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

To be honest I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

You are laying the blame for scrapping the A team league at the RFLs door, or have I misunderstood what you posted?

If the clubs' want the A team system back, the RFL will implement it.

It's not gonna happen.

Fair enough but does it really matter as it's short sighted in my opinion.

We need somewhere for over age players to go. Dual ref isn't working. For me there has to be a link between club and player which is what the A team offered and duel reg doesn't.

Feeder clubs don't offer the answer because the SL isn't fixed like it is in Australia. Dewsbury for example would be an ideal feeder club for us but they won't do it even though they will never be a SL team. Who can blame them.

It's a tricky one, however I not convinced that A teams are as expensive as they are made out to be, just my opinion.

Every single Youth Development practitioner at every club has been calling for a Reserves, A team, U23s or whatever till they’re blue in the face but the clubs won’t bring it back despite the state of the game and glaringly obvious. It’s not the RFL

Halifax are running a reservve team next year. Apparently they're funding it through the board & sponsorship deals ring fenced just for the reserve team. They'll be playing the better U19's and guys who don't make the 17, plus guys coming back from injury. Shows what can be done even at their level.

It’s happening in football as well Avenger, Huddersfield have stopped their academy’s to save money and hopefully get the top teams cast offs for their 18s and onwards I’ve no doubt we will do the same as we’ve done in the past and been successful at it.

I absolutely agree with you, but A teams sit between FT and PT set-ups - too expensive for what they produce (and not enough players for FT), and overall too low a quality to be worth investing in).

Clubs can't afford a reserve team but they can afford to vote for marquee players. It's about priorities for me, and developing players beyond 19 doesn't seem to be one of them.

It's a fine initiative, but these are largely amateurs playing for a match fee - no contract and not FT professionals.

That model is no good for SL clubs, who need/want to be only paying players capable of playing at the higher level.

They decided long ago to invest in youth and hope to identify who will and won't succeed early...and discard the rest.

I liked the U21's league, where a number of over-age players were allowed (e.g. those playing for form or returning from injury), but clubs' felt they were running this set-up to keep 3 or 4 players warm. it's much cheaper to send them out on DR.

It’s not just over age players that benefit from reserve team Rugby but the first team players too. How many times do we see a player return from a few weeks injured and look off the pace for one/two matches. And as we saw this year one or two matches is the differences between making top 4.
Also it gives lads a chance to showcase there abilities if they aren’t in the first 17 and push for a starting place increasing competition for places and thereby raising performance levels.

I remember back in the 60's players like the great Ken Hirst staying at the club from being a 16 year old all through his career, but for the most of it he was back up to such as Smith, Coetzer, and Prinsloo etc. He seemed happy enough playing in the A team competition, which was very competitive for players.

Spot on. It's not money it's the will to make it work. RL biggest failure has been short term thinking and the actions that follow.

God only knows how much our current North American adventure will cost us but I doubt it will be worth it.

Ken Hirst made 142 appearances for Trinity, scoring 100 tries.
Played in ‘62 Wembley win and scored.
Played in ‘68 ‘water splash ‘ scoring ‘ the try followed by the great Don Fox missing the conversion.
Not sure but think he also played in one of our Championship Final wins.
Not bad eh?