Ctrlfc10 wrote:
Crufan 94 I agree with you on points that's fair enough but to the gentleman posting beforehand;
You name all these players but Lewis Mills has been released so you could retain wages for foreign player, and yes the scorpions players have been in the crusaders set up but couldn't get in due to Aussies again!
Also other than Ben Flower who really has actually played alot this season? Elliot Kear this year started and you replaced him with a 30 odd year old pole/Aussie. JJ was sent out on loan to Widnes due to 2 front row Aussies, am I not correct?
You have to see my point sir, squads don't prove things appearances and statistics do.
Oh and for the Welsh rugby set up it is benefitting but it should be having alot more coming out of the crusaders who actually play 1st team.
Regards
JJ was actually sent out on loan because at the time Jamie Thackray was keeping him out of the 19. He was recalled after Thackray got injured and played his way back into the team; making 14 appearances (50% of our games) and playing really well in the 2nd half of the season. Likewise, Ben Flower played his way into the matchday squad regularly, and made 11 appearances, before injury curtailed his season.
There's been no announcement on Mills' departure, but it does look like he's leaving. However, he's settled at the Scorpions and said in a matchday programme a few weeks back that he's in Uni in South Wales, so maybe it was his choice to leave?
The club has only existed for five years, you can't expect it to be awash with Welsh talent already. The Scorpions players I mentioned that we brought through aren't still with us because they aren't good enough. Unfortunately, that's the harsh reality of professional sport.
Remember that most of these kids didn't have the luxury of growing up with rugby league and are still learning the game (only at professional level, rather than when they're 7 or 8 years old). The dual-registration system is in place to help youngsters develop and with players like Kear, Dudson, White, Williams, Mills and Murphy all playing regularly this season, they will have gained a bit more experience of professional rugby league, a bit more know how and will hopefully develop into Super League players.
Jamie Murphy, for example, was playing 2nd grade rugby union this time last year. He's now signed a contract with the Crusaders and trained with them for a few months, played playoff rugby with the Scorpions and is well on his way to becoming a rugby league star of the future. He's also in the Wales squad for the Autumn internationals.