But isn't that Rugby League? Would the likes of Robbie Burrow, Danny Brough and Luke Robinson have benfited from having the playing field artificially levelled for them, only to go on and play the game as adults and find that big lads will try to run over you? Equally, would they have learned that you can make the same big lads look like right nana's by learning to put a big step on and skinning them on the outside?

At our game this Saturday for example, our fb made three try-saving tackles on the opposition's 13 when he broke clear and was romping in for a score. Our fb is the second smallest lad on the team, but has the heart of a lion, a fantastic tackle technique and the ability to be in the right place at the right time; magic moments like that are what RL is all about - I wouldn't want to lose them by grouping lads together according to their size or weight.

After seeing the BARLA cup final I would say the player in question is about 5ft 6 and would do 100m in around 14 sec



And bren is 100% correct, how do you improve the smaller players skills if you don't play them against bigger and more skilful players I think we have it right in the UK the Aussie way is not the correct way IMO. The only thing you get from playing lesser opposition is over confidence and complacency which in most sport is a bad thing and in RL it's a killer

im neither for or against playing to weight and height im just interested to get peoples views on it and whether or not it could work,i think it has its positives and its negatives has others have said there are some very good smaller built players knocking around and always will be.

i also want to make it perfectley clear this isnt a dig at the the bigger players because again there are some very good big players around and some big lads not so good at rugby.

im a coach that views things long term and that not everything is geared up to winning the following sat but producing a better player long term and i believe anyone that see`s how my players play the game would vouch for this.

at the end of the day every coach should be looking at giving kids the skills they need to become better players when they are older and hopefully a few of them will be lucky enough to make a carreer out of it or at the very least have found some friends for life.

Very good - I suspect you need a visit to Spec Savers - and even if you are correct at 5ft 6 -it is the juxtaposition of these lads against the average sized boys that is the issue!

Think its time we set a few records straight. Jd is actually 8ft 4 , 37 stone, eats lightening and craps thunder and hes actually 36 years old. Well actually he's a 12 year old boy who at the age of 5 saw a rugby game and begged to play it. He played union until he was 9 and then switched to league and played against crigg in a friendly. Bearing in mind he played for the under 12s when he was 9 as people on here suggest should happen and still scored against crigg. Unfortunately his knowledge of the game and position awareness was below that of his team mates due to age and experience and thus wasn't good for him or the team. He moved to play for crigg and has found a coach he would trust with his life and a group of mates who play with extreme effort each week. He's a proud allblack. He doesn't believe he's a superhero and simply wants to learn the game. Your comments on here only add to his fire. He is a big lad but there are teams with bigger (east hull) he has played older and bigger so doesn't really make much of the levelling off theory the experts keep bleating on about. He. Knows he has to develop his all round game and both he and I am becoming a little wound up about the negatives. He hates the talk of a one man team. He simply wants to learn his rugby under a coach who has his best interests at heart. He will listen and take on board ur comments if they are constructive so why not all put ur thinking caps on and get behind him. With your help ( not hinderence ) he really may have a chamce of being one for the future.

Sorry bud - must pull you up here when you call comment on East Hull - our strike player is at least 4 inches smaller than JD, we have another tall lad a little smaller than that and the rest are 'average!
JD is an excepional talent - however as been mentioned by numberous posters on here - if lads are much bigger than opponents then this is a factor to their success at this age!

Suggest u watch the video , the lad u have is same height but broader. And also exceptional. But what do I know, like I say Jd is 8ft 4 obviously because everyone allows him to be on their own minds. He's 5'10, no denying he's big and I know people dont mean to come across negative but what happens when theu reach open age and suddenly come across the earl crabtrees of this world.

Can anyone confirm the rumour that the CAA have to restrict the airspace over Crigglestone when JD plays in case planes crash into him as he is sooooooooo tall.

Rumour has it he gets his height from his mother and his athletic ability from his dad... he he he

This season's jr RL thread descended into bickering even quicker than last season. Shame.

A farther sticking up for his son is hardley bickering, however I do agree thet some peeps need to take


Things were different when I was a lad, even the shirts were in black and white

How would that work ,would you just play the same age groups as last year.

The Mods agreed to this thread on the understanding it would be watched and any sign of it decending into last years mess would see it closed or posters removed.

Its always going to create heated debate at times, its the nature of the beast and throw in some whinging and its a fire waiting to start if not damped down from time to time.

Up to now its running smoothly and hopefully it will continue.

No hassle Al - just wanted to put a point accross - not wanting the thread to decend into anarchy.
Anyway it's, as I've always said about lads playing rugby - and if we can all remember that - perhaps for the most, the lads are more adult than we are!

No idea, I understand BARLA are factoring in the Junior Yorkshire Cups on their seasons agenda but it will take some doing as there is the issue re the RFL being the governing body and also communicating and agreeing fixtures between the different leagues - sounds a difficult task but one I suspect will come to fruition later in the year!

Some say he eats lighting and knows two things about ducks and there both wrong but what know is hes called JD LOLOL

Normy Knights u14s v Stanley Rangers u14s k.o. this sunday 10-30

i dont think anyone is disputing anybodys talent and certainly not negatively,the op certainly wasnt about any individual although some might percieve it that way,for what its worth both the lads at crigg and east hull are fantastic players and have big futures in the game if they continue there progression,i wouldnt mind seeing them in the same yorkshire side in a few years time.



anyway back to the rugby and its stanley up next for us this week,with a couple of key players set to figure we can hopefully turn the corner and get the ball rolling although stanley will be no pushovers has shown with there win at lock lane the other week.

right just started reading these so better start with you , sorry must be getting confused with the 50plus score at crigg , sorry for any offence . was not intended . what it was meant to portray was it was the day that the crigg lads stood up with out the big 2 and another major play maker and after having a lad sent off still won against all odds.
dont let the name Mutts antagonize your response , strange to make up a new user to have a pop.

best of luck for this season , i for one fully support your brave decision and hope that you can soon recruit , i want as many strong "wakefield" teams as possible . can we at least agree on this forget the past and move on?

this post as more substance in it than a lot of the others , including mine . i find it shameful and i have been there when one of my teams have done this . you dont know where to put your self .

and yet all talk leading up from the 2 cas coaches was the watch "one kid" in your team .

utter crap.

on the final day the crigg lads from 1-17 were prepared to tackle your "strike player" and dare i say the other strike players you sell yourself short russ . The only reason Crigg did not carry on stream rolling you is because at 12 nil down your lads from 1-17 started to tackle every thing that wore black and yellow now then you work out who the main threat is in a team like that and a team like crigg it so obvious .

dont think so , but would be good

but you see here's the main point , does he play the best rugby? in the team or take the better of the chances provided to him . I think the East Leeds coach may differ his tries were created by stunning h/b play play , great off loads and some straight forward hard knocking running from the the pack . JD took the ball from the 20 out and scored , ever seen a lad score a 60 meter try and get b@@@@@ed for not running the channel?

A lot is said about the biggest lad blah blah blah so flip the coin , lets lot at a player i admire greatly in the cas side , Big lad to look at him inflexibility steady 5 metre run prop. Give him the ball and WOW! . In defense he can make a full back blush as runs back.

Lets flip the coin the coin again. No one ever comes on here talking about the under 12s saying how the Crigg number 7 is the smallest most slightest built player they have seen in the group yet he will knock any one on their butt . i wonder why this is ? is this a little taboo that a lad in high school who can not get any uniform to fit as its all to big can take any star player and fair n square tackle below waist and put them down? maybe its because this lads been knocking JD down for fun in training or maybe its because Criggs real "MAIN MAN" as installed the belief in them .

rugby league is so much % physique
so much % toughness
so much % ability
so much % brains
and of course so much % confidence

the all blacks weep confidence nowadays , cocky yes but it wins matches and also means the lads like big J and little J both go into the game with the same metal strength.

this is down to our top guy and hes there at every match

pint in pub for that man MR E