Did i just hear correctly when Noble said we should buy RU players because there aren't enough young, good english players?

Sounds about right - sometimes I despair. He has what a lot of people consider to be a good crop of young players at his current club - but doesn't give them a chance, instead plays average journeymen australians and now talks about signing young RU players - you couldn't make it up.

Wonder how S. Tomkins, Ainscough, Mossop, Farrell and co are going to think when they hear that

yes he did.
But what he said that Grayshon missed the point of was that only a £50K of their salary should count on the salary cap.

Maybe RL could then find another Boston, Offiah, Davies, Gibbs etc.

What about that forward pass for Hulls second try.

or end up withn a lot of average young players who wouldn't have made it in RU.

What about Roberts letting the ball bounce

They may also find another Boston, Offiah etc by giving the likes of Ainscough a game every once in a while

We have got [ithe[/i best crop of young local players in Super League. The next few years are going to be crucial in developing these lads into regular 1st teamers and potential Internationals, the opportunity for the club here is massive. I'm not sure Noble is the man to do this for us

I have been at work and forgot the superleague show



Was it a case of a ball Amos should have gone for or was it just a damn good kick that would have been risky to try and take on the full? I know that letting it bounce cost us a try but I was not sure at the ground if it was a great kick or a poor error.

In the words of Jim Reeves "He'll Have to Go"

Noble has NEVER been able to bring young talent through - he inherited the Bulls empire & looked ok with a side full of overseas players. He is clueless about identifying youth talent &, in fact, he was never really bothered because his only interest is himself !

For him to talk about talent in RU, when he does not know a good English prospect when he sees one is laughable

Christ, the man with more good young RL players at his disposal than anyone else says there aren't enough good young RL players? Tomkins, Ainscough etc must be very hacked off

I don't think Noble made a bad point.

It's a bit rich a coach like him saying that we haven't got enough young talent when he refuses to play it at his own club, but his comment about every SL club being granted dispensation to sign one international player from British RU wasn't a bad idea in principle.

The bloke from The Times gave a stupid response - "RL clubs shouldn't be allowed to sign RU internationals because they can't afford them". WTF! If they can't afford them, they don't buy them - but is that any reason why they shouldn't be allowed to investigate the possibility of buying them?

The British game could use some big RU-to-RL transfers, to raise its profile again and provide us with a bit of exciting talent in the style of Jonathan Davies, John Bevan, etc.

But I agree - for Noble to make this point seems a little like an own-goal, given his unwillingness to play many of the British players he currently has.

It's something I have been saying for a long time. Unfortunately though I think those days are over as there is too much money in RU nowadays. He wasn't saying at the expense of young British players he was arguing one per club. There is some great talent in RU. For example I think Shane Williams would making a cracking winger in RL but I can't see there being any incentive for someone like him to come across.

You can see Nobles coaching philosophy coming out re team strengthening eg

BUY PLAYERS OTHERS HAVE DEVELOPED.


I have never ever been a big fan of signing RU talent.
For me its money thats being taken out of the game.
It shows that from a historical perspective all professional RL clubs have paid mere lip service to developing the junior/amateur game.
Now that RL is unable to parasite off RU's own development, UK RL's fundamental weaknesses are being exposed. Many clubs AND FANS still want the quick fix of signing a star rather than bringing one through.
Its a cultural flaw within the sport that places more importance on signing a big name than bringing through junior talent to become a big name.

Poor error, should have been taken on the full

However there was a definite forward pass to send Radford away

Classic divertionary tactics from a failing coach imo.

He doesnt want to talk about wigan's shortcomings to the press....so he hides/ avoids the issue by creating a novel controvertial concept that everyone then wants to discuss!!

A bit like Saints then.
Goulding, Newlove, Sculthorpe, Sullivan, Nickle, Martyn, Joynt, Gibbs, etc

and now Gidley, Meli, Pryce, Gilmour, Long, Hargreaves, etc

There were as many players who started their careers in Wigan academy in the Saints starting 13 as players who stared at Saints.

And an ex Rugby Union player on Saints bench.

Ask some of the older generation fans should Saints ever have signed Tomy Voll, Len Killeen etc and tell them you think it was a bad idea.

I think the idea is a great one about bringing in RU players and only having say 50k counted on the cap from whatever they earn, just one per team, cracking idea but them muppets on superleague show got the wrong end of the stick especially grayson and that times fella, he just doesnt want to see RL pinch their top stars so he scoffed at the idea. Me I think is a brilliant idea. You could sign Dan Carter/Shane Williams/O'Driscoll and with 50k on the cap payed by the club Im sure we could get sponsorship, IL dip into his pocket to top it up to what they would want, Im sure a lot of RU players would jump at the chance to play RL if the money is nearly the same as what they are on in union.

do you honestly think the likes of o driscoll, joe worsley would ever think of turning there back on ru and the money that goes with it. but wigan would not have to worryif they have not got a foreign passport noble would not be interested.

Offiah, Lydon, Miles, Bell, Gregory, Platt, Hanley, Connolly, Preston, Gill, Goodway, Hampson, Botica, Roberts, West, Du Toit , Loew, Mcginty to name a few who Wigan bought in from elsewhere.

You see what i am saying is that in the past big clubs like Wigan and Saints spent as much nicking players from other clubs and RU as they did bringing through their own talent. This needs to change for us to compete with the Aussies and grow the game in the UK.

Saints have under McMannus changed their philosophy to one of developing a top class team made up of players developed at Saints from their youth set up, and only buying top class Australasian talent where there is a perceived shortfall in quality or experience.

Wigan have as yet not managed to overcome their historical cultural legacy of buying success and are obsessed with populating their team with "signings".
Leeds have however under Hetherington changed the Leeds set up from one of buying to one of building and its paid big dividends for them.

The frustration many Wigan fans are starting to now feel over Nobles perceived disregard for talented Wigan juniors, is a sign that the new generation of Wigan fans are learning the lesson that the best way for the club to regain its former status is to build from within.


While a small number of RU players such as Boston and Vollenhoven became legends within RL, the vast majority were quite frankly a waste of money, that could have been better spent finding our own Boston or Vollenhoven from within the game itself.
The fact the game didnt bother doing this is one of the reasons why by 1995 after 100 years in existence the game was still only played in parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire within the UK, and why ultimately we have been unable to compete with Australia over the last 30 or so years.

There is also the 800 pound Gorilla in the corner called professional RU which is far richer than RL, and makes the signing of home nations RU players mere fantasy.

If there are going to be dispensations on the salary cap for any players shouldn't it be for those who have come through a sides own junior ranks?

If the sport went for union mega starts and offered them £300K (which is the sort of figure they can earn in RU) but only £150K counted on the cap what do you think this would do for RL players have who worked at the game and got to the peak of it who only get £150K in their pocket?

It is a stupid ill though out and divisive idea.

Dave

So how does that equate with Saints having one of the oldest starting squads in Superleague?

Further proof (if any were needed) that Noble's stuck in some 20 year timewarp. Brian - RU went professional a while back, and anybody worth getting we couldn't afford now.

Nicely worded Rogues