Full-time Players

[David Shepherd]

It's pretty clear that we way off the Super League teams this year.  In the main that's due to the differences in fitness, speed and intensity.

 

Now that we are cashed up, will we start to bring in some full time players?

 

Don't really want to get to next year's middle 8 and find that we're hopelessly out of our depth again.

[jt]

It's pretty clear that we way off the Super League teams this year. In the main that's due to the differences in fitness, speed and intensity.

Now that we are cashed up, will we start to bring in some full time players?

Don't really want to get to next year's middle 8 and find that we're hopelessly out of our depth again.

The only way wouldbe to go full time but I would think we couldn't afford it We need to remember 12, months ago Leigh won the league and got no where in the middle 8s

[The Blues Ox]

12 months ago Fax were one win away from the MPG. Put it this way I would rather be getting pumped by the bottom 4 in SL than watching teams going through the motions with nothing to play for.

 

On full time players, its impossible to have half full time and half part time. The logistics are just impossible to work and it needs to be all or nothing and the part time teams in this league probably need to find about another 1m to even think about competing at the top of this league.

[The Phantom Horseman]

In our situation, we're probably better off being towards the front of the queue in terms of being able to sign players who want to remain part-time, rather than at the back of the queue in terms of being able to sign players who want to be full time.

 

In the former instance, you can still get players of decent quality who have enough about them to hold down a decent full-time job. In the latter instance, you end up with the players no SL team wants, or players who are keen to go full-time because they can't get a decent job outside RL. That's no way to build a successful team, as Sheffield found out this year.

[David Shepherd]

Do we need to be completely full time though?

 

Could we have a phased approach?

 

There's no law that says we have to train in a morning, excluding those with a job.  The full timers could spend the afternoon recovering or weight training etc and then hook up with the part timers in the evening for ball work etc.

 

At the minute there's either the Leigh model, which we can't afford.  Or the Sheffield model which brings in lower quality players and hasn't worked.

 

Surely there's somewhere in the middle that could work for us and let us creep ever nearer to being properly full time.

[fev4evatiggerneva]

Do we need to be completely full time though?

Could we have a phased approach?

There's no law that says we have to train in a morning, excluding those with a job. The full timers could spend the afternoon recovering or weight training etc and then hook up with the part timers in the evening for ball work etc.

At the minute there's either the Leigh model, which we can't afford. Or the Sheffield model which brings in lower quality players and hasn't worked.

Surely there's somewhere in the middle that could work for us and let us creep ever nearer to being properly full time.

rumour has it our full time lads next season will train with Leeds in the day.

[David Shepherd]

rumour has it our full time lads next season will train with Leeds in the day.

 

So we're dual reg-ing again then?

[fev4evatiggerneva]

So we're dual reg-ing again then?

dont know for certain, was just told full time players will train with Leeds in the day, if that's the agreement, I would think the dual Reg would still be in place.

[David Shepherd]

dont know for certain, was just told full time players will train with Leeds in the day, if that's the agreement, I would think the dual Reg would still be in place.

 

If they're ours then great.  That's progress.  If there really Leeds players (either loan or dual reg) then we're not really getting anywhere.

[fev4evatiggerneva]

If they're ours then great. That's progress. If there really Leeds players (either loan or dual reg) then we're not really getting anywhere.

yes they will be our full time players training with them, as the dual Reg players still train with Leeds anyway.

[sweaty craiq]

Don't think we will have DR next year as reserves return. You can run FT with £500k funding, Sheffield just have no fans to top up the income. You can pick fringe SL younger players supported by older heads, then win the £750k funding and strengthen

[David Shepherd]

Hope we don't have DR next year.  While it's helped to get to where we want to be this year, with the increased funding and the new revenue streams that the club has opened up (if they're on-stream for next season) then I don't think we'll need it.

 

For the good of the sport Leeds, Fev and everyone else should be running their own reserve grades.

 

If we're taking on a few full timers, then training with one of the premier clubs has got to be good for us.  

[Blind side johnny]

Are you really so "cashed up"?

[Robin Evans]

No.

[oldrover]

Are you really so "cashed up"?

yes, those rhinos don't half get through some pies

[David Shepherd]

Are you really so "cashed up"?

Well next year we'll have a bit, where a this year we've had two winding up orders. It's all relative

[jamescolin]

It is all about cash flow. It would be foolish to jump into anything until future income is signed sealed and delivered. I have said many times before we will not get the income we need from attendences so use our assets to their fullest potential.

[Steve Slater]

It is all about cash flow. It would be foolish to jump into anything until future income is signed sealed and delivered. I have said many times before we will not get the income we need from attendences so use our assets to their fullest potential.

 

Isn't that what the club are trying to do? At the "A" shareholders meeting they talked about a possible extra income of £400K from rent on light industrial units once debts were paid off, hopefully in 5-7 years. It might be jam tomorrow, but it's promising if it comes off.

[jamescolin]

5-7 years - so don't jump in too soon. That's what I am saying. Any hiccoughs and we are back to square one.

[Steve Slater]

After watching the London-Leeds game this afternoon I thought the first half was very similar to our game against the Rhinos, but the Broncos put up a better show in the 2nd half, or was it that Rhinos switched off a bit? But the tables show the full-timers are making a better fist of it. If the RFL want the Qualifiers to be more competitive a more holistic approach might find a solution with just one or two minor changes:-

We've seen all the reports about how Sheffield are in desperate financial straits, and Fev could have been with them if they hadn't made the Top 4, but it's Bradford instead. Last year MC had the good sense to offload Maitua on loan to Salford for the Eights once we were out of the race, but Sheffield haven't followed suit with their high paid stars although they knew months before they wouldn't qualify. Maybe clubs like Fev or Batley would have taken one or two of Sheffield's, Bradford's or Fax's best for the Eights, but the transfer deadline had passed before they knew they'd qualified.

If the deadline was moved back for the Championship clubs until the end of the regular season it might make the competition more competitive. Leigh and London had the chance to strengthen for the Eights because they knew they were virtually certain well before the end.

Another minor tweak would be to play on B/H Monday if none of the Qualifiers are in the Cup Final, and start the fixtures a week later, giving the Championship Clubs more time to bed in new players.

Initiatives like this might help Top 4 clubs combine full and part-time by attempting to get all or most of their part-timers in for full time training during the month of August. It could prove difficult, some might be unable to take a month's leave, but it would be worth a try if contingency plans were put in place.