Darlo_Pete wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:00 pm
Wow 11 fit players. This is the difference between the big 4 clubs and the rest. The big clubs have youth players that can come in and do a more than adequate job in the first team. Where as sides like Castleford have good first team squads, but they don't have the depth of the big sides or youth players that can make an immediate impact into the first team. There is always a bias in that the best youth prospects will nearly always go to the bigger clubs, a bit like football.
We have some very good youngsters coming through. The problem is that we have no pack because of the injuries. Players having to play in the pack that simply are not heavy enough and are being walked over by guys 30-40 klo's more weight. Bringing kids into that does them and the club no good whatever, but we have had to do it.
It still annoys some of us that Dull were given a SL licence over us and it took us 10 years to get into SL. At the time we were by far the bigger club, but from simply a financial stand point the gap that grew then has never been narrowed.
As to those ruddy middle 8's, whoever thought that 1 up wants shooting, and he is the only 1 of the 12 chairmen that still thinks they were a good idea.
Reason I have said those things is that there are far more than 1 reason for the state of the game as it is now Pete. Self interest of a few clubs being a big factor.
Leaving KR aside, Cas is a great example. If you go there early on match days they have literally hundreds of kids playing mini rugby and the same number of girls with pom poms etc. Ground packed every game, but even they struggle to keep up with the few.
Sorry Pate but Wigan are the perfect example of the other side of the coin. Turn up there an hour before the game and .... Nothing !!!!! Yet as you say, they prosper because of being a "big" club.
Sadly I remember the days we were top dogs in the country. SL finished that !!!!