It is troubling that a club like Leeds can't produce players of a high quality on a more regular basis. We wouldn't be talking about lack of recruitment (which is an issue when there is nobody to recruit) if we could produce our own players. And let's be honest, if Leeds can't produce quality players then who can and where are they going to come from - because it isn't Australia.
It is troubling that a club like Leeds can't produce players of a high quality on a more regular basis. We wouldn't be talking about lack of recruitment (which is an issue when there is nobody to recruit) if we could produce our own players. And let's be honest, if Leeds can't produce quality players then who can and where are they going to come from - because it isn't Australia.
We have produced quality players who have just seen us through the last 15 years, and by the looks of the academy guys we have some real talent coming through, I'm not sure what more you can ask for.
9 of our players in last Years GF win were produced by the club.
It is troubling that a club like Leeds can't produce players of a high quality on a more regular basis. We wouldn't be talking about lack of recruitment (which is an issue when there is nobody to recruit) if we could produce our own players. And let's be honest, if Leeds can't produce quality players then who can and where are they going to come from - because it isn't Australia.
We produce many a quality player up to a certain age, then the development stops. Or at least it has since 2011. Go back to pre that, and the production line would be coming out again.
We have produced quality players who have just seen us through the last 15 years, and by the looks of the academy guys we have some real talent coming through, I'm not sure what more you can ask for.
9 of our players in last Years GF win were produced by the club.
I believe at least 6 of them made their Leeds debut a decade or more ago.
DHM - I think we as a club used the longevity of a special group of players to hide how poor our development has been in recent years, as we could trot out 8/9/10 homegrown players most weeks due to the Golden Generation.
If you take out those guys, before Smith and Oledzki you'd have to go back to Ward/Singleton for a decent forward, and prior to Golding/Walker its probably Watkins in the backs. And not a single halfback (more understandable that talented junior halfbacks may have looked elsewhere to be fair dur to who was blocking their way).
As you say, if a club the size of Leeds isn't producing at least one or two first team ready players a year then there's no hope for the sport as a whole. that doesn't mean world beaters, just players up to SL standards. In fact every SL club ought to be doing the same.