[urlhttp://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/rugby-league/Will-our-homegrown-talent-win.4960110.jp[/url

interesting article in yep about overseas players. Notice sledger has his usual underhand dig at us because we have 2 more overseas this year than we did in 1996, Despite us being sixth in list behind lds,sts,hudds,wire with majority of SL teams having more overseas than us.

Other thing he negelects to mention is that of out eight only six are likely to make the starting 17 assuming everyone is fit, with tupou and one of jeffries/bird almost certain to miss out, whereas the six that leeds and saints have are almost certain to play every week, so interms of overseas players in the starting 17 we're actually dead level

It's the usual stupid arguement against overseas players. This whole thing that if we get rid of all these overseas players then suddenly all these world class british players will spring out of the ground to take their place. If a player has the potential and the ability he will break through on his own. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury let me introduce you to exibit A: Sam Burgess. Exibit B: James Graham. Exibit C: Joe Westerman. Need I go on?

I think what has changed in terms of imports since 1996 is that there are far fewer journeymen coming over for a retirement package. Even the older players that have come over (menzies, buderus) are quality players who will improve their teams on and off the field

That reflects badly on the club, not well.

Having overseas players of a quality where they improve the team is one thing, having them filling up the squad is another - these are the sort of players who do block the progress of younger and fringe players.

I totalla agree with you there, it's better to have one of our youngsters on the verge of breaking into the first team rather than an overseas quota spot.

Do they?

Looking at the quality of SL I'd be surprised if there were lots of players who were being allowed to slip through the net because of an obsession with recruiting from overseas.

IMO there is a lack of quality players in SL both British and overseas thats why there are so many average ones around.

Ledger hates Bradford, just like all journo's do, every referee & touchy & everyone at Red Hall. Plus Eddie & Stevo. It's a conspiracy. It's the best SL ever for hating Bradford.

Spot on

There might just be a lack of kids wanting to play rugby league. If you love the game then you will play it - if you are good at other sports then money might come into it. The cap is £1.8m. Union is £4m ( at present) but they are thinking of reducing it due to financial difficulties

Union in France has no cap. Toulouse has a reported annual wage bill of £15m

But the important thing is the amount of money available in football. All these sports are looking for sporting talent. There is only a finite pool.

Well the obvious thing to do is to push RL into schools. And THAT is a job for the RFL not individual clubs. Sure the local clubs can get involved but the governing body has the final job of setting up and maintaining the grassroots of the game

Our club does plenty to push RL in schools as it is and is currently getting slated for doing so in Halifax too!

There's a lot of competition for sporting talent from other sports. More than ever before.

Once we get rid of nations as in the glory days of the Roman Empire all this will become a bit meaningless.

The quality of RL on the field is what matters. We should be embracing diversity not going back to some draconian dark age when RL was a predominantly white-anglo heterosexual sport played by the likes of Lee Crooks who drank more pints of ale than made tackles or scored points on a matchday.

Antipodeans of all shapes sizes and colours make SL what it is - the greatest RL competition in the world. So what if Palleaseena, Solomona, and Eatswood are too fat for the NRL, so what if Tupou, Toopi and Leuluai broithers aren't deemed good enough for the NRL, so what if Menzies, Morrison and Buderus are too old, so what if Wellens, PLatt and Mathers are too slow and can't tackle or catch, they make SL more entertaining and THAT is what counts

I was almost in tears as I read this...









... nothing to do with the post I've just had a letter from the CSA but I was almost in tears none the less.

The figures in that table are even worse when you cut Quins out. TBH I think you're being a bit oversensisitve seeing it as an attack on the Bulls in particular.

FWIW every club could do better. Leeds this year seem to have set aside two threequarter spots for English lads (probably Lee Smith plus one other) but you could certainly question the need for Buderus - yes he's a quality player but we won the Championship with the 'inferior' Diskin, plus signed up McShane to a long deal. You could also question Eastwood's signing - again holding out one forward spot for an English player. Or Leuluai for that matter.

By far the saddest comparison in the whole table is Wigan - incredible to remember just how many QUALITY youngsters they used to develop and bring through to international level. Then you look at their first choice back division and it's laughable - full of imports but no real quality at all.