I don't get the bigger pool if the fish swimming in the pool are not up to standard. If there don't hit the mark by 20yrs old they probably never will, so why not cull the fish. This should make the amateur game and the lower divisions stronger, but that isn't the case a lot of these players leave the game but that isn't the fault of the club, its a sound reason as to why they never made it.

Great point. Those in favour of reserves point out the good that it can do for those 1 or 2 guys who make it as a late developer but don't consider where it leaves the 6/7/8 youngsters you kept hanging around that still don't end up making it.

Yes it's harsh to have to make decisions about players at a young age, but professional sport is harsh and tough decisions have to be made even if you don't like it.

I'm firmly of the view that we don't have the quality numbers of players to support an extra tier within the game.

The point of a reserve grade is to provide a bridge from of U19's to SL, not to be a holding pen for average players. Each player in a reserve league should be playing for the chance of a SL shirt.

But practically speaking where do you find these players to populate this league? You could argue that SL itself doesn't have enough quality to fill up each of the 12 first teams.

Is it viable to run an entire reserve league, of 204 players each week, just to bridge the gap for the handful of U19 players that look good enough but need a little more time?

The game would struggle to do that now, and with general RL participation on a 10-year decrease of nearly 40%, longer term, there'll be even less quality to support a reserve tier of any reasonable standard.

So to the change the question - assuming running an old school reserve grade isn't a viable solution (and lets be honest - it isn't - there's a solid reason Warrington and Hull have just ditched theirs, be it financial, player quality, or just numbers available, and only 6/24 clubs now have one) - what is the answer to giving 18-21 y/o players meaningful game time? Modify dual-reg? Clubs running merged reserve teams? Expand U19's to U21s? Integrate the U19/21s into the senior tiers, and allow them to compete in L1 or Championship? Adopt a proper professional feeder club approach like the NRL?

We seem to be in a catch 22 situation here. A long term plan is obviously not on the agenda because time will tell that unless the game is expanded from its roots it will disappear & very quickly once it starts. Unfortunately, overseas players will never be available in sufficient quality or quantity to save the English game so unless the RFL are planning to use East European labour the game needs to grow from within . A mighty oak with diseased roots can't be substituted by a eucalyptus tree.

I disagree that the game needs expansion to survive. In many instances that is the very thing that kills it.

Quote ="ninearches"We seem to be in a catch 22 situation here. A long term plan is obviously not on the agenda because time will tell that unless the game is expanded from its roots it will disappear & very quickly once it starts. Unfortunately, overseas players will never be available in sufficient quality or quantity to save the English game so unless the RFL are planning to use East European labour the game needs to grow from within . A mighty oak with diseased roots can't be substituted by a eucalyptus tree.'" The RFL 2016 Annual report cites 2,017 registered teams and 55,257 players (up 2% on 2015). Look at how organised the NRL player development is organised https://playnrl.com/game-development-regions/ Nothing will kill the game quicker than a dull, uninspiring spectacle at the elite level.

Quote ="ninearches"We seem to be in a catch 22 situation here. A long term plan is obviously not on the agenda because time will tell that unless the game is expanded from its roots it will disappear & very quickly once it starts. Unfortunately, overseas players will never be available in sufficient quality or quantity to save the English game so unless the RFL are planning to use East European labour the game needs to grow from within . A mighty oak with diseased roots can't be substituted by a eucalyptus tree.'" The RFL 2016 Annual report cites 2,017 registered teams and 55,257 players (up 2% on 2015). Look at how organised the NRL player development is organised https://playnrl.com/game-development-regions/ Nothing will kill the game quicker than a dull, uninspiring spectacle at the elite level.