This lad looks tasty from what I have caught - Leigh announce another signing

[Angelic Cynic]

43 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

So how much was the parachute payment? When and how is it being payed, just curious.

If there was any kind of strategic plan for the sport - or to increase participation via reserve sides and Academy players to increase 'elite' player numbers and improve the national side,the sport is left with one club,Leigh Centurions,signing a plethora of players from overseas,and relying on dual reg/loans from St  Helens for local players.

I see parallels with soccer where money goes out of the sport, and the infrastructure collapses.

Leigh NOT spending their fortuitous fortune,by today's standards,on reserves and young players,should not be allowed.

But the whole governance,and future of the sport is in total disarray. A level playing field it certainly ain't. 

[leytherz]

44 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

If there was any kind of strategic plan for the sport - or to increase participation via reserve sides and Academy players to increase 'elite' player numbers and improve the national side,the sport is left with one club,Leigh Centurions,signing a plethora of players from overseas,and relying on dual reg/loans from St  Helens for local players.

I see parallels with soccer where money goes out of the sport, and the infrastructure collapses.

Leigh NOT spending their fortuitous fortune,by today's standards,on reserves and young players,should not be allowed.

But the whole governance,and future of the sport is in total disarray. A level playing field it certainly ain't. 

do you remember leigh not being accepted for an academy/reserves last season by the rfl.where exactly shall we get our players from.

[Griff]

On 19/01/2022 at 17:00, leytherz said:

do you remember leigh not being accepted for an academy/reserves last season by the rfl.where exactly shall we get our players from.

From the Academy/Reserves side that should be insisted on.

[Angelic Cynic]

2 hours ago, leytherz said:

do you remember leigh not being accepted for an academy/reserves last season by the rfl.where exactly shall we get our players from.

Yes,the sport is a mess.

It just seems a tad ironic  that those Leigh followers,in the past,were vociferous when expansion clubs played players from overseas.

We now have those 'elite' clubs,both inside Super League,and yo-yo clubs,ensuring they sign non-Fed trained players.

The sport is fragmented wherever I look.

Not every club can purchase a whole new squad of players every year, and the sport has an ever decreasing number of young participants in the British Isles. 

[Harry Stottle]

9 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

Yes,the sport is a mess.

It just seems a tad ironic  that those Leigh followers,in the past,were vociferous when expansion clubs played players from overseas.

We now have those 'elite' clubs,both inside Super League,and yo-yo clubs,ensuring they sign non-Fed trained players.

The sport is fragmented wherever I look.

Not every club can purchase a whole new squad of players every year, and the sport has an ever decreasing number of young participants in the British Isles. 

So how about the governing body to allow any pro/semi pro team who can show they have the finances to run academy teams to do so?

[clogdance]

13 hours ago, Angelic Cynic said:

How sweet.The club that was artificially promoted, and were able to benefit from that promotion into Super League despite NOT being SuperLeagueReady,further benefit from a parachute payment to give them a completely unfair advantage back in the lower league.

Even the much maligned Elstone mentioned halting the parachute payment.

Will the parachute payment still exist when Super League goes 2 x 10?

There ain't no sport governed like rugby league.

 

Bless

[Snowys Backside]

If Leigh were ALLOWED to have have an Academy, Derek would have splashed big time as too many fantastic players from the Town end up elsewhere.

That is no fault of Derek nor the Club.  SL and the RFL should be insistent on ALL Pro and Semi Pro RL clubs to have an Academy of some sort because the way things are going, Super League and Rugby League wont be here in 10 years time and there will be no grass roots to give us an International side to be reckoned with either.

Leigh played their part last year to make SL what it was and to even make the season exist. No cancellations and no manipulation from the club, and went through the season with distinction and integrity.

Lets see what Shenanigans happen this year.

[Magic XIII]

London Broncos signed  PNG lad a few years ago, Israel Eliab, international, Q Cup for Hunters, highlights were sensational (look him up) - ended up playing one game and loaned out to Skolars !

[Snowys Backside]

17 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

For me, SL clubs should be required to have an academy or link with other clubs, I´d like to see Salford and Leigh link together to fund a Manchester academy tbh. If anyone else wants to run an academy, let them in. 

That would be a Pragmatic approach. 
 

After All, both clubs get on quite well despite the local rivalry. 

[Griff]

24 minutes ago, Magic XIII said:

London Broncos signed  PNG lad a few years ago, Israel Eliab, international, Q Cup for Hunters, highlights were sensational (look him up) - ended up playing one game and loaned out to Skolars !

Their highlights videos never show them knocking on or missing tackles.

[steve oates]

13 hours ago, Snowys Backside said:

 SL and the RFL should be insistent on ALL Pro and Semi Pro RL clubs to have an Academy of some sort because the way things are going, Super League and Rugby League wont be here in 10 years time and there will be no grass roots to give us an International side to be reckoned with either.

As it stands isn't the success rate something like only one young player out of every 100 and more ever makes it to professional status. So open up more academies and only one young player out of every 200 and more will ever make it. 

It's about quality not quantity and the best kids need to play the best kids to develop. 

Then given that the NRL have a surplus of "ready made" senior players good enough to play Superleague and Championship, then clubs have to favour them as they have the skills to compete in SL and the championship and entertain the crowds. 

 

[Guest]

22 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

So how about the governing body to allow any pro/semi pro team who can show they have the finances to run academy teams to do so?

unfortunately H the RFL computer would still say NO  back in the day a local business man offered to fund FEV's academy  to equal the same amount RFL giving to SL clubs the  offer was rejected 

[Dallas Mead]

5 hours ago, steve oates said:

As it stands isn't the success rate something like only one young player out of every 100 and more ever makes it to professional status. So open up more academies and only one young player out of every 200 and more will ever make it. 

It's about quality not quantity and the best kids need to play the best kids to develop. 

Then given that the NRL have a surplus of "ready made" senior players good enough to play Superleague and Championship, then clubs have to favour them as they have the skills to compete in SL and the championship and entertain the crowds. 

 

That’s totally wrong in terms of growing the player pool then surely?  Have more clubs and players playing at amateur level then and you have a bigger number of quality players available - thus more chance of having more professional clubs and growing the game?

[GUBRATS]

30 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

That’s totally wrong in terms of growing the player pool then surely?  Have more clubs and players playing at amateur level then and you have a bigger number of quality players available - thus more chance of having more professional clubs and growing the game?

Ripping the heart out of amateur/community clubs to fill academies that most likely will not produce any top quality players , so yes clubs that don't have an academy should be required to do more in building school and junior community teams 

[Snowys Backside]

9 hours ago, steve oates said:

As it stands isn't the success rate something like only one young player out of every 100 and more ever makes it to professional status. So open up more academies and only one young player out of every 200 and more will ever make it. 

It's about quality not quantity and the best kids need to play the best kids to develop. 

Then given that the NRL have a surplus of "ready made" senior players good enough to play Superleague and Championship, then clubs have to favour them as they have the skills to compete in SL and the championship and entertain the crowds. 

 

From my personal experience Steve being involved in the first Academy set ups in 1990/91, 6 of the Leigh Team I played in went on to play professionally, some successfully, including Paul Rowley.

If the ratio has dropped due to the fear of relegation of buying success, God knows, but wouldn't it be great where you are forced to have 10% of your first team squad to be filled by Academy players ? 

In them days, 17 year olds were popping out Left Right and Centre playing first team rugby and thrown into the Lions den because they had to be. This is where SL has probably widened the gap on an International perspective as we are now relying on Aussies to put on the Lions Jersey. Sad really.

[The Phantom Horseman]

On 19/01/2022 at 13:45, The Blues Ox said:

Putting together a quality Rugby League team are Leigh. Also putting together a lot of individuals who have had problems at previous clubs. Interesting to see how it plays out but needs must for them given the lack of players now available.

Yes, they are looking very strong on paper now. It's hard to know whether they have just got very lucky  or whether the long-term plan was always to wait as long as possible and hope that players became available - two of their recent high-profile signings were only released by their NRL clubs in December, for instance.

However unlike for their SL season when everything was pretty much against them, everything has been in their favour - a huge financial advantage over other clubs (looking like they have spent at least double everyone else), no limit to overseas signings (I think they have 9 from the southern hemisphere now), and virtually all SL clubs already up to their overseas quota. Interesting to see how things pan out.

[phiggins]

On 19/01/2022 at 17:25, Griff said:

From the Academy/Reserves that a decent governing body would insist on.

Yes, that's where they should get players from. But in the absence of a decent governing body, instead having a governing body that actively block the academy. What is the club to do?

On the parachute payment, I don't like them, but I'd say this one is also offset by the fact the club were given half the funding for Super League last year.

 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

On 18/01/2022 at 18:08, sweaty craiq said:

number 14 against GB

 

 

We need to take more Internationals games to PNG, the passion for the game there is brilliant 

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 hour ago, phiggins said:

 

On the parachute payment, I don't like them, but I'd say this one is also offset by the fact the club were given half the funding for Super League last year.

 

Offset for who? It's certainly not Leigh's fault that they are receiving a parachute payment, but why one Championship club is apparently receiving more than three times the central funding of any of the others is a question that really demands answers.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

36 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Offset for who? It's certainly not Leigh's fault that they are receiving a parachute payment, but why one Championship club is apparently receiving more than three times the central funding of any of the others is a question that really demands answers.

I think Super League clubs want this in place as an insurance incase they are relegated, it means they are very likely to come straight back up. I don’t like it at all, it makes it very hard for ambitious Championship clubs to break the cycle and get into Super League.

You can see with the squad Leigh have they are getting 3 times as much funding as the rest of the league. I think Featherstone are going for Super League or bust this year, they must be running at a very large loss on only £180k in funding.

[Harry Stottle]

4 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Yes, they are looking very strong on paper now. It's hard to know whether they have just got very lucky  or whether the long-term plan was always to wait as long as possible and hope that players became available - two of their recent high-profile signings were only released by their NRL clubs in December, for instance.

However unlike for their SL season when everything was pretty much against them, everything has been in their favour - a huge financial advantage over other clubs (looking like they have spent at least double everyone else), no limit to overseas signings (I think they have 9 from the southern hemisphere now), and virtually all SL clubs already up to their overseas quota. Interesting to see how things pan out.

Yep, Intriguing isn't it, I have said all along though that we are still short on numbers but more signings are still being promised that will join the ranks.

I will get a preview of the team tonight at Saints in Alex Walmsley's testimonial.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

You can see with the squad Leigh have they are getting 3 times as much funding as the rest of the league. I think Featherstone are going for Super League or bust this year, they must be running at a very large loss on only £180k in funding.

I consider that Fev will beat Leigh in second game of the season at POR, such is that the Leigh team have not been together that long to gel, but I expect Leigh to get much better as the season progresses and most probably unlike Fev will be able to strengthen their squad.

Halifax are the only team I can envisage who may prevent a GF being contested by Fev v Leigh and in Oct in 9 months time for the GF I think Leigh will be the stronger team then, but in a one off winner takes all anything can happen.

 

[sweaty craiq]

8 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

I consider that Fev will beat Leigh in second game of the season at POR, such is that the Leigh team have not been together that long to gel, but I expect Leigh to get much better as the season progresses and most probably unlike Fev will be able to strengthen their squad.

Halifax are the only team I can envisage who may prevent a GF being contested by Fev v Leigh and in Oct in 9 months time for the GF I think Leigh will be the stronger team then, but in a one off winner takes all anything can happen.

 

Looked good tonight Harry. 

[phiggins]

On 21/01/2022 at 13:08, The Phantom Horseman said:

Offset for who? It's certainly not Leigh's fault that they are receiving a parachute payment, but why one Championship club is apparently receiving more than three times the central funding of any of the others is a question that really demands answers.

The parachute payment should really be added to the pot of Championship central funding.

Was just saying that in this instance, Leigh's reduction in funding, relative to the rest of SL was higher more than this parachute payment. And while they knew that was the case going into SL, they also knew that the parachute payment was the case as well. I suspect without that, a few of the six clubs that did apply for SL last year wouldn't have bothered. (In fact, I still wish Leigh hadn't bothered, and felt that way before the first game of last season)