I'm finding it difficult to follow your argument as it looks like it has been posted by an illiterate person.

What I think you're trying to say is that players are bigger and stronger today than 10 years ago. I don't necessarily agree that there is a substantial difference. SL had been full time for around four years before Horne made his debut. Even players were bigger and stronger than 10 years ago, the same would be true of the younger players coming through, so it's all relative.

I also think you're saying that only a few players under the age of 18 are up to it. Which sort of proves my point. There are a few players up to the required standard, the rest make up the numbers.

Both the reserves and the academy have suffered a bit with injury to key players recently.

The reserves also have quite a lot of new faces this year. Some kids have been drafted in from the Union clubs and are playing having never even gone through the academy system. Some of these players are definately "making up the numbers" until one or two of the academy players are ready for the step up for whatever reason e.g. not big enough just yet physically. Nicklas, Smith, Birch and others have moved up from academy. Cunningham has niggling injury that cant seem to get right.

In effect, with a nearly new team made up of a lot of cover players without trying to be disrespectful and some promising players who are playing first year resreves with the odd injury to key players, its natural that this team is on a learning curve.

Academy team looked a very strong team initially and they started off really well. However, in the recent game against wakefield they suffered a string of injuries and struggled to keep 13 players on the pitch. Injuries to
key "senior" players has taken its toll. Aldous (shortfall of fit quality props), Swales, Turley (long term) have all had time out.

Anyone who goes to watch the resrves or the academy will notice that in general, opposing sides are more developed physically than the FC players. Often because they play to the max in terms of age. Hull tend not to do that.

Hull FC look after their "prospects". They will not move players up who aren't ready for it. This is the way it should be. It would be nice to be winning things with these teams but Steve Crooks will tell you that he doesnt care if the team wins or not. What matters is the development of players. Again, this is how it should be.

Anyone who thinks Lee Crooks has had a bearing on anything just yet needs to get real. He aint been here long enough to have any impact on what is happening. Time will tell if his appointment is a successful one.

Regarding academy players it was good to see the latest bunch signing for Rovers on sunday. It was also very pleasing listening to their profiles that a few of them play for england at their respective age groups and one of them was the England captain think his name was Louis sherriff

Lee was guest speaker at a dinner I was at the other week. Very impressed with what he had to say about youth development and attitudes towards training. Was also good to hear an honest and frank assessment of his own career; where he went wrong etc and I think he's a great person to have around young players.

Interesting to note that he feels he learnt a lot from David Whaite who in his eyes is one of the most knowledgable people he's come accross in the game, a sentiment I've heard echoed elsewhere.

Sadly Rovers loss is FC's gain, but theres only one club he ever wanted to be at

Maybe, maybe not. Just don't let him do any coaching

Was at Hull, great player Hull seemed to have loads of good Fullbacks on the books at the moment in Briscoe and Spouse, also Saul Beavis signed on.

Anyone know what has happened to Liam kent, outstanding last year for the 18's, not sure if has played for them this year.

Forget that I have just noticed he played last week against Salford.

Any relation to Clark??? I hear he's a real flyer

wrong on both counts i am afraid , played game and know alot of people at both clubs as friends and ex team mates , i support hull fc and think the club is arrogant in the way it runs its youth set up, which is now being run by people coming from hull kr! you must know alot more than me , i watch the game and enjoy rugby league without the blinkers on

House!

Oh your a realist then

Super... Man

A lot of people are saying that its the end product that matters. But since Richard Horne made his debut some 10 years ago, how many top players has our club produced? I'm not talking about SL standard players but those who reach the top of the English game? R.Horne is the closest and I feel he has been a bit unlucky at international level. Cooke and King have been hit and miss so I dont count them, and Yeaman hasnt quite made it to the top, in fact he is probably only as close to the top as he is due to a lack of talent in England in the centres. Look at the newer players, Lee's been messed around, Hall is been messed around, Houghtons flaws dont seem to be improving, also Wheeldon failed to progress with us too. Briscoe is too inexperienced to judge yet.
Its obviously not the recruitment at a young age thats a problem, but we have a real problem with turning potential into ability when they get older

i think both hull clubs have a problem in this deparment. how many hull service area teams clean up in youth rugby? the amateur clubs seem to be nocking out players with the potential left right and centre (with not enough help from the clubs in my opinion) but the clubs just dont help them progress as they should.

look at what leeds and wigan produce and its embarrassing really. hull is a hot bed of talent but too few have made it to the top level in recent years

Possibly because a few coaches go to a couple of matches and pick the same kids year in year out, they show no particular interest in even speaking to the coaches of the relevant teams about which players may have improved over the season, not a very good set up in Hull.
A lot of players have made it without even making trials for service area no surprises there really.

sad but true. some coaches dont even send their players because they know how poorly run the set up is; their players will just get demoralised being on the fringe of a team full of players from two or three teams.

personally i think fc and rovers should help out, improve the coaching and selection and help the kids develop technically rather than just picking a team to win games.

having played for a team in the leeds area ive seen how poor the set up in hull is in comparrison, and how poor a link the pro clubs have with the amateur game.

I totally agree the entire Service Area set-up needs changing. I mean i've known coaches of a Service Area side tell a player that they wont pick them as it means they wont be able to sign for their side or even worse to pick a player to prevent them signing for a rival team due to them becoming a representative player.

yes you told me that a few weeks ago mate

absolute disgrace that. saying that, i know 'certain clubs' get away with it year after year, signing numerous rep players!

i remember playing service area as a kid, was shocking from top to bottom. selection, coaching, attitutude. all the coach was bothered about was a small group of players and it being an excuse for him to get p****d out of his head on the way back. compare this to what you see in football. rugby league is light years behind in terms of youth development.

The worst thing is having coaches who have their own teams in the same age group

not that they would be biased



or give trials to 10 of their own players

One of our best players never even bothered with the trials he hated it last year.

Been going on ever since i was a lad

Make sure you tell them that else they may think their good enough.

No i mean Skirlaugh would never do that

Reserves game against Rovers has been moved from the Saturday to the Friday night 6:30 KO.