Seems a couple of the the younger lads who had signed pro contracts have left quietly:

Frazer Morris looks to have signed on at Halifax
Liam Senior at Keighley

Not sure about Judah Mazive and Brad Moules. Liked the look of Moules when I saw him each time. Both were on one year deals but not heard anything.

May be wrong but I thought Moules was released last year and signed for Oxford.

I believe Mazive has left as well.

Thought he'd gone Oxford on loan/dual reg.

Tough to break through these days, hope they land on their feet if they have moved on.

Lets be honest, out of those I don't think any were likely to make it at SL level. Perhaps Liam Senior if he'd been a bit bigger.

More recent Academy signings look more promising, you win some you lose some.

Sure is. Ten years ago Judah Mazive would have got in based on speed alone. Nowadays that's just not enough. He lacked physicality and his handling was suspect. I really is tiny margins but if you compare TJ at his age to Judah Mazive and you can see the difference and it took Tom a while to get it right.

It happens, the reality is that we're aspiring to be a top 4 team, and with that comes a higher demand on the youngsters coming through. Perhaps they would have made the team when we were playing at a lower level, or perhaps they can't make the commitment to being full-time players when they want to go off to university. Hopefully, a spell in the lower leagues will do them good, and if they prove themselves at that level, they might be ready to step up in years to come

Thing is we'll never know if they were likely to make it as the lads mentioned never really had a chance. The demise of the 'A' team means that for a lot of lads once they get to nineteen years old there's nowhere else to go other than to the lower leagues or to an amateur club.
By having an 'A' team these lads have somewhere to further develop at an SL club and could well come through and 'make it'. Unfortunately finances dictate that we can't have an 'A' team so only the really outstanding lads at U19 level (eg Batchelor, Jowitt, Crowther, Johnstone) come through to the first team and possible 'slow burners' cannot be nurtured.

Totally agree on the A team, who doesn't other than the RFL. Not sure it's purely financial in our case, I think it's more a case that there isn't currently a viable A Team league full stop. I don't know if we would bother or not though I hope we would but there is no point having one and no competition to play them in.



Our problem is that for various reasons and not just financial we can't attract the 'certainties' so to speak. Though where U19's are concerned there are very few certainties even at the top clubs.

Virtually all out Academy players are speculators. Players other clubs didn't quite rate. Doesn't mean they aren't considered to be good just not quite good enough. The margins really are tiny at that age (other than size).

We've had a great deal of luck through the years but it goes in cycles. Jowitt. Johnstone and Batchelor are just such an example. None were expected to progress as they have, even if Jowitt has stalled a little.

Both Gareth Ellis and Ben Westwood were in this mould, nobody expected either to go on to be full blown internationals.

It's tough but in all fairness who the hell is there for them to dislodge in the first team - I can't see an event where Judah or Morris would get a run - I mean what would he be 9th choice Prop after Crowther being recalled or Anakin being injured or even Arona.

Not many chances for first team at all at the moment which is great unless you're an aspiring Academy player.

The harsh facts of life are that it damn hard to make it as a pro sportsman and if we were able to find 1 or 2 players from each crop, to make it into the first team (either at Trinity or any other SL side) we would be doing exceptionally well.
Even 1 player every 2/3 years would be far better than we've managed over the longer term.
Hopefully some of the lads that have been "let go" make it elsewhere or in the Championship and maybe they may return in future but, it's a tough gig.

You do know that it was the clubs' decision to scrap the A team system and also their decision to restructure the U19s/21s/23s and every other guise they have had since the Colts league?

Clubs' did away with A teams to save money - not running a squad of 15 players, for the benefit of maybe have a dozen that were actually first team pedigree.

I know you knew that already.

JJ wasn't as fast as you think but he sure had the agility to make the defence think but wasn't the race horse you think he was.
I feel of Liam as he showed he had the grunt to play it but I felt he was a selfish type of player and was always difficult to play along side him, ideal on driving it forward but not a team player as a young lad, whether that changed in the 19s I couldn't tell, you can't take away his scoring record as a junior that was very good