“I am over the innovative tag for rugby league, that we are innovative as a sport. I’m over it. What about being stable, strong, consistent? What about those being our traits? I am also going to say that we have been producing some really good young players, so much so that the Australians are coming here to take them. We are starting to produce some half backs, outside backs, types of players that we have not produced for years, and yet we change the system again. We take away that production system, take away the responsibility for clubs to produce those players and we go to a system that is ‘popular’ by all accounts." - Tony Smith, May 2013.

............................

I am aware we have a thread which focuses on Tony's views on the Salford punishment, but this part touches on the real issue here, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Rugby League and its fans have to ACCEPT that the 'quality' will be down while we encourage home grown player development through having no promotion / relegation and through limiting the NRL imports.

We HAVE to give the current arrangement time to bear fruit because:

1. There are far more new British players coming on stream now than ever before in the Super League era. NRL can pick 3 national sides which would beat ours, we need the same pot of talent to compete with them.

2. The league is more open than it has been in the SL era, new teams are challenging because of point 1 above.

3. GB / England is getting stronger as a result of point 1 above.

All of these are true, IMO, but I will go one further:

The RFL and SL's CONSTANT tinkering over the past 20 years have made our sport appear small time, pathetic, lacking any credibility. The continous changing of the structure of the leagues / playoffs has been allowed to happen far too much, almost to the point of being embarrassing. Nobody outside our sport knows how the hell it works FFS! How can we attract people to a sport nobody undrstands?

The Super League title's prestige is being stamped on - you almost have to ask what the rules were when Team X or Team Y won the SL title, and decide how big an achievement it was.

FOR GOD'S SAKE RFL / SL - LEAVE THE STRUCTURE ALONE FOR 10 - 15 yrs AND LET OUR GAME's TOP PRIZE GET SOME GRAVITY AND CREDIBILITY BACK BEFORE YOU RUIN IT FOREVER.

Yes, but all he above has been acheived through clubs having to run two Academies and being able to develop players into their early 20s. Now we've scrapped that and limited it to u19. Any 19+ SL players not needed in first team are then foisted onto Championship clubs who previously had their own squads. Hence reducing the numbers of young players playing professional RL. And furthering a gradual decline of the Championships - that comp was already struggling without auto Promotion. It is now really struggling for integtrity operating as a part SL Reserves league.

So, the Academies DO need further change, the simplest and best one in my opinion being to introduce the u23s that was originally recommended.

I'd agree that an u23's comp would be best, or even the old u20's with overage exemptions, but I don't agree with the part about the Championships. Those clubs don't have to accept or play any SL reserve players at all if they don't want to.

No, they don't have to. But the option is very clearly there and the fact we have some clubs doing it and some not just increases the farce. I think the Championship clubs should be treated with more respect and encouraged to grow and be strong enough in their own right without filling their team with "borrowed" SL players. Imagine if Swinton had drawn Warrington in the Challenge Cup - it would have been utter farce.

Most fans seem to think that the changes to the academy structure are a backward step and although there may be a monetary saving, there is a negative cost to the game and the dual reg has become utter farce.

Top level internationals on dual reg contracts is just taking the mickey, what do the outside world think.

Works in Australia