Fev 1979 wrote:
I do understand what your saying but when I see my club doing well on and off the field and our neighbours doing little apart from a nice drawing about the latest new stadium been in the wakefield express it starts to grate on you.
We are developing a youth system and trying to do things right, I know we will never be a wigan or saints but after 19 years since we lost our place I'm dammed if I'm gonna say we don't deserve our chance..
What is more important:
Being able to build a club that compete with the very best in the country
OR
Being better than Wakefield?
I can only imagine the frustration of being out of the league and others appearing to do so badly (that said, I've gained a lot of respect for Wakefield over the course of the off season with how they have dealt with things ... Not that it should ever reach that point) but doing things well on and off the field in the championship is different to on and off the field in superleague, which in turn is different to doing well on and off the field as the top 5/6 - only conjecture says had the roles been reversed with Wakefield out of super league and fev in, that they would of done any better. And it's the same for the future.
I'm not saying individual teams in the championship don't deserve a chance to compete. But there are ways of doing so without sacrificing those clubs that want to grow sustainably. And particularly without sacrificing clubs that want to develop youth.
Right now, Adam Lawton (Widnes) and Daryl Clark (castleford) are both potential England players. To be able to reach their potential they need to be playing week in week out against the best opposition possible. Under the old system that's possible. Widnes could play Lawton accept his mistakes as he learns and let him develop. If they finish 10th, it doesn't matter, they can climb that table slowly and work towards having an England international to build their future squad around, which can challenge on a much higher level.
Now, it's not an option. Widnes are going to have to chase every point possible to try and make the 8 meaning that any player who is likely to make mistakes (like developing players are bound to) are unlikely to feature. So Lawton doesn't play against the Wigans and the saints. Even if he does play in the 7 second matches it's not the quality of opposition to bring out international potential.
Further, after a few years of frustration for Lawton, if, for example saints offered him a contract, he'd be even more likely to take it meaning widnes lose out on that potential. Widnes stop investing in youth (as the payoff for it leaves) and fewer clubs are producing International youngsters. So the top 8 now are producing/ buying in the majority of the talent, widening the gap between 8 and 9 even further, meaning the team placed 9 invest less in youth to chase closing the gap etc etc etc and so the cycle goes on.
Now say, cas scrape into the 8, they are now in a position financially to be able to hold onto Clark, and given they aren't likely to make the 4 can have 7 games to develop Clark against the best teams in the comp, so next year, Clark is a little bit better, meaning he can do more to contribute to cas making the 8 which improves his game until he reaches his potential. Cas become stronger financially as a result of being in the 8 for a few years and are able to buy in players to help Clark keeping them I. The 8 comfortably and then work on developing more youngsters like Clark.
(It's more likely to be slower than indicated but it's just for examples sake)