Would you like me to name them all for you just to keep you happy.

What? Your excuses? Sure!

As long as the quality that are coming through to the 1st team carry on beating you men then you can beat us in the u20's all you like

Without the quality at u20s, there will be no beating us. Unless you continue to import in great numbers, obviously. That might do it. (Why change the habit of a lifetime, huh?)

Our quality from the u20's will already be established in the 1st team. As we have now, against Saints at one point we had a full pack of O'Carroll, McIlorum, Prescott, Lee mossop, Joel Tomkins and Locky. A full pack that has come through the Wigan system and did a good job of beating you. Closing in behind them we have Hock to come back still, Hansen, Liam Farrell and Ben Davies to come through as well and I've seen enough of Farrell and Davies to know now that they are going to be quality players for the future, we have the balance that other teams can only dream of.

I don't make excuses like forward passes, obstructions etc, that's more your style.
This very young U20 side has still done o.k. this season losing a close game v Hull and winning the other three comfortably, however with eight players on dual registration it is always going to be difficult for them, but they'll make the play offs and that will be a very good achievement. There is also a strong rumour that at least one more will be on loan to another superleague club very soon.

Last year they were an exceptional group, probably the best I have ever seen at that age, ask some of your more reasoned fans. Some clubs will profit from it as we can't keep them all.

Something has to be done (I'm on my hobby horse again) about the academy game, some clubs appear to be paying lip service to their junior development. I saw Wigan U18's beat Salford 76 -4 on Saturday and Wigan U20 beat Leeds 54 - 0 a couple of weeks ago. What good does that do?

Jeez, Rogues, lighten up for God's sake!


Salford don't have the kind of money Wigan, Wire, Leeds and Saints have, so I don't take anything from their loss. I think they won their previous match didn't they? As for Leeds ... it could just be a poor cohort. Ask your daughter, or whoever it is who is the teacher in your family. She'll know about cohorts. Some of them will have driven her daft and left her dispairing for the league table.

Carry on beating us men? You've won once in the last 3 attempts.

Twice in the last four, or do you want to take ALL matches, or even ALL Superleague matches?

Two from the last five.

or near enough.....a couple come from us at Northampton (plus one currently on loan at Sheffield but he didn't come via us) and a few from Hemel. If you're north enough, I suppose all that counts as "London" though

No northerners there AFAIK though.

Now that Wigan are somehow top of SL (until the rest of SL wake up), I wonder if Rogues and Mini me, will still ejaculate as much, about the u20's championship should they win it.

I was very surprised at our U20 and U18 results today, pleasantly surprised.

what score did it end up, and before you say i should be there just got back from london.



.

In under 20s we were mullered by the Pies.

Quite a few of wigan's players who are out on loan played for their under 20's tonight. Wigan wouldn't let them play for their loan clubs so that they would not be cuptied. Veivers, Marsh and co. played tonight.

As you have pointed out previously, the U20s and 18s are a joke, beating Salford and Leeds by big scores does little to enhance the development of either team.

In Oz there is the Queensland Cup competition, which is far and away more competative and prepares players for the senior grade in a more demanding environment.

Until the RL stop allowing Clubs like Wigan and Saints to loan players out, the situation will not be resolved, what incentive is there to clubs to develope their own talent when they can sign fringe players from other clubs, (I think I read that Wigan have 6/7 players on loan), yes, it does help the individuals to become better players in a more challenging environment by going on loan, but that is just bypassing the real problem which is a very uncompetative and lopsided U20 and 18s system.

I've just seen the teams
Only two of the loaned players, Vievers and Marsh played. Ten of that Wigan team still qualify at U18 level.


That's why I was surprised at the scores, and similarly with the U18's of whom the majority were first year 16 year olds.

You still had Karl Pryce, who was bigger, stronger and older than any of the Saints players

You are allowed three overage players.
I didn't go as I was at Sheffield.

Was Pryce the difference between the two sides?

He scored the try that changed the game

Did Pryce have a good game?

It's about time wigan went with youth, the have been many good young players who wigan got shut to bring in overseas players.

So at last maybe wigan are doing it the correct way!

We've always given enough youngsters their chance but after 2004 and 2005 we started to lose a lot of our good experienced players and didn't replace them well enough. And as you said a couple have been awful overseas players. Another thing that didn't help was that the crop of youngsters who came through in 2003 that are now at the likes of Huddersfield, all played and came through under Mike Greg and they seemed to lose their hunger after that and the sad loss to Mike. Now the current crop that we are seeing now have all played under Shaun Wayne and even though Maguire is the new coach, having Wayne there is a vital part of the coaching staff as the players will want to play for him. We're finally starting to get the balance right which is what we haven't done over recent years.

IMO bringing in good youth players will massive for clubs in super league and is the way clubs have to go, however teams have to be very lucky to get a good batch of young lads to come thru at once.