. Byeeee.

TLDR

The Academy team lost 28pts to 10 pts, at an away fixture at Warrington this afternoon.

Shame that, season started well.

Reserves just beaten Leeds 26-22

First time I’ve seen the Reserves this season.
Was refreshing to see a Hull team turn up for each other and play some good rugby.

Let there be light, and behold there was light.

What a weird derby game, ended 22-22 and neither team looked for a drop goal in the last 7/8mins when both teams had great opportunities. Was the worst I’ve seen the Academy play all season, scored 2 quick tries and then must have completed 1 or 2 sets for the rest of the half. Kye Armstrong, Logan Moy & Junior Mafi probably our 3 best players.

What happens now?

I believe we play St Helens in the playoffs as we have finished 4th.