because every now and again a club unearths a talented player? look at united with pique

You will have to explain to me what you mean. Who is doing the "unearthing"? Us and we then send them to Aus - so I still don't see what the Aus team gains from this.

Or we send a few kids and the Aussie side unearths one of them as a talented player, but given this player would still be our player I still don't see what the Aus club gains by doing so.

Dave

I agree, sounds a tough sell for the SL clubs IMO.

They'd be more open to our top academy teams touring, like Saints' kids have done a couple of times in the recent past.

Junior development is a very competetive landscape in Australia, they won't want to be wasting resources developing players for Wigan.

ill put it simply

wigan think they have a talented player so they send him to oz to gain experience in what many people regard as a superior comp. said player returns form his loan stint a better all round player (due to the oz clubs better training etc... - again, what 'people' claim)

the oz club gains a player who they can use to supplement they own home grown players in their reserve (and possibly first team) squad all for a relatively low fee

of course, all this depends on a club in oz that would be happy with the arrangement which im guessing is why it hasnt been arranged yet

To be honest, what the Aussie club gains from it is not my concern. If we end up with a couple of decent players and they end up improving a couple of ours then that'll do for me.

But he will just be taking the place of an Aussie kid wouldn't he?

I wouldn't want Saints' academy/reserves having Aussie kids in rather than our own lads, it defeats the object.

yes i guess he would but thats they're problem, not ours

Suppose it's one way to stop them coming up with any more Slaters!!

OK we benefit from that but given this:



...that would require the Aussie club to give a place to one of our players instead of one of their own juniors. Are they short of players? I don't think so.

So unless there is some sort of arrangement whereby any of our players going over there do not count on their salary cap or something I still don't see why they would do this. Even then if there was such a salary cap incentive they have still lost a place that would have been taken up by one of their own juniors.



I am struggling to see why any Aussie club would want to do this.

Dave

Well in my opinion if they don't gain anything, they won't do it.

Dave