Bradford and the Courier : Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:55 pm  

How come the Courier do two pieces in last weeks paper on Bradford Bulls and their blatant efforts to get into the Halifax Junior set up, the articles on recruiting the two lads from Siddal and the King Cross Park invite to a mini tournament???

It annoys the hell out of me as firstly its blatant poaching of local talent (okay we are not a SL team but there are rules I believe) plus they should build better links with their own junior teams in Bradford Met not try 'nick' ours in Calderdale.
The Courier give us decent coverage but why promote a rival like this???
Don't recall so much on signings we make or am I wrong?

Kids and parents notice these things - cheers Courier.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:01 pm  

Business is business. I agree with you, but that's how things work.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:17 pm  

Tortured Soul wrote:

Business is business. I agree with you, but that's how things work.

True TS not saying they are not news worthy articles in some ways as these kids are local but when the Courier are one of OUR sponsors and also know its people like us (and Town fans) that only buy or read the Courier for news on our clubs its like shooting yourself in the foot.

Plus as I put what does it say to a young kid who wants to play RL at the top level? Bradford 'care' about junior kids more than Halifax do???
When Fax gave loads of free tickets to all junior clubs for the Widnes game too, maybe the club should try get more publicity when they do these kind of things?

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:26 pm  

True TS not saying they are not news worthy articles in some ways as these kids are local but when the Courier are one of OUR sponsors and also know its people like us (and Town fans) that only buy or read the Courier for news on our clubs its like shooting yourself in the foot.

So let me get this straight. You want the Courier to present a version of reality based on what suits the Halifax club? And if Bradford left junior development in Calderdale to Halifax, Stuart Fielden would never have got his shot.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:41 pm  

af wrote:

So let me get this straight. You want the Courier to present a version of reality based on what suits the Halifax club? And if Bradford left junior development in Calderdale to Halifax, Stuart Fielden would never have got his shot.

Ouch.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:47 pm  

Don't talk b0110x. There will always be players that slip through. How can letting SF go be representative of junior development in Calderdale. Man Utd let David Platt go, Forest regarded SWP too small three years before he was sold for 20 odd million etc etc.

Junior development in Calderdale is very strong. You could pick a strong SL VIII who have come through Fax academy.

Anyway, Is SF still playing? I thought he retired just about when Willie Mason put him on his @r5e? Good job for him he's best mates with Nobby otherwise he'd have been lumping stone up and down ladders for the last few years. Cracking player in his day and would have loved to have had him at Fax, but big Willie finished his career a few years ago now.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:56 pm  

original_faxfan wrote:

Don't talk b0110x. There will always be players that slip through. How can letting SF go be representative of junior development in Calderdale. Man Utd let David Platt go, Forest regarded SWP too small three years before he was sold for 20 odd million etc etc.

Oh, I quite agree. So better for the game to have more than one club looking for players there then.

: Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:34 pm  

FWIW I do agree that local papers should back their town's clubs. But that includes Siddal, and this is a good news story for them, isn't it? Should they be denied publicity for having brought on two young lads to this level.

: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:41 am  

Most Halifax lads tend to gravitate back from Odsal
Fielden is an exception.

That's if they make it at all - look at the likes of Ross Greenwood and Jake McCarthy.

And lads like Chris Muxlow at other clubs.

: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:53 am  

Now if Bulls and Halifax were really smart, they would accept that their territories overlap to a large extent, so it would benefit both to work together to expand the number of kids playing (and watching RL), and to allow players to join the club they prefer (I don't think this will always be the SL club and in any case most of you lot seem to think that'll be you not us in three years).

Doable? Maybe not. Desirable? Definitely.