Reserve Grade Returns to SL

[The Grinder]

So it will be mandatory for SL sides (plus Widnes and Bradford) to run a reserves side with the academies becoming under 18s. see link here: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/super-league-hail-return-of-mandatory-reserve-grade-in-2020-1-9882371

There are 5 other applicants to join the reserves, I assume that will include Fev, Fax and Keighley from this years comp + 2 others.

However DR and Loans systems to stay unchanged.

 

What do people think is the good for the game or not?

Personally I think this is a step in the right direction, though I'd have liked to see it go further and remove DR.

[gazza77]

Good, provided those teams outside SL wanting to continue with reserve teams don't get excluded. 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Widnes announced a few weeks ago that they are assessing  'alternatives' for their academy due to their much reduced central funding next season. They and Bradford are 'mandated' to run an academy as they receive central funding to help with costs. 

[Ainley Top]

40 minutes ago, The Grinder said:

So it will be mandatory for SL sides (plus Widnes and Bradford) to run a reserves side with the academies becoming under 18s. see link here: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/super-league-hail-return-of-mandatory-reserve-grade-in-2020-1-9882371

There are 5 other applicants to join the reserves, I assume that will include Fev, Fax and Keighley from this years comp + 2 others.

However DR and Loans systems to stay unchanged.

 

What do people think is the good for the game or not?

Personally I think this is a step in the right direction, though I'd have liked to see it go further and remove DR.

Whitehaven and Keighley have stated that they have applied. Why teams like Fax have to apply after playing a reserve team for the last few years is beyond me. If Fax, in my case, applied and were refused participation that would be me done with all but amateur/youth RL. It will be interesting to see how this unravels.

[Bcfc2014]

1 hour ago, Ainley Top said:

Whitehaven and Keighley have stated that they have applied. Why teams like Fax have to apply after playing a reserve team for the last few years is beyond me. If Fax, in my case, applied and were refused participation that would be me done with all but amateur/youth RL. It will be interesting to see how this unravels.

Its based on clubs funding a category 1 academy. If you do this you got selected.

[Ainley Top]

1 minute ago, Bcfc2014 said:

Its based on clubs funding a category 1 academy. If you do this you got selected.

If that's the case it begs the question,  how do two bankrupt clubs i.e. Bradford and Widnes fund said academy's? Or does someone or something fund it for them?

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

1 hour ago, Ainley Top said:

If that's the case it begs the question,  how do two bankrupt clubs i.e. Bradford and Widnes fund said academy's? Or does someone or something fund it for them?

Clubs get central funding to help pay for Category 1 Academies. No idea of the true amount but I have seen a figure of £100k quoted. As I posted above Widnes are considering the future direction of their academy, particularly in regards to funding and where it will come from.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Seems St Helens are taking the title of this thread a bit literally...
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/17776582.saints-will-give-youth-chance-london-trip/

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

59 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Seems St Helens are taking the title of this thread a bit literally...
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/17776582.saints-will-give-youth-chance-london-trip/

I remember the days when clubs (and one in particular ) got a hefty fine for deliberately fielding weakened sides. You would hope the RFL would act given the closeness of the race to avoid relegation - I'm sure the other clubs involved at the bottom of the table will have something to say!

[haskey]

I wonder if Hull & Warrington intend to do the same.

On the subject of the reserve grade is DR still viable ,  why keep it anyway.

[MADREDNIGE]

42 minutes ago, haskey said:

I wonder if Hull & Warrington intend to do the same.

On the subject of the reserve grade is DR still viable ,  why keep it anyway.

To keep Fev going . 

[jamescolin]

DR is still viable. If a second team exists then there will be players pushing for first team places. So under DR you either get and up and coming player or a player needing a come back from absence or one who is not quite up to standard. Ok so it is in SL favour but the question was will it still exist. I think the SL clubs will use it as an extra tool for players progress. From a Championship point of view it will probably mean keeping players for shorter periods of time. So they will go for permanent signings or loaned players. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

[Bcfc2014]

4 hours ago, Ainley Top said:

If that's the case it begs the question,  how do two bankrupt clubs i.e. Bradford and Widnes fund said academy's? Or does someone or something fund it for them?

Well its certainly helped the Bulls out. 13 academy players in current squad, the majority play on a regular basis, instead of using all available funds for 1st team we divert some of the funds to the academy and Bullbuilder fundraise. The sale of Wilson for 100k shows it's worth the money invested too.

[Cardypaul]

I do worry that it will have a knock on effect on the championship, take Ormanroyd and Walters as an example would they have left Leeds and come to us if Leeds still had a second team? Think we may see a drop in the standard of the championship.

[tms]

1 hour ago, Cardypaul said:

I do worry that it will have a knock on effect on the championship, take Ormanroyd and Walters as an example would they have left Leeds and come to us if Leeds still had a second team? Think we may see a drop in the standard of the championship.

of course they would all players would rather play in the championship playing at a higher level than reserve grade plus it puts them all in the shop window for a possible return to super greed

[Ainley Top]

22 minutes ago, POR said:

of course they would all players would rather play in the championship playing at a higher level than reserve grade plus it puts them all in the shop window for a possible return to super greed

Dwyer

[The Grinder]

3 hours ago, POR said:

of course they would all players would rather play in the championship playing at a higher level than reserve grade plus it puts them all in the shop window for a possible return to super greed

I'm not convinced that this is true, there will always be people that would rather take the higher salary and stay in the reserves in SL rather than join a Championship side.

[marklaspalmas]

For me, reserve teams should never have gone away, but it needs to be reintroduced correctly.

Making it an Under 23 league for SL clubs might be a good idea, especially as the academy league is moving to U18.

SL clubs will then have around 50 players, of which 34 will play every weekend, first & reserve grade. Developing players who need something different to reserve gras can still go on loan (hsort or longer term) to Championship clubs.

Ambitious Champiosnhip clubs should be running reserve teams too.

[tms]

20 minutes ago, The Grinder said:

I'm not convinced that this is true, there will always be people that would rather take the higher salary and stay in the reserves in SL rather than join a Championship side.

agreed some will just see money but not all tom holmes still had two year contract at c@s but still signed for fev  6 months later huddersfiel gave him a new 3 year contract 

[The Phantom Horseman]

26 minutes ago, The Grinder said:

I'm not convinced that this is true, there will always be people that would rather take the higher salary and stay in the reserves in SL rather than join a Championship side.

There will presumably still be plenty who will keep their higher salary and be happy to go out on loan/DR though.

For instance, Ashton Golding signed a 5-year contract in 2017 that will keep him at Leeds, in theory at least, until 2021.

It seems likely that his current market value may be some way below his existing contract, so unless another club comes along and matches it, or some settlement is reached, his options might be restricted to reserves, or loan/DR. 

Same with Alex Sutcliffe, who signed a four-year deal with Leeds in 2017. Luke Briscoe is contracted to Leeds until the end of 2020.

Do we really see Golding, Briscoe and Sutcliffe's future next season being 20+ appearances for Leeds reserves in front of 200 people, punctuated only if there is an injury to a starter? If they don't reach some kind of settlement, it's surely more likely they continue to play in the Championship, either on loan or on DR?

Having a reserve team does not necessarily mean that it's not thought that better learning opportunities are available elsewhere. We have a reserve team and have loaned Jimmy Beckett and Spencer Darley to Keighley, whilst of course Watson Boas is at Doncaster. Other teams that run reserve teams have also loaned players out.

As Mark has indicated above, the switch to U18s for Academies is a strong hint that reserve teams are going tontain a lot of young players, and that's a good thing.

The best 200 players (to a point) will continue to fill the starting 17s of SL, but I'm not convinced that the next 200 players will all be playing in the reserves, with Championship teams restricted to players outside that top 400.

[The Grinder]

2 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

There will presumably still be plenty who will keep their higher salary and be happy to go out on loan/DR though.

PH,

I am sure there will still be lots of loans/DR even with reserves.

What I was responding to whether players would leave and join a championship team on a permanent basis like Ormondroyd and Walters. In this case I suspect it will be about the player some will stay for money and some will go for the game time. I suspect more will stay for the money, though they could still be loaned out.