The junior talent is out there

[JasonE]

Watching the Saints juniors in action against Balmain tonight just confirms how stupid most Super League clubs are for wasting money signing second rate and past it overseas players.

The talent (plenty of it) is there in the uk, it just needs to be persevered with and nurtured, given good coaching which they have at Saints will bring the youngsters on. This Saints team didn't even make the playoffs this year but they look a solid outfit.

 

[watatank]

How do the England schoolboys/academy teams go against Australia these days? I remember reading something about james Graham's team smashing Australia and the talent is better and better.

 

[Chook Norris]

i think the major differences out there are the:
-number of juniors [Soccer is just so dominant over there]
-quality of coaches
-training schedules

I read recently, regarding Gareth Widdop, that the training methods/time/intensity? of nrl clubs puts the SL to shame.

 

[nadera78]

The biggest problem is that outside of the professional game 95% of RL is played through the winter. It makes it very difficult for kids to develop their skills when they're forced to trudge through the mud, wind and rain at every training session.

Eventually the whole game will switch to summer but it will take time because of the traditionalists. In Hull last year they switched everything up to 12 years old and saw a huge increase in playing numbers, up to 50% at some clubs, and a similar thing occurred in one of the other youth leagues. Some of that increase is down to players prefering to play in better weather and some of it was soccer players being able to play both sports instead of being forced to choose.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

i think the major differences out there are the:
-number of juniors [Soccer is just so dominant over there]
-quality of coaches
-training schedules

I read recently, regarding Gareth Widdop, that the training methods/time/intensity? of nrl clubs puts the SL to shame.

Soccer is the most played Junior sport here too. Seems that when Aussie kids grow some hair, they either want to play a mans sport in League or wear a singlet and short shorts in AFL.

 

[deluded pom?]

Soccer is the most played Junior sport here too. Seems that when Aussie kids grow some hair, they either want to play a mans sport in League or wear a singlet and short shorts in AFL.

Soccer in the US is a large participant sport among juniors and women but once the boys get to high school it all changes.

 

[hutch]

Watching the Saints juniors in action against Balmain tonight just confirms how stupid most Super League clubs are for wasting money signing second rate and past it overseas players.

The talent (plenty of it) is there in the uk, it just needs to be persevered with and nurtured, given good coaching which they have at Saints will bring the youngsters on. This Saints team didn't even make the playoffs this year but they look a solid outfit.

what age was saints v balmain juniors, and do you have the score mate?

 

[JasonE]

A mix of under 16 & 17's
Saints 38-Tigers 6
Tigers were a development squad

 

[Chook Norris]

Soccer is the most played Junior sport here too. Seems that when Aussie kids grow some hair, they either want to play a mans sport in League or wear a singlet and short shorts in AFL.

yer it is and while it towers over league and afl over here in terms of playing numbers, it doesn't compare to what English RL is facing

 

[Goddo]

How do the England schoolboys/academy teams go against Australia these days? I remember reading something about james Graham's team smashing Australia and the talent is better and better.

The England school boys were in Canberra at the AIS and played against the Australian school boys as a curtain raiser to the St George vs Canberra round 23 clash.

The Australian team won something like 60-nil. I can't remember what the score was but it was huge. I'd say touring made it a bit harder for the Poms, but that said, they had nothing.

The tallent is probably there for England, it just gets lured away elsewhere and the development of juniors in England is nowhere near as good as that here.

Very reasuring to see good trends in the UK to address this though. The new coach of Celtic has talked a lot about how one of his key priorities at the club is getting young tallent to a higher quality and strategies to improve skills and paths to top grade footy.

Hopefully that will mean better international tallent, which leads to bigger international comps, more money, and the end of Rugby Union! Hey, I'm allowed to dream...

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

The England school boys were in Canberra at the AIS and played against the Australian school boys as a curtain raiser to the St George vs Canberra round 23 clash.

The Australian team won something like 60-nil. I can't remember what the score was but it was huge. I'd say touring made it a bit harder for the Poms, but that said, they had nothing.

The tallent is probably there for England, it just gets lured away elsewhere and the development of juniors in England is nowhere near as good as that here.

Very reasuring to see good trends in the UK to address this though. The new coach of Celtic has talked a lot about how one of his key priorities at the club is getting young tallent to a higher quality and strategies to improve skills and paths to top grade footy.

Hopefully that will mean better international tallent, which leads to bigger international comps, more money, and the end of Rugby Union! Hey, I'm allowed to dream...

I believe that game, the England side was picked of mostly juniors from the south of England. Imagine what a touring Junior Kangaroo side would be like if all players were picked from Victoria.

 

[jim_57]

The England school boys were in Canberra at the AIS and played against the Australian school boys as a curtain raiser to the St George vs Canberra round 23 clash.

The Australian team won something like 60-nil. I can't remember what the score was but it was huge. I'd say touring made it a bit harder for the Poms, but that said, they had nothing.

The tallent is probably there for England, it just gets lured away elsewhere and the development of juniors in England is nowhere near as good as that here.

Very reasuring to see good trends in the UK to address this though. The new coach of Celtic has talked a lot about how one of his key priorities at the club is getting young tallent to a higher quality and strategies to improve skills and paths to top grade footy.

Hopefully that will mean better international tallent, which leads to bigger international comps, more money, and the end of Rugby Union! Hey, I'm allowed to dream...

It was GB community Lions, not England Schoolboys. From memory none of the players were signed to SL clubs except for a few from Celtic. So it was basically Britians best ametuers I believe, somebody may be able to give a better description of exactly what the difference is and where the community Lions are selected from.

 

[nadera78]

It was GB community Lions, not England Schoolboys. From memory none of the players were signed to SL clubs except for a few from Celtic. So it was basically Britians best ametuers I believe, somebody may be able to give a better description of exactly what the difference is and where the community Lions are selected from.

The team didn't include ESL players, didn't even include players from the semi-pro clubs. It was strictly U-18's from amateur clubs, guys who will never make a career in the pro game. It's great that they got the chance to tour, RL needs to be able to offer opportunities to everyone not just the elite, but that team should never have been thrown in against the AIS and should never have played before NRL crowds. It just wasn't fair on the lads.

 

[deluded pom?]

It was GB community Lions, not England Schoolboys. From memory none of the players were signed to SL clubs except for a few from Celtic. So it was basically Britians best ametuers I believe, somebody may be able to give a better description of exactly what the difference is and where the community Lions are selected from.

Not even the best amateurs jim. As TEZZA said, a lot were from the South.

 

[JasonE]

Saints played a full strength Wests Tigers side tonight with Australian Schoolboys rep and under 20 squad members, it was a really tough physical battle with the Saints winning 18-6.
A top quality game.

 

[Pocket Rocket]

We have the youngsters. Super League is changing for the better regarding getting rid of overseas crap!

Heard it was a tough game against the Wests tonight and they was apparantly a massive team ? Welldone on our boys thou, Scott Hale, Tommy Makinson and Josh Jones are the standouts in that Saints u18 team.

2 from 2. Welldone lads!

Saints 38 vs 6 Balmain

Saints 18 vs 6 West Tigers

 

[Deleted member 10972]

I am looking forward to seeing the young talents of Ryan Atkins, Michael Shenton, Kirk Dixon, Peter Fox, Ryan Hall, Craig Hall, Tom Briscoe, Tony Clubb and Kris Welham develop over the next few years. Alongside the more experienced Senior, Gleeson, Pryce, Yeaman, Gardner, Sykes and S Briscoe, GB are developing some depth.

Thank god we never have to see Calderwood again, he is hopeless.

Question - what happened to Darrell Goulding and Kevin Penny? They were very talented but I heard nothing about them this season.

 

[WireMan]

I am looking forward to seeing the young talents of Ryan Atkins, Michael Shenton, Kirk Dixon, Peter Fox, Ryan Hall, Craig Hall, Tom Briscoe, Tony Clubb and Kris Welham develop over the next few years. Alongside the more experienced Senior, Gleeson, Pryce, Yeaman, Gardner, Sykes and S Briscoe, GB are developing some depth.

Thank god we never have to see Calderwood again, he is hopeless.

Question - what happened to Darrell Goulding and Kevin Penny? They were very talented but I heard nothing about them this season.

Yup some very good players mentioned there. Its just nice to have some choice so we can debate a team picked rather than in the past the same 17 were picked because there was no-one better.

Goulding went on loan to Salford he may get a game next season. Not seen much of him but i hear he can score tries but his defence is a bit shakey.

Which brings me to Penny, went on loan to Widnes and did well. Hopefully he will establish himself at Wire in the near future playing outside Atkins when Kings contracts up.

 

[Deleted member 10972]

The most important thing is that there is good young players. For years, there was always the same players seen - Peacock, Morley, Fielden, Sinfield, O'Loughlin, Pryce, Senior, Gleeson, Wellens, Gilmour, O'Loughlin, Newton, Cunningham, McGuire, Long.

Now that youth like Burgess, Graham, Myler, Eastmond, Tomkins, and the aforementioned outside backs are coming into the picture, there seems to be more x-factor, and a sense of the unknown as opposed to the tried and previously failed players of the recent past.

 

[JasonE]

Scott Hale, Tommy Makinson and Josh Jones are the standouts

Josh Jones is definitely one to keep an eye out for although i think he will end up in the backrow, not sure he is quick enough for the centres but he is doing a great job there at the moment. As one of the youngest in the squad he has handled the step up with ease.

Karl Forster is the pick of the bunch.