Exactly.

Nail on head....

We got lucky there then

In Spanish football the reserve and youth sides of many of the big teams play in the lower leagues. Could be worth considering.

Is that one of the poor sod's in the Wakey team?

Said a few times I would go with something like that for the top clubs

Surely you lot should be made up; Wigan and Leeds kings of the academy again. Hetherington and Lenegan have got what they wished for.


As for using a championship team as a reserve team, its funny that Warrington and Swinton have attracted so much criticism for their arrangement this season.

Had it been U18's and U20's there would have been little difference.

Why didn't Warrington and the rest support the RFL's U23 proposal?

Playing your U19s in the Championship as Wigan against other Championship clubs is slightly different to sending players from your first team to Swinton willy nilly to take the place of Swinton first teamers.

Happy clapping nerve touched duly noted.

Because under the marshalling of Hetherington and Lenegan the clubs had already pushed aside that proposal so that the option that there was a vote on was what we have now. Only Warrington and St Helens voted against. God knows how many times you have to be told this before you understand it.

FYI Warrington and St Helens both proposed staying with u18s and u20s with 3 overage players in the u20s but were willing to go with 5 overage players if other clubs insisted.



The Academy competition is fatally flawed in this country as unfortunately all the decent youth talent gravitates towards the same clubs. Having said that until every club is forced to spend sufficient funds on their youth systems so that players receive the standards of professionalism, coaching and facilities young professional sportsmen deserve then it is unfair on the players involved to restrict the free market. The Academy structure this year has just invited the same clubs who were already under-investing to actually cut their spend even further.

Should there be any restriction around numbers or locality of youth signings? No; God forbid that the likes of Hampshire should be forced to be exposed to the cost-cutting at Wakefield or Castleford. However to have an u19 age group that consists of three age groups is a joke. Didn't Wigan sign something like 11 lads from last year's u16 team? Whilst know the likes of Gildart are flourishing there must be others that are being effectively starved of competitive rugby.

I expect it all to change again next year (u19s and u23s would be my bet) but in all honestly it is just shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic until all clubs invest seriously in their youth development.


I applaud your commitment to youth development but on this point you need to ask questions of Lenegan.

For all intent and purposes this season Swinton are Warrington's reserve team. To not acknowledge the fact is plain stupid.

"nerve touched" without a doubt but "happy clapping" has lost me.

Could we not run an U23s along with the Championship teams?

Well Is Mister Youane right or Is he wrong?

So everyone thinks the competion is flawed! Is it not the fact that the Wigan academy players probably train harder than the other teams in the competition! Yes theres some quality players in the academy but size, strength and fitness levels dont come naturally and from what ive seen this year this is where Wigan have beat teams! Theres no excuse its up to the other professional clubs to sort out.

Good to see "it's all Wigans fault" again!

Long may it continue

I voted labour, it's not that I ink they're any good, just better than the other proposal on the table at that time.

Whilst Paul makes some good points, (I don't like the three age groups at U19) it has to be pointed out that Wigan had eight players in the=#FF0000 U18's International last weekend. We only have about three third year (U19's) in that team and one of those is Chris Taylor who has played three games after returning from two years out with injury. So to say that last years U16's are being blocked is way off the mark. Gregson (injured) Fell, Waterworth, Thompson, Gildhart, Mais, Bretherton, Shorrocks etc have all been given game time this season.

I don't know the make up of the other academy sides, but I bet Wigan have one of the least number of players in the third year (U19) bracket.

I don't see the point in employing someone at the RFL to give direction and then ignoring it which is what ALL the clubs did.

I also find it very strange that the two teams who contested last years U20 Grand Final are still packing their team with 30+ year olds and don't seem to want to give their young players a chance.

Was that one of the reasons Bastion decided to leave?

So are you saying what we have now is better than either:

1) u18s and u20s + 3 overage players; or

2) u18s and u23s + 5 overage players (which is a bit of a mockery and may as well go all the way back to A Teams)?

Those are the other proposals that were being floated. The actual vote was on whether to go with what we have now, 2 teams voted "no", they didn't vote for another option because it was a choice they had.

Which all goes circular to where we started with an-uneven competition being no good for anyone.

At no point here have I criticised Wigan's youth policy/development. For the record I believe it stands as the target for other clubs to aspire to. What disappoints is the terrible decision to alter the way academy rugby is structured (and scholarship where lets not forget an age group was also cut) and that decision, no matter how anybody wishes to cut it was largely down to your chairman. That isn't Wigan's development coaches, or even head coach who has criticised the system himself in the press, it is the chairman himself.

Discounting the overage players from Warrington's u20 Champion team there will be four playing first grade Super League with another two missing out injured with another three having played Super League for Warrington in the last month or so. To be fair that's a fair few players being "given a chance".

As for the age of Warrington's team I thought you'd given-up on that one after constant warnings of Warrington's team imminent falling apart over the last few years; remind again how many players Warrington signed this last close season?

At the end of the day age is irrelevant, if your the best option you get picked to play. Compare how many appearances from teenagers in Super League in the Warrington team compared to say Wigan? Answer may surprise you.

As for Bastion(sic). I guess that with the direction youth development was heading in Super League generally he thought his obvious talent would be better utilised elsewhere or maybe he just fancied having a go at being a head coach. Either way I expect him to be a success and thankfully he hasn't walked away from the game completely. We cannot afford to lose people like him from the game. Have you posted your application for the job?

Jeez, how many votes did he get?

Disappointing to see Wakefield struggle but that result was probably more a factor of them being in adminstration not too long ago rather than anything to do with the change to an Under 19s league.

I mean Four years ago Wakefield beat us in a Under 18s Grand Final by 30 points to 6, having beat us earlier in that play off campaign. That was a Wigan side that included Jack Hughes, Tom Spencer, Greg Burke, Sam Powell, Jack Murphy and Logan Tomkins. Three of Wakefield team that day played for them today, whilst Jonny Molloy played for them having been in our team that day.