As a three time runner up in the world's tallest dwarf contest I feel your pain

As a parent of a lad who (although played for a great team a few years ago) was never going to make it into any scholarships I did notice that 'some' parents of 'some' kids that did make it into Wigan's scholarship year 1 suddenly acquired that certain swagger of "my lad has made it with Wigan". From a group of 6-7 from our amateur club all but one were let go by year 2.

I've heard that at this level Wigan can be seen as quite ruthless, heard accusations that they don't treat all the lads that well, have favourites.. etc (which I found funny as this is something we had to put up with at amateur level). Some moved to Saints & Widnes as they 'treat their lads better' whether this is true or not I don't know.

Yes it's ruthless at Wigan....and so it should be.
I think it was Rads book where he said back in the day he came through he had to work extra hard as he wasn't the most skilful player in the reserves but there were others striding around town thinking they'd made it that were lost to the game a few years later, whilst he was winning honours.

Spot on, and is why we succeed year after year at that level. We then have to be ruthless again in who can take the next step

I was completely impartial and I’m a Wigan fan, so I’d be more biased toward the club in theory. I’d agree with what you’ve heard aswell re favourites and ruthless.

It can be the nature of any professional sport. Football is even more ruthless. I know one man who was the step father of a wonderkind whose wife got a message asking her to provide details of the lads estranged father so that they could judge if the lad was likely to grow. Another lad I was working with had been understudy to Grobelaar(????) at Liverpool and England under 21 goalkeeper but was having to retrain having failed to make the grade. He was a lucky one because some of those boys are given everything and everything is done for them and it suddenly disappears and it is easy to go off the rails. Not that that makes the treatment handed out to some of the youngsters right but the attrition rate is awful. I had always hoped that the education side of playing at Wigan would soften the blow

Only a very low % of Wigan's youth ever make it into regularly into the first team squad. I seem to remember back in the early nineties a quote from the club stating they would be happy to see two young players come through on a yearly basis. I'd say it's increased to more like 4-5 these last few years.

However one silver lining for these lads is most seem to get picked up at other clubs. Some have made it to NRL, most to other SL clubs, with the rest to championship clubs. Such is the excess of quality we have.

Of those that quit the game altogether theres obviously other reasons for this:

Financial.
Other career aspirations.
Fell out of love with the game.
Girls & Drink.

A big part of it is that they see the bright lights of Super League and don't want to go back and play NCL for Pats/Ince/Judes when it doesn't work out. That's a massive issue that needs addressing, but I'm not sure how you go about it. Some of the best players I played alongside just don't play the game at all now after they were let go by Wigan and Widnes.

Today, the moment young players see that they are not wanted at a professional/semi professional level, many simply throw in the towel to concentrate on a alternative career.

Its not just happening in Rugby League, but in all sports, especially Football.

I have a grandson, who after wasting two years on college scheme linked to a football club, threw in the towel when he realised like others, that he was just a number to concentrate on a alternative career. He got a apprenticeship with a company and now has a good job with that company and no longer plays the game, even for a local amateur club.

I can speak from experience here. I was on the books at Wigan once upon a time, coming through with the likes of Sam Tomkins, a load of Wigan St Pats & Leigh Miners lads. It was a tough, tough time. Head of Youth back then was Brian Foley who was a top bloke but ruthless when he needed to be.

It was hard, so much was demanded of you; extra training, right nutrition, hard worker in school (ultimately my downfall), early for training, looking the part and most important of all acting the part which is where Shaun Wane came in. He wanted all the scholars to act professional. We were the future of Wigan RL, if we didn’t we’d be gone quicker than your Grandad could throw his slipper at you.

Ultimately I left Wigan, poor school performance, and went on to play for Widnes then Salford‘s academies (where the Leon Walker reference comes in below), which were far lower in expectations/demands than Wigan before being lost to the game for a few years and coming back with Wigan St Pats, Leigh Miners and then my first club Ashton Bears.

Now you might think I’d be sat here saying the demands the club puts on these young lads is too much but in my honest opinion it isn’t. You’ve got to remember the club wants the next generation to take Wigan to success. These players have to have it drilled into them from the second they sign their scholarship papers until the day the retire that Wigan’s expectations and demands from you are at the highest level. Without those standards we couldn’t produce players such as Sam, Micky Mac, Liam Farrelll, Oliver Gildart etc.

I failed to meet that standard, I was released. Quite rightly too. Would I ever have made it? Probably not, perhaps had a shot in the Championship maybe but my life has panned out well. I’ve finished up playing now anyway, body has had enough of 20+ years at prop!

How did Big Mitch go against Hull?