batleyrhino wrote:
One area where I think Saints are better is the transition from very talented junior to established first teamer. We need to improve in this area to reduce our reliance on squad fillers like Thompson or Donno for example.
Personally i wouldnt say that was neccessarily true Batley. I think its probably been easier for Saints to bring kids in cos they have gone into a dominant winning team which always helps.
But i dont think theyve brought through anymore than we have really in terms of numbers. Both clubs have exceptional junior departments. Theyve brought thru players like Welsby, Lees, Dodd thru recently but weve brought thru quality like Newman, Mik and Gannon.
Saints had a more experienced team yesterday, we had 6 x 17 year olds and thats a lot for a reserve team. We are choosing to loan out players to Championship clubs rather than play in our reserves. Time will tell if thats the right move. Its understandable that you want players like Levi and O'Connor to play at the highest level possible to develop them further but the flip side of that is you have a young half that you are trying to develop but hes got a pack thats not physically up to the task. Its a difficult process.
I think our junior department is outstanding and we will continue to reap the rewards down the track though.
