I'd also argue right now about running an acadamy, I can see the reason for an acadamy more than reserves, but lets be honest, any decent players we find will go north long before we see them in a Broncos shirt, so why pay for it, if we are not going to see any decent products from it

This of course has long since been an issue in football where there is at least some compensation paid to teams who have their academy players picked up by bigger fish. No reason why RFL can't bring that to the pro game. Sure the North will say there is no money, well clubs will have to find some if they want to sign other clubs academy players or develop more of their own.

jbuzza wrote:There had been some suggestion this was a requirement for clubs designated as having elite academies. However, this article suggests that is only the case for SL clubs. https://rugby-league.com/article/35148/ ... g,-2022-27 That’s the key bit of information that means that there is absolutely no reason to run a reserve team this year at all.

jbuzza wrote:There had been some suggestion this was a requirement for clubs designated as having elite academies. However, this article suggests that is only the case for SL clubs. https://rugby-league.com/article/35148/ ... g,-2022-27 That’s the key bit of information that means that there is absolutely no reason to run a reserve team this year at all.

I take that point but I think we should retain an Academy for the following reasons:
a) I think David Hughes sees this as legacy work for the game as a whole. If he’s paying I think that is a reasonable position.
b) look at Sunday’s starting line up: 9 are Southern Hemisphere imports. That’s neither desirable or sustainable. The myth that Northern players were queuing up to go PT in London has been exposed as being untrue (although it doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable to me that a few would be drawn to London). Accordingly, our only source of players, other than Australia, is the Academy (and Skolars obviously but we’ve asset ( in a loose sense) stripped them and it’s difficult to see what they’ll do next).

The point is that the best players in our academy end up not playing for us, so we end up with the sort of dross that shows in being nilled at home by whitehaven result. So in effect we are funding northern clubs here.

I'd also have DH pay for a proper full time squad, before worrying about academys

According to the RFL Match Centre we have only named a squad of 14 for today's reserve game against Saint Helens. One of those is Jude Ferreira who is also in the squad for the CC against Bradford. https://www.rugby-league.com/match-cent ... ew/2218865

According to the RFL Match Centre we have only named a squad of 14 for today's reserve game against Saint Helens. One of those is Jude Ferreira who is also in the squad for the CC against Bradford. https://www.rugby-league.com/match-cent ... ew/2218865

jbuzza wrote:According to the RFL Match Centre we have only named a squad of 14 for today's reserve game against Saint Helens. One of those is Jude Ferreira who is also in the squad for the CC against Bradford. https://www.rugby-league.com/match-cent ... ew/2218865 What are the odds of a couple of Richmond club players being roped in?

jbuzza wrote:According to the RFL Match Centre we have only named a squad of 14 for today's reserve game against Saint Helens. One of those is Jude Ferreira who is also in the squad for the CC against Bradford. https://www.rugby-league.com/match-cent ... ew/2218865 What are the odds of a couple of Richmond club players being roped in?

6-32 HT

Why would you play the game on same day as 1st team? Do we have 2 lots of medics, water carriers, physio etc?

18+60 FT or something like that