Re: 2017 | Gary Hetherington Thread : Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:03 pm  

TheSnowmonkey wrote:

At one point I think it was Wigan , Saints, Wire, Hull n maybe one other who said they were interested in a reserve team league...not sure how many have pulled out...I agree as Printer The said earlier if you only have a few teams participating then the exercise is pointless.
For me the concept of a return of the reserve or A team would not only be beneficial to an individual club but for the future prospects of England team, that is why the RFL needs to get their act together n make a reserve structure compulsory, as I said I know GH would not vote on this but hopefully the other clubs would.
I disagree with scrapping the U16s 2014, 2015 Leeds Rhinos dominated U16 competition losing out only to France U16s think in 2015...2016 seemed as if there were less matches but then was focusing more on senior squad...This season seems U16s are once again returning to been a formidable squad playing an exciting brand of rugby. ( Not sure if Rob Burrow still has any influence in there but he was brilliant coach..you could see his influence on certain players...looking back Judah Mazive who since going to Trinity has lost his flair does not seem to pick up games...the other Harvey Whiteley.

I would then keep U19s or call it U21s. ...at least then it keeps a few players who have got over age grade within the fold.

Going onto DR or Loan, a club can only send out a certain quota of players that leaves others without games..they might be an unknown quantity or take a bit longer to flourish..or change of coach....Paul McShane or Thomas Minns ( not sure if he injured but was scoring tries regularly for HKR which is what he was doing when with us). Thinking of other players we lost who did well in U19s Jack wray gone to Hull FC could not see point in that Ryan Jones to Wire thought he had lot of potential tall powerful winger only got one opportunity in senior squad which was hardly enough to judge him on...Joe Sanderson who is now doing well at Hunslet Hawkes

I would like to keep the two academy levels + a reserve team . By the way even GH said in a YEP interview that with the increase of fixtures it would be necessary to have a large squad...but even with the additions he made this season, owing to injuries it has not given us great strength in depth..forcing Mac to play players out of position ( exception Joel Moon that one most definitely works ,pleasing to know that Mac has now said he will not break that up). So for me a reserve team would assist this...not just for those who have gone above age grade n need game time but for those returning from injury or need a kick up the backside..before they get proverbial boot. I know it was for one game n Brett would probably do as he is told...but a senior player who is part of a multiple trophy winning side sent to championship side to get match fit...got to be demoralising. ..a reserve squad your still wearing the rhinos jersey able to keep the pride work with the same ethos ..or take Achurch, yeah I know many would say ..rather not thank you...but forgetting that for large parts he was injured..then on loan..wasn't until last matches that he actually showed what he was capable of putting in performance better than some of favs...not saying it would have changed things for cert but if reserve team had existed we might have got more out of him. ..
I would also look at it this way...in order to avoid a situation where GH has to send e-mail to fans or behind closed doors throws a hair drier at squad...I would not only send players down to reserve team if their form dipped for considerable period but decrease the wage to match the squad they are in....if they truly want their senior place then they fight it..conversely if a player in reserve team is showing enough promise to gain promotion ..then not only does he go up but increase his wage...as said earlier the more intense the pressure /competition for place ..the better each player will become n the squad as a whole..well in theory...This for me as said if all SL teams did it could have a positive effect for England. I know JP strongly advocates a reserve structure so I hope he uses his new influence as player manager for England to push it forward.

JP advocates a reserve structure because in the current system he would never had made it, he is the same age approx as adrian Morley and Morley was s full blown international on one of the best forwards in the world, when Jp was still on loan at fev and had not even played first team at Bradford. clearly something needs to be done to keep those players in the system whether it is a return to fill on A team or academy step up to under 21's

Re: 2017 | Gary Hetherington Thread : Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:31 pm  

Biff Tannen wrote:

Anyone else find it worrying that we don't seem to be able to produce our own 9 from within?

Yes.

Re: 2017 | Gary Hetherington Thread : Sat Apr 29, 2017 2:25 pm  

rollin thunder wrote:

JP advocates a reserve structure because in the current system he would never had made it, he is the same age approx as adrian Morley and Morley was s full blown international on one of the best forwards in the world, when Jp was still on loan at fev and had not even played first team at Bradford. clearly something needs to be done to keep those players in the system whether it is a return to fill on A team or academy step up to under 21's

JP freely admitted that when he started he was a gangly lad , clumsy..not especially good...mind think he said did not put in the hrs was always rebelling drinking..until he turned it round with lot of hard graft...Moz (one of my all time favs ) already as you said was an international....But that was my point I made above..some players develop at different rates. Maybe JP wouldn't make it in the current system but I see that as an irrelevance, think he genuinely cares about the sport n wanting to see young players get that opportunity. ...or if was part cynic at least the HKR ones.

Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:03 am  

Just want to acknowledge what a godsend he's been for our club, he's the single most important person to everything we'v achieved over the last 20 years imo. A bit like mcdermott, he gets a fair bit of stick when things arnt going great but id dread to see where we'd be without him and caddick. I said in the leeds v cas thread that we'r a special club, under GH tenure the unlikly and improbable have become common place,storybook endings happen too often for it to be luck,its because of the culture of the club,which starts at the top.

In just over 20 year we'v gone from being up to our eyeballs in debt,looking at a pretty bleak future and fighting with psg and workington town to avoid relegation,to the point our coach had to put his boots on and scarily enough was one of our better players. To now, the most successful super league club by a distance,8 grand final wins,3 challenge cups,3 wcc's,best supported club every year,most profitable club every year and he's made leeds rhinos the biggest brand in british rugby league....He didnt even have to sell our stadium to help achieve it all.

Looking forward the club seems to be in a fantastic place.
Whilst some arnt happy with the new southstand design,headinglys getting its much needed refurbishment and its ours,we get to stay at our home.
We'r a well run,profitable buissness.
Our recruitment for next year looks really good imo,theres no replacing danny and rob but i think myler and dwyer are shrewd signings and peteru looks like a good one,pretty athletic giant with a decent offload,another garbutt,parcell type under the radar steal hopefully.
We'v got some of the very best youngsters in the country,walker and oledzki are the best teenage back and forward respectivly in the british game for me. And right down to the recently signed u16s theres some of the very best players in the country.

So thanks to everyone at the club,especially hetherington who oversees it all. Please keep it up.

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:58 am  

Absolutely, the best sports administrator in British sport.

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:17 am  

Completely agree. GH one of key reasons for our success.

[Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino]

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:43 am  

Pivotal.

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:48 pm  

Not to put a dampener on your great comments. But have we not sold the new stands to the devil and having to lease them back on a 40 year deal. ?

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:06 pm  

Homer Simpson wrote:

Not to put a dampener on your great comments. But have we not sold the new stands to the devil and having to lease them back on a 40 year deal. ?

The 'Devil' is Paul Caddick. Work that one out!

Re: Gary hetherington : Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:09 pm  

The sky coverage flashed over to him during the trophy lift and he was looking on impassively, with the dim lights casting a shadow over his face he resembled an evil genius.