Looking at the need for a reserve team another way. Take Tom Briscoe , Mac still has faith in him or least says he is a quality player but he is not afraid to drop him. He doesn't though send him out on loan or DR. So he misses a game or two ..then when comes back still not sparking because not been involved in matches...If had a reserve team could place the likes of him in the team. When we up to full strength..will Ferres on current form be in ? Again shove in reserve team...either they will up their game to force their way back into seniors or eventually you off load them at seasons end. They would still be playing to Sl standard just in reserves which surely better for game.

Personally for me a reserve system offers very little to benefit a club like Leeds. We currently have squad men out on loan and thats the way to go. Lads like Mikolaj, Lilley and Cam Smith have to show they can play at that level.

A reserve team of mainly 19s and a few returnees and dropped players would do little.

Do you think a player like Delaney would get any benefit from coming back and playing reserves for week or 2? He would go thru the motions.

But how much does Mac really see of these players? The only player that seems to have benefited from the dual reg system is Jimmy K, and there is a fair argument that he would have come through quicker if the coaches watched him up close every week in our system in a reserve team
I just dont think it is fair on players to expect them to play for a team with totally different systems week to week

The system certainly works in the NRL, even Ben Hunt played a gave of 'reserve grade' this week as other players got a chance

This 100%. I think it was in 2015..might have been 2014 but when Keinhorst came back to squad from loan to Fev owing to an injury to a senior player, after the match he gave an interview where he said it was really tough coming in at such short notice especially when playing under different system...think we lost the match but he was stand out player though not scoring, but putting in lot of tackles, also set up a try. Mac though has repeatedly said the change of playing systems does not effect the players returning from loan or DR.


Also don't get the comment on why a club like Leeds is not suited to having a reserve squad. It worked very well in the past, it was how John Holmes made his break through...he also finished captaining the side enabling him to nurture the next crop of players.
On Delaney , I forget which season it was but remember he was kept out of squad for a while, not through injury but through competition for jerseys...he did not play. IF there was no DR but a reserve team a player was kept out of senior squad because another had upped their game...would they rather not play for a few weeks or play in reserves? I don't believe any player would go through the motions..the idea of the reserves is to improve quality..just as players can get sent down to reserves..they can also fight for their place in seniors...Think that happened to Holmes a few times. early in career..was a shock but he worked hard to ensure he remained in seniors.

Also a senior player going on loan or dual reg..it must sap their morale..especially going down a division...with a reserve team you still have the pride of playing in a Leeds jersey. If though as said they still don't improve ,you get rid of them.

If every team has a reserve team then do it bit ATM with it just being a few of SL teams and some of them struggling to put a team out because of injuries and cancelling games then not really worth it.

You can't ignore the injury lists teams get year in year out nowadays as too whether it's worthwhile financially to run a reserve team when you'd struggle to have enough guys left to play.