9. Obviously

easier to place the odd academy player into a winning team, like saints/wigan do than it is into a team struggling with confidence

would still like to have seen at least two academy players picked for sunday, but our season is on the slide (again), so understandably, other players have been brought in

Are lads in the City as desperate to make it big in RL as they once were?

The sport has declined a lot in my opinion over the last 20 years. The salary cap has meant closer games and kept clubs like Wakefield afloat but the downside is it has stifled wages. An SL academy player can spend a few years on low pay (and probably sacrificing other career chances while he does it) and even if he 'makes it' the wages aren't great considering it's a short career.