josh hodgson was a very good hooker in the academy for us playing for england ect and then signs fulltime and would you know it hull bulk him up and put him in the backrow no wonder he signed for rovers and now hes back in at hooker and doing really well. this is just a great example of what happens at our club

We need to send more players out on loan and not to clubs like Donny (who our under 20's would give and good game too), better teams in NL1, Saints and Huddersfield had players on dual reg playing in the NL cup final yesterday and that were players like Lyne, kent and Cunningham should be playing.

I do like others worry about Agar and the way he brings through young players, I would rather see Kent or Cunningham play at the moment than Lauaki.

He also needs to give Lyne a decent run of games he isn't going to devlop playing a one or two games he needs 5 or 6 to show what he can do.

Charnley at Wigan is another good example,Wasn't likely to get a game so he goes on loan to another SL club,comes back with a years experience at the higher level and he'll go on to serve Wigan for the forseable future. We'd have left him in the U20's and expected him to get upto full speed as and when required.

The worst thing for me is when we shift around 1/2 the team to accommodate changes when we get injuries instead of bringing in a youngster

We have a coach whose main interest, is to save his own neck.
The youths development has been sacrificed, for his own development.

Too true unfortunately.

Hence my post earlier about having one system at the club to cover all teams so that should an injury occur in the first team we bring in a youngster who plays the same position in the reserves and he knows his job right away and the rest of the sides gets continuity.

We have too many utility players which means we can always shift someone else around. It's useful to a point but it's stopping the youngsters getting a game.

Is that because he feels presurised by the crowd and media?

I would agree there Paul, but do the U20's even play the same system?

Having a club like York or Doncaster who we can send our players to were our back up FB, SO, SH and hooker can all be regulars and form partnerships would be ideal, then when McKinnon, Horne, Seymour, Heremaia or Houghton get injured they can come straight in without the need to reshuffle.

imho, that is the problem for the under 20s in the UK.

The whole profile and investment of the under 20s competition nationally, needs to be raised quite a few bars.

Players going out to the championship league from the 20's should be seen as a step backwards, for those who will not make it to SL standards.

Isn't the point of going to championship clubs to play against adults?

No

Saints have got it right on this score. Their kids come straight in and look comfortable practically from the word go. Lomax, Gaskell, Makinson et al will serve them well for the next few seasons - don't think we can say the same about any of our kids as we never see them unless we play a Championship team in the Challenge Cup and then we might see one. Remember Jack Aldous?

Who knows where he is? He played against Oldham and was earmarked as having a big future - since then we've never heard a thing about him!