Jessie Joe Parker (6) and Ln Marabe (3) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckOY6-ISGrI

Jessie Joe Parker (6) and Ln Marabe (3) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckOY6-ISGrI

Big crowd!

Look impressive but TBH if you made a minute or two highlights film of most backs in the Championship, you'd get some pretty good action. There didn't seem to be much going-on defensively either.

I've no doubt they're good players though.

On a similar topic, I think that the overseas ruling needs to be sorted out good and proper. You are allowed 1 overseas quota player in the Championship. However, due to a web of diplomatic red tape and loopholes, all clubs have many more.

Barrow have Catic (quota), Young (Aussie - born in UK), Henderson (Aussie - born in UK) and Luisi (NZ).

To my knowledge, Fax have Royston, Black, Brainaghan, Gene, Aizui and Nash (any more ??).

Sheffield also seem to have a lot on their books - Yere, Groom, Exton, Ropati, McDonald. There maybe more.

I'm not having a go at any team, just the whole thing is a farce. The quota rule was imposed in order to give British players a chance.

When a heartlands team needs so many overseas after 100+ years its a disgrace

That number 13 ie hell of a hard nut!

Why say that? Fev have produced hundreds of class players over the past 100+ years but most of them have been taken by bigger clubs so why cant they tap into other resources. They must be sick to the back teeth of having their home grown lads go on the cheap. Think your wide of the mark here mate! Good luck to them!

Wasnt aimed at Fev specifically, aimed at all clubs who are employing 4/5/6 overseas players to fill there team out after 100 years of playing the game. Looking at the amateur teams around Fax its disgraceful you feel the need to recruit from overseas to the extent you do.
Widnes and others are blooding their youngsters yet you and others seem to go for short term options.

If I remember correctly, the reason why Halifax RLFC scrapped their under 21's/reserves 18 months ago is that they felt that it wasn't worth sticking with if the lads weren't good enough to break into the first team. Most of these lads went on to play amateur RL, I don't particularly remember many, if any of them getting picked up by other pro clubs and certainly not at first team level.
Maurice, are you suggesting that these lads should be playing first team rugby if they're not good enough ?
Those who know me will understand that I am one for pushing local lads through, but if they're not good enough, you just cannot do it. I'm also for recruiting from your own area, but it isn't always possible in reality.
Only time will tell where the future lies.

The problem is that Leeds and Bradford will pick up any talented yooth player in the area. Leeds have far too many youth players for one team which makes their claims to have one of the best youth systems a joke. If we had as many youth players as they did then we'd probably have three or four coming through every so often.

Fev have the same problem, being surrounded by Leeds, Wakefield and Castleford. These young lads want to break into the top sides, which is fair enough, but maybe would be better served playing at championship level then in a youth academy at times.

Once we have the u20s and academy up and running then in a few years we'll be back to where we were. However unless you're in Super League, you have little chance of holding on to the best youth players. That includes Widnes!! The championship has become a fster game from only a few years ago and definitely more skillful. Given a few more years then i think we will see more of these young lads wanting to play in the championship then just walking away to the golden land of super league!

Corrected

Thats fine but you didnt state that in your original post. Like most people who post on this forum i too would love to see a team full of home grown lads but in reality its not possible. Anything we have is picked up by bigger clubs. You cant blame the lads for going. Teams like Fev and Fax will always lose players to the likes of Leeds, Brad etc and are left to recruit where they can. Fortunately for Fax at the moment we are picking up some cracking players. Lets remember Widnes are essentially a very big club that realistically should be in super league ahead of some that are there , which we all know is political. Their fan base alone will go a long way to financially aid recruitment of local players without them all being taken by wire, saints and wigan. Halifax unfortunately cant do that right now!

So getting all those super league players in for the NRC wasn't a short term option

C'mon if you dont offer the facility the decision is short term, Fax have decided how to spend the kitty and it involves lots of overseas against the risk of growing their own.
Every non SL club faces a fight against the odds to attract the best kids, but plenty SL kids are discarded at 18 who could find a home at this level. RL has a duty to grow the player pool, having this amount of loopholers on the books is a joke.