Hoping against hope that we just have to reapply for whatever arbitrary reason but if we have been rejected with no chance of appeal, then it's a massive blow to the club. All the hard work and self- sacrifice just to be wiped out? The club has done so well to put that pathway in from the initiative with Calderdale College - Reserves - First Team. If the reserves go, then what for the 16 year olds at Calderdale College who show promise but are a few ways away from being ready for first team? Maybe one or two might come through but not a steady pipeline if you have the reserves. I cannot help think that the RFL is trying to embody the NRL model of having feeder teams where first grade clubs just send their players down for game time i.e North Sydney, Newtown. Essentially, that's what DR is anyway. It really despairs me when the club has been tactical to try and bring sustainability with producing their own players and not to rely DR when you have clubs like Hull who are seemingly signing NRL cast off after NRL cast off for next year. What of their young prospects? It's a cycle of neglect of young players, who will be forced into this DR system, who will continue to lose out on first- team chances. If we are being brutally honest, any NRL player that is playing in Superleague is not good enough for the NRL or is here to rehabilitate and jockey for a contract back in the NRL a year later.
It's a real slap in the face for Fax and even Keighley when clubs like Fev (have used 20 loan or DR players this year) & Leigh (have used 12 loan or DR players) couldn't even field a team towards the end of last year because of being unable to balance their budgets, are being prevented from solidifying a pillar of club infrastructure for on the field (players) and off the field (creating player values / assets).
Maybe this rant is all for nothing! Either way, if we are prevented from running a reserves as are other lower- league clubs and debilitating procedures like DR are allowed to continue then I can only see a slow decay for many clubs as many players who are not taken on by superleague systems or wish to balance playing with working or studying will be lost to the game as a result of lack of viable, alternative playing systems in which to enter into.
