Well I say we have the technology so let's use it. But like the video ref it can be flawed. Especially if people keep quoting him!

...and Gary Hetherington of course.

Damo is like Ronseel.

Johnny Wainhouse too I think.
Plus GH of course as already posted.

Uncalled for

Current or sometime in the past, who is he and what does/did he do at the club?

I've no idea what he does but I see him around the place wearing Rhinos official gear on match days.
I believe he is involved on the junior development/community side for the club.
I think he was the academy hooker just before or just after Diskin, I don't think he ever played for the 1st team, he may have played for Hunslet or York.

Johnny Wainhouse came through our academy system, if im correct he actually won the under 21's player of the year award around the 2002/2003 season

Wainhouse is a hooker by trade, but since he was snapped up by the Hunslet club his ties with the Rhinos club have not ended

He has been seen on game days out on the pitch with the players assisting with their pre-match rituals

He is also involved with the clubs community scheme

He's also always sniffing around the cheerleaders

That probably explains why I initially couldn't recall him but now you mention it I do recall the name as an ex Academy hooker at the club. As you say he never reached 1st grade in a competitive fixture with Leeds.

Promises so much but lets you down?

Community development officer. No longer with the Hawks after terrible run of injuries

No I think he just stains wood

On the subject of johnny, like a lot of other clubs, their academy players would do some coaching in schools most would toss it off but he grabbed the opportunity. By his own admission would accept not the most gifted player but had something about him to carry on playing whilst furthering a different path in the game. Unfortunately not all have that drive to recognise they need to look after their futures

eg Scott Naylor?

Maybe, for Balance, Chris Irvine could write a piece3 about Jonny. Contrast what he earned from playing the game with Naylor but contrast how he, unlike Naylor, is making a living from it.

To a degree but he did go in to coaching, for what ever reason it didn't work out at Salford but there must be opportunities for someone of his experience. Maybe if he had started studies earlier would have developed and known how to make the most of those opportunities, maybe he still will.

or get Robbie Paul or some student in Huddersfield to write one for him

Robbie Paul – now there is a player who has spent the last few years preparing for life after playing.

But for every Robbie Paul there’s a Scott Naylor.

So whose job is it to ensure that players are prepared for the after-life?

Is it the team that brought them through the ranks or is it the team that they end their playing days with?

Or is it just plain and simply down to the player themselves?

similar to that of other careers, the employer has responsibility for both interested parties to provide opportunities for CPD, ultimately the employee must show willing and self motivation though.

I don’t think you can really compare the career of a pro rugby player to that of, say an accountant.

CPD’s/PDP’s are all well and good if you are expecting a return on your investment. From a business point of view why would any team want to invest in a players post playing career, especially when it would be unlikely that said player would end up working for them?

Once an accountant reaches 30+ the company they work for is unlikely to ‘let him go’ because they’re past it. Professional rugby players rely entirely on their physical attributes to maintain their careers – something that most of us don’t even consider.

IMO players should be counselled by each club they play for, informing them that at some point they will have to consider not playing rugby.

Do players really need to be nannied in that way?

After all, it can't come as a shock to them that at some point they will have to consider not playing rugby. You don't see many 65 year olds knocking about Super League (Stanley Gene excepted).

Or what about, assuming they have one (and most do these days), the player's agent ?

Isn't that the sort of thing that former Leeds winger Paul Sterling was trying to do ?

The other thing is, with the nature of the physical contact in the game, a player's career could end the very next time they step on to a field ...

As McF often says “big daft lads” – some of them (without being too disrespectful) aren’t the sharpest tools in the box and I think that it should be spelt out for them that their careers may not only end in a few years but they may not be playing in a week’s time.

The club has a duty to ensure that each player is aware that they need something in place sooner rather than later, IMO of course.