: Sat Mar 28, 2009 10:45 am  

The most worrying aspect of the changes is the fact that the RFL are considering allowing players to be dual registered with both a SL club and a Championship club.

This, in my view, is the first step towards establishing the Championship clubs as formal feeder clubs to SL.

A bad move in my opinion.

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:44 am  

Where would returning over aged players regain their match fitness etc.

If as most teams do have a squad that has more than 17 over aged players how would those not selected keep up there match skills and fitness without a reserve grade option

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:14 pm  

Starbug wrote:

Not neccessarily , only if the supplying SL club is willing to pay the wages of thier juniors for season long loans

Anything less does not benifit the Championship club in it's own development

So you dont think having youngsters like Tomkins & Eastmond playing for leigh or Widnes would benefit the clubs.

I suspect gates would increase to catch a glimpse of highly promising young players. The standard of play in the championship would also increase.

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:18 pm  

Derwent wrote:

The most worrying aspect of the changes is the fact that the RFL are considering allowing players to be dual registered with both a SL club and a Championship club.

This, in my view, is the first step towards establishing the Championship clubs as formal feeder clubs to SL.

A bad move in my opinion.

Ultimately i think Championship clubs will on the whole turn into feeder teams.

Its not really something new, as historically many clubs would produce youngsters who performed well and then moved onto the big teams.

Certainly the curent position were many championship/league 1 teams are merely existing, and contributing little to the overall well being of RL, cannot continue.
A look at the upper echelons of the main BARLA competitions shows clubs there that offer more to the sport than do the so called profesional teams.

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:35 pm  

The Chair Maker wrote:

Ultimately i think Championship clubs will on the whole turn into feeder teams.

Its not really something new, as historically many clubs would produce youngsters who performed well and then moved onto the big teams.

Certainly the curent position were many championship/league 1 teams are merely existing, and contributing little to the overall well being of RL, cannot continue.
A look at the upper echelons of the main BARLA competitions shows clubs there that offer more to the sport than do the so called profesional teams.

During all of the franchising debates the pro-lobby were saying that the NL's should be vibrant competitions in their own right etc etc

Now all of sudden it seems it's ok for the Championship to merely be a SL reserves competition.

Funny that isn't it.

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:45 pm  

Might be reactionary,but for me colts and a-teams worked,as a good colt could be nurtured in the a-team.

: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:20 pm  

I'd keep the reserves and have an u19's comp for the academy players if need be instead of whatever it is now. Maybe even under 20's straight from school although that 4 year gap is huge. I don't see the issue with the current reserves system to be honest other than hearing problems about intensity.
I think promising players should be loaned to Ch clubs as often as possible.
At Warrington we have Penny who's completely wasted in the reserves but can't get a first team game, might as well go somewhere like Widnes/Leigh and have a year there.

: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:01 am  

The Chair Maker wrote:

So you dont think having youngsters like Tomkins & Eastmond playing for leigh or Widnes would benefit the clubs.

No, it might offer a short term benefit to the team but in the long term I don't see it helping the club.

: Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:15 pm  

queenslander wrote:

The under 20`s comp in australia is working very well, television audiences are very good and the quality and speed of the game is pleasing viewers. Recently in an australian paper they had pay tv figures and the under 20`s games were being watched by lets say 800 k people and the super 14 rugby had audiences of of 850k . The nrl must be very happy with this.

Lets hope in england that they televise it and its a winner as it is in australia, the future of the game is the youth so in my mind its a must.

Those viewing figures need to be divided by 10 for both super 14 and Toyota cup

Cant see it being televised if only 2 superleague games a week are actually shown now.

Needs the support structure HKB suggested to work.

: Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:33 pm  

Derwent wrote:

During all of the franchising debates the pro-lobby were saying that the NL's should be vibrant competitions in their own right etc etc

Now all of sudden it seems it's ok for the Championship to merely be a SL reserves competition.

Funny that isn't it.

That is what the NL should be - so we have an elite league where all the other leagues acting as feeders to the elite level. The attendances in the vast majority of the NL are a joke so things can only get better if the teams are made up of SL players who cannot make the team and elite junior players learning their trade from the senior players