I saw on Twitter earlier that the Cas U15's was announced & had a raft of Hull-born players in the squad. https://www.castlefordtigers.com/mobile ... hp?id=5600 There are a few on here with their fingers on the pulse with regards to junior RL in Hull, what does this tell us (if anything) about the CoH academy?

I saw on Twitter earlier that the Cas U15's was announced & had a raft of Hull-born players in the squad. https://www.castlefordtigers.com/mobile ... hp?id=5600 There are a few on here with their fingers on the pulse with regards to junior RL in Hull, what does this tell us (if anything) about the CoH academy?

It's a failed experiment?

I suppose it depends on whether these 8/9 lads now at Cas would've got into the COHA but felt Cas was a better opportunity, or have the COHA picked up the best 20 at U15 and these lads were surplus to requirements? If it's the former it doesn't look good.

I wonder how much longer COHA will go on for, especially if Rovers don't make it back into Super League this time around. With the salary cap increasing steadily over the next few years, the gap between Super League and Championship will widen, and as it does, surely the value of a cross-city academy set up becomes less and less.

Still waiting to hear about any other merged academies. We were told by the Hull clubs that others would follow..?

From what I'm told, all 8 of these lads were offered COHA scholarships. In total COHA offered 16 lads scholarships. From this figure 8 decided to join Cas, 1 turned them down which leaves them currently with 7 players.

wow, if true that's a huge vote of no confidence in the CoHA.

Was talking to someone last night whos friends son plays for coha and didn't sound good at all. Seem to be focusing on the size over skill of a player and olso not playing them in their prepared position even though they have had representive honours through the age groups up to this point in that position

Time for a rethink.
Especially as we won't have the expense of running an under 23s next year. Don't have confidence in the people running it.

I doubt it's as simple as us removing ourselves from the joint academy and picking up central funding and playing games next year. Whether the RFL would sanction it is one thing, us affording our own coaching set up etc. another, finding enough players yet another, the contractual situation at bishop burton yet another.

pearson has made some good decisions and some poor ones in his time with us and this has to rank with some of his poorer ones IMO. From what I've been told, most of the best youngsters seem to be contracted to rovers and get the favourable treatment