I just hope the weight of expectation doesn't get to Hampshire because his introduction on a regular basis in to the side may come at a time when our best player of the past 20 years has moved on.

He's meant to be a cracking talent but Sam Tomkins is the toughest act anybody could have to follow and our fellow Wigan fans aren't renowned for patience.

Tough test but if he's as good as rumoured he can cope.

Here

And used it as part of your evidence that Wigans youth production was better. In spite of the fact they have had the same success (if we treat all trophies as having the same worth, which is ridiculous) and Wigan have had fewer youth developed players experience that success.

That’s lovely, and im sure Ryan Hampshire appreciates your support. As I said Stevie Ward already has a grand final winners medal and a run in the first team. Ryan Hampshire is the same age as Liam Sutcliffe, who is also playing in the first team for Leeds and Sutcliffe also played when the Leeds U19’s scored 40 points against Ryan Hampshire’s Warriors. Now I hope Hampshire goes on to be a brilliant player, a world class player. But he isn’t yet, and isn’t evidence of Wigans youth development being head and shoulders above everyone else’s. Because other teams also produce good players, some of them better than Wigans.
You have missed the point again. Wigan may have been the most successful side at winning youth trophies, but that’s not translated in to the first team. Wigan may have won 4 out of 5 of the last academy GF’s, Leeds have won 4 out of 5 of the first team GF’s including 3 in a row, appeared in 3 challenge cup finals, a LLS, and a WCC. Wigan have a Challenge Cup, a LLS and a GF in that time.

So again, tell us why the Wigans youth development has been head and shoulders better than the club which has been by far the most successful side of the past 5 years, who has introduced top quality players like Hall, Watkins, Jones-Bishop, Clarkson, Ward, and now Singleton, Sutcliffe, Minns and Baldwinson,

Ryan Hampshire - part of Wigans production line or product of Normanton who went to the club who offered him the most money ??? Hardly a "Wigan lad"

Wigan have announced the signing of Leigh's Sam Hopkins this morning.

Class player.

that Leeds have been so successful over the last decade. Since Ian Lenegan has taken over at Wigan, he has put the emphasis on youth development in Wigan, and this has seen us dominate the Academy competition over recent years. Since we have started to dominate the Academy, it has seen a turnaround in fortune for our first team. With 3 trophies in 3 years. More than likely to be 4 in 4, unless we have a serious capitulation in the next 8 years. Surely, that shows that by having a successful Academy side, this will translate into success in the senior side. It worked for Leeds, and they are still reaping the benefits of that. And it will work for Wigan over the next 10 years, as we will be there, or there abouts for a few years to come now.

Here.




What is meaningless is bringing up a player who has down nothing at all in the game whatsoever as an example of Wigans youth development being head and shoulders above anyone elses. We've all seen a million and one players absolutely kill it at youth level and never be able to make the step up or go on to disappoint at first grade. Ryan Hampshire isnt even a first grade player, how on earth is he evidence of Wigans youth development? Stevie Ward is 19 years old, has played numerous times for the first team and even lined up and played in a GF. How on earth isnt he evidence of Leeds youth development?


To say it is head and shoulders above everyone else is dismissing everyone else. Especially considering that it clearly isnt head and shoulders above everyone elses.

No it isnt. Look back a little further than that and Leeds were always winning academy and youth competitions, but they werent fed in to the first team's well. Thats why we saw players like Fozzard, Carvell, Moore, Robinson, leaving. We then changed that, and good young players were blooded correctly and Leeds saw success, and leeds continuation of that success is based on blooding the very best of those it may be convenient for you to put Leeds success down to the 'golden generation' and pretend Leeds arent developing those players any more, but it would be nonsense .

:3nitarby



I'm struggling, please help me out here Smokey.

I love a good Quote-off.

Here

I really don’t know how it could be clearer. It’s a pretty unequivocal statement.

I love the smell of quotes in the morning.

I like pie.

I really don't see that sentence being written there, Smokey. Could you maybe quote the actual sentence where I said

'Wigan Have the best u19s'

That'd be a great help.

Here

Unless of course you think there is something else that will go into making up the U19’s other than the U19 players, U19 coaches and U19 facilities?

It will be interesting to see whether the Wigan production line will continue under the new youth structure that they voted for.

www.therhinos.co.uk/news/20702.php#.UcRWDPmkpsM Leeds Rhinos 19 man squad is entirely made up of players eligible to play for England and includes 15 players from the club's academy structure with only Mitch Achurch, Jamie Peacock, Ian Kirke and Zak Hardaker not developed by the Rhinos. The average age of the 19 man squad to face the Giants is just 24 and, if selected, Minchella would become the first Leeds player to appear for the club who was born in the Super League era. The squad in full is: 1. Zak Hardaker 2. Ben Jones-Bishop 5. Ryan Hall 7. Rob Burrow 9. Paul McShane 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 12. Carl Ablett 17. Ian Kirke 18. Chris Clarkson 19. Mitch Achurch 21. Richard Moore 22. Jimmy Keinhorst 23.Brad Singleton 26. Liam Sutcliffe 27. Thomas Minns 28. Jordan Baldwinson 30. Alex Foster 31. Elliot Minchella Does that mean we win the grand final now or something?

www.therhinos.co.uk/news/20702.php#.UcRWDPmkpsM Leeds Rhinos 19 man squad is entirely made up of players eligible to play for England and includes 15 players from the club's academy structure with only Mitch Achurch, Jamie Peacock, Ian Kirke and Zak Hardaker not developed by the Rhinos. The average age of the 19 man squad to face the Giants is just 24 and, if selected, Minchella would become the first Leeds player to appear for the club who was born in the Super League era. The squad in full is: 1. Zak Hardaker 2. Ben Jones-Bishop 5. Ryan Hall 7. Rob Burrow 9. Paul McShane 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 12. Carl Ablett 17. Ian Kirke 18. Chris Clarkson 19. Mitch Achurch 21. Richard Moore 22. Jimmy Keinhorst 23.Brad Singleton 26. Liam Sutcliffe 27. Thomas Minns 28. Jordan Baldwinson 30. Alex Foster 31. Elliot Minchella Does that mean we win the grand final now or something?

FFS

This thread pretty much sums up the parochial nature of Rugby League fans in the UK

Leeds, Wigan and Saints do a grand job of keeping these young lad coming through.

Trust us lot to make negatives out of a positive.

Its b00dy cringeworthy

Agreed.

We should be proud such great clubs produce so many talented youngsters through their academies.

Instead in turns into a "Ours are better than yours" argument every single time.

Leeds production line is better than wigans.

Oh no it isn't

I see what you did there...

Just on this point, isn't Keinhorst locked in with Germany at the moment? And has Achurch moved his allegiance over to England, I must have missed that.

As to the "my production line is better than your production line" all I can say is "whatever". None of them are good enough still, and as to which is the very best: it's hard to tell. But I'd be more worried about the gulf between the top teams that seem to be able to hoover up all the talent and the rest. Or the shockingly disparate abilities of youth teams, giving very little experience of intensity.

Dunno, i just pasted from the Leeds website and could care less who's got the most kids playing. Half, if not more, of those players won't make it anyway or at least not with Leeds but for a bit of one upmanship after the Wigan w***fest we've had to put up with throughout this thread it'll do. It does say "eligible" for England though in the article so whether or not certain players have pledged allegiance or not doesn't matter, they're eligible should they choose to.

It'll be a pretty special achievement if they manage to beat Hudds with that team but i doubt it, can see a real hammering coming.

Winning the competitons main prize 6 from 9 seasons?

It's not like they've won just a couple of grand finals. No other team has won the super league grand final more, so that's probably where it comes from.

The only reason wigans super league record is considered barron by some is because of the unrealistic abhorrant period of one off dominance which came directly before it.

When gary hetherington took over the club in 96 the club had won only 3 titles in their entire history and his mandate was to turn the club from underachievers into winners. The only way to do that is to win titles. So the club from top to bottom is structured around giving the club the best possible chance of success in october.

It's why forever more when someone mentions leeds big game prowess people will relentlessly say ''but what about the CC? what about the CC? WHAT ABOUT THE CC?'' Fact is there will always be better teams in the CC, unless the draw is incredibly kind. People will never get their head around this, but it won't change. Leeds will continue to not win the CC, and continue to be there or thereabouts on grand final night.

Of course the players and fans want to win the CC but it's placement is so close to playoff preperation that leeds are never likely to be very good at winning it because of the structures in place for grand final success. Despite all that they still manage to beat many of their rivals in the quarters and semis and make their fair share of finals.

Wigan Warriors: u19s Champions, Challenge Cup Winners & Grand Final Winners. I was getting nowhere on this thread with you pig headedness, so decided to wait until the end of the year. There can be no arguing, at this moment in time, Wigan have the best youth system, the best 19s and the best senior squad in UK Rugby League. A major part in this, is Wigan's vastly superior youth system. A youth system that saw the Mighty Leeds' u19s be destroyed on 2 consecutive matches. Leeds come closest, but they're still a long way behind Wigan.

I shall make no further comment