Adam Milner seems to have migrated from hooker to loose forward, after the arrival of McShane. Looks right at home.

It is not unusual to have a backline made up completely of former stand offs as the lad who stood out as a ball player from an early age gets moved around.

Maguire too.

Definitely agree with regards to the mental side of being a prop. I can think of talented players in every position except prop and hooker stepping up from our academy and instantly performing at SL level. As you say, they must have to learn that toughness, and being physically conditioned to take on bigger bodies every week for a season seems to take a long time.

I hope you are right about Sutton. I'm also a big fan, but I can remember thinking the same about Prescott, O'Carroll and Mossop to name a few.

I understand your point in that it would encourage the bigger players to learn skills, and the players who physically develop late not to give up, but would we really be preparing them for the ultimate goal of playing open age rugby if we worked that way?

What happens to the small lad when he goes from tackling players his own size to much bigger players at open age? Also, what happens to the lads in the heavy weight classes (presumably all playing prop under the current system), when they suddenly find that the pace is 100 times faster at open age? Does playing a 11 stone lad at prop or a 17 stone lad on the wing really help give them the skills they will need if they want to play professionally?

Does difference in size ever become a duty of care issue at junior level?