Well done guys.

Good to see that you actually have a youth policy now.

I have to admit today was the first academy game i've watched in a while but both teams have some cracking prospects. I'm just hoping that we are able to see them fully develop at Wakefield and we can retain them and beat off the competition from others.

If just one of those go on to be as successful as Ellis then i'll be happy.

Winning today is great, but the real challenge is to develop them into Super League and International standard players. Look at the Leeds United team that won the 1992 FA Youth Cup...this is just the first step.

Yes one or two, but time will tell.

Well done to the Wildcats Academy.

What are your thoughts on Luke Pettman? I went to school with him and wonder how he is getting on at the Wildcats.

Coming along well, he's a very big lad and takes some putting down, think there's quite a number in this team who are well ahead of him at this stage though. Our pack today tore Wigan to shreds in the first half and laid the foundations for the win.

As has already been said 7 already signed up and at least 3 or 4 gems still in there, just hope we can develop them and keep them together and the future is looking bright.

Now you just need to work on the other boxes to be ticked.

the real challenge is to keep producing youth to this standard and not make this season a one off. Best of luck!

Leeds will already have bought holidays and nice cars for the parents of a few of those lads.



The real test is if they can keep them once they become proven first teamers.

I believe thats 8 as CS was already in the first team squad then add him to the 7 thats been announced.

Will they get games?

I hope they do, but its too easy to sign them on first team terms then see them never get games.

I know in the past it happened a lot with us.

Great news for the future of the club.

This is great news.

Leeds must be very happy that their feeder teams junior team is going so well.

We have reduced the number of 'senior' players to around 21/22 for next season, with these lads making up the rest of the squad. Dale Morton leads the way currently, having had 3 first team outings. Several more will make their bows next year, hopefully including Cain Southernwood, who was the official MoM!

You mean other than the one thats produced Gareth Ellis, Ben Westwood, Danny Brough, Steve Snitch, Chris Feather, Keith Mason etc..etc.. etc...

And Paul March, David March,

But seriously, well done Wakefield. All teams seem to have pretty decent set ups now, or at least they are making bigger steps towards it. All to do with the franchise coming in, or just lucky timing?

thats hardly a proud list after 10 years is it, one quality player and 5 pretty average ones,

but well done to the youngsters of Wakefield for winning, you now have the even tougher challenge of breaking into the first team, many many youngsters have been where you are now, the vast majority of them you will never have heard of, the vast majority will be doing something other than being professional RL players

if Wakefield get three or four top class youngsters out of this side, if they can get 3 or 4 demanding places in their side then this will have been worth it,

if they all follow the general path, make 10 or 20 appearances and disappear it will have been a waste of time,

the object of academy rugby is to produce professional players, not win tin pot trophies

He as far greater knowledge of this and the game of RL then you will ever have, still don't let that stop you preaching on the VT.

Amongst all the negatives you managed a "but well done" thats must have been very hard for you.

Bitter, yes i think so.

I agree on that. Nice achievement, but getting the talent into the first team is far more important.

surely they need to be congratulated for making the steps. You have to start somewhere, and winning trophies is a good way to do that!

aww, thats sweet, you even felt the need to defend him against a non-existant insult, thats really nice if a little misplaced,

look, if they get to be SL players, fantastic, wakefields youth development is working, if they dont, then it isnt, regardless of winning this trophy,

its worth remembering that the very best youngsters dont really play in this comp, they are already in and around the first team, this is the object of youth academys, to prepare players for pro RL,

if they do that great, if 3 or 4 of this squad make it to be SL regulars for wakefield, then it is doing its job, any more and they are doing a fantastic job, any less and they arent,

Very few players make it to SL, many many more play a year or two of academy RL, so yes, most of this squad will fall away, most of them dont have a career in RL, that is a given, Wakefields job is to make sure the few who can are given the opportunity and help to do so. THAT, is youth development, not this trophy

Like I say, nice achievement - but there was a photo of the last Wakefield team to win the equivalent 25 years back, and Trinity hardly pulled up trees in the subsequent years.

The real challenge, the real victory will come from the players making it into the first team where they can win the real honours.

well done to those lads, they have won a trophy, good on them,

but it is an unfortunate reality that for the vast majority of this players, thats it, this is the peak of their career, they have won something at academy level,

most of this squad wont play a first team SL game, a few will make a semi pro game, a few a semi pro career, hopefully maybe 4 can make SL regulars, that would be a great acheivement for Wakefield Wildcats

exactly,


i have seen some fantastic leeds youth sides produce no-one, if have seen some pretty average ones give us great players

Right now at Leeds we arent doing great at academy or reserve level, because what are most clubs reserves are in the first team squad, and what are most clubs academys are playing plenty of reserve football, we arent close to winning any trophies at this level, yet we have seen Hall, Ablett, Watkins, Allen, and BJB up and around the first team squad, i know which one i would rather have