Tough one really, if Mariano isn't up to it (which it would appear JM thinks he isn't) then in order to maintain our position then we do currently need somone to patch up the backs. Exactly how we expect an eighteen year old whose probably never even been to Craven Park, never mind learned our systems in a little over twenty four hours to achieve this is a bit beyond me.

This lads only 19, if we sign him in a few years time on a mega bucks contract when hes just scored 5 against the Aussies, can we count him as homegrown

Bless you. It's to meet the RFL homegrown quota requirements.

Looks that way doesn't it

You could very well be right....would it beyond the realms of comprehension to suggest all other super league clubs have to comply with this rule aswell.

Without any senior club-trained players, Rovers' (less mature) development system has been under more pressure than most. More players have had to be elevated, some of whom, I assume, would not 'normally' have been. The results are predictable. What you say is true, but I view it as a natural outcome, not an especially negative one.

Morgan seems to be the bringing the best of them through gradually now. This is, hopefully, just the start.

I know you don't like the gradualist approach and prefer to point to Horne being blooded at 16, which allegedly did him no harm. Half your forum think he is spent force at 27/28 though, so [i[umaybe[/u[/i, it didn't do him that much good in the longer term. Just to be clear, I'm talking about injuries, not illness.

What I think of Rovers approach has nothing to do with it. The rather lovely Mr Gekko asked a question, which was what's the point of naming Mariano, a centre, in the first team squad, then when you have 4 centres out (Welham, Webster, Walker, Ratu) you get an unproven back in on loan from another club. There will never be a more obvious time for him to play. To bring someone else in suggests there was never an intention to play him anyway, hence the conclusion that Mariano was named purely to tick the 8 homegrown players box. Not sure what that has to do with Richard Horne, but there you go. You must think Wigan made a mistake giving a debut to Tomkins as a teenager, Salford with Myler, Cas with Westerman, then?

Maybe, and its only a thought, but perhaps, having watched him train every day, Morgan doesn't think Mariano has progressed like he should have. Just because he looks to have potential in the off season doesn't mean he will be ready when the opportunity arrives.



Morgan didn't hesitiate to blood Taylor & Latus when required, so I assume they were looking the part.



So many coaches on here think they can do a better job than the incumbent at Craven Park.

Mariano might play. Charnley has been brought in as 'option'. I'm sceptical about that, I anticipate you will be even more so. There may never be a [umore[/u obvious time for him to play, that does not necessarily make it an obvious time to play him. The intention will have been to use this very particular set of circumstances (absence of senior club-trained players, rising quota for them) to give some of the 'maybe' youngsters (as opposed 'probables' like Taylor and Watts) a chance to train as pros, that they wouldn't have got at another time or club. A shot to nothing for the club, a chance for them to exceed expectations. Expectation and intent are different - I'm confident that players wll be picked on merit and if any player displays to the coaches he has the ability on the training field, they'd be given a game. We had to include some for whom that was a hope rather than an expectation and some will not exceed that expectation.

The Horne point was me anticipating that you'd use that familiar argument. You've chosen a slight variant on it instead. What is appropriate for one player may not be so for another. At 23, we have to consider the possibility that Mariano is not of the same standard as Tomkins and Myler.

brisco likely to play as he as not pulled up in training and welham shoulder in a very bad way reckon end iof his season.....

Not one mention that I have seen that he has been out on a dual reg this season in National league 1 with Blackpool Panthers (during our win every game spell).



He played a handful of games for us scored tries, kicked goals, defended well and looked up to the battle against some of the bigger boys e.g. Whitehaven's tellytubby prop pack.

I think we're agreeing but spinning it differently. You're saying that Mariano was a very long shot to make it at SL level but the club acted like a charity, a kindly/indulgent benefactor if you will, to allow him to train in the presence of Clint and the Moobster for a year or so (and pay him at the same time - how lovely) to cushion the blow of his not making it at Rovers in the medium term. I'm saying maybe Rovers had to name 7 "first team" homegrown players to comply with minimum quota requirements and listed players they didn't believe would make it but had no one else to name.

That cuts pretty much to the heart of it. We could, in the parliamentary sense, pair:



[urlhttp://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/pairing/[/url

We could indeed - if I wasn't on here, you wouldn't need to be. Or in other words, I'm your raison d'etre.

With the derby coming up, a raison d'autre maybe.

If this is JM's response to a player shortage, what's the point of having a 20s Academy then? Surely there are enough players in there good enough to have a punt on, compared to an untested 20s player from a rival club getting his 1st team experience at the expense of a KR youngster? Very negative IMO, having to go begging to a 'bigger' club. What message does it send the lads playing now as regards to possibly playing first team football. Mariano must be thinking what he's done wrong. Another Esders?

i'd rather one of our boys have a go, but if he doesn't it brings the squad quota thing into disrepute. if you name someone as a squad member they should have to play at least 1 super league game during the season. i'm sure its not just us that do it but it would make it interesting when they play them and also 'blood' them so to speak. be good all round

To take this to its natural conclusion we could say why sign players from outside the club ever, surely if the U20's are good enough come next season we should just promote from within. This doesn't happen and injuries to key positions where a suitable back up / or a back up who hasn't progressed well enough means we have to externally recruit. All teams ae in a similar position, Mrs B's club for instance, who will tell anyone who listens what a fantastic youth set up they have, duriing yet another injury crisis fail to play Tuffor on the wing and only give Lynne one game there, maybe they wrere a charity beneficiary put there to work alongside Calderwood. Yet this mature set up still had to bring in McShane to cover hooker. Similarly last year with the wealth of homegrown talent sat there they bring in Broughton.



We have hit a bit of problem due to Welham, Webster, Ratu, Walker and Colbon all being out. One of our U20 backs has been draughted in and an U20's 2nd rower has also been brought in to allow moves of our other players to cover. So maybe Mariano isn't up to it, some players aren't, he maybe has had a bad year and hasn;t responded to being in the 1st team squad, it happens, even to 1st team regulars so I really don;t see the point of the arguements.

Do you honestly think that every 'unproven' player is at the same level?! Why sign Josh Hodgson and not play Scott Spaven then? Or is that ok now because its obvious how much better one is than the other?



It's JM's job to make these decisions and act in the best interests of the club. I love the sentiment of giving 'your own' a chance, but seriously fellas, this is a professional sport - they have to be bluddy good enough first!



I'm surprised at you Gekko, thought you had more about you.

Nail on head!

Because he was expecting to offload Fisher.



....and it took you almost 24 hours to come up with than one





Tell ya what....have another go

24 hours? I responded after reading your post (I like this site, but it aint my life

)



You [ithink[/i he was expecting to offload Fisher. Even if he was, it was Murrell who was given the 9 shirt as his replacement, thus leaving a squad place available due to Fitzhenry's departure.



You say Mariano is on the books so should be preferred to a new signing so I ask you again; why wasn't Spaven given Fitzhenry's place instead of Hodgson?

the disappointing thing for me in all this is that we have brought in a highly rated young lad who we will have no chance of signing on a full time contract even if he proves to be a world beater, I know needs must at the moment and as I said earlier our reserve backs are really u18's and not ready but I can't help thinking we're doing Wigan a massive favour giving this kid a go rather than them take the chance on him.

Probably because he wasn't ready for a full season as no.1 back up hooker, something he would undoubtedly admit himself. Hardly the same a loaning a player from another club for a month giving HIM and HIS club valuable development time at one of your own players expense. Hodgson is a decent prospect and he is ROVERS player therefore ROVERS get all the benefit of his development.



If Spaven and Mariano are no good why have Rovers not released them to allow them to develop their careers elsewhere or is it a case of needing them for window dressing and to boost the results of the U-20's???



Also i don't '[ithink[/i' he was expecting to offload Fisher.....i '[iknow[/i' he was.

One thing that is worth remembering is that while important, player development is not the sole reason for the club's existence. We provide a stage, but we get an actor (does that metaphor work?). Hopefully he will help the club win some [icompetition points[/i.



Spaven and Mariano aren't needed for window dressing - other homegrown players would simply be put in their place in the roster. Even if they were, it would be compulsory window dressing, so no reason to blame Rovers. Put simply, if Morgan selects Charnely ahead of Mariano it indicates that he believes the former is more ready for SL, to the extent that he is willing to forgo the opportunity to develop the latter. As Mariano is 23, I fear that is not perhaps regarded as a huge sacrifice.



Given how badly our centres and backs generally have been hit by injury, now is the last time to pay-off Mariano. More injuries could easily mean it is him [uand[/u Charnley playing.