Skolars and our reserves. : Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:17 am  

Just been looking over the Skolars results from the last few weeks and was stunned to see they have shipped in 222 points in their last three home games and only registered 16.

Now, with no coach in place do you think it would be worth getting say 8 or 9 Quins Reserves over to them for a few weeks to steady the ship? I hate to see Skolars getting tonked every week and applaud the 300 odd hardy souls who roll up to support the side, but being hammered week in week out isn't going to give them any chance of growing.
Our reserves don't have a fixture on the 19th of July and a fair few Quins fans have been bu99ered by Sky moving the game, so they may well get a few of us down for the Rochdale game if we had some familiar faces to cheer on.

Re: Skolars and our reserves. : Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:25 am  

gutterfax wrote:

Just been looking over the Skolars results from the last few weeks and was stunned to see they have shipped in 222 points in their last three home games and only registered 16.

Now, with no coach in place do you think it would be worth getting say 8 or 9 Quins Reserves over to them for a few weeks to steady the ship? I hate to see Skolars getting tonked every week and applaud the 300 odd hardy souls who roll up to support the side, but being hammered week in week out isn't going to give them any chance of growing.
Our reserves don't have a fixture on the 19th of July and a fair few Quins fans have been bu99ered by Sky moving the game, so they may well get a few of us down for the Rochdale game if we had some familiar faces to cheer on.

Sorry but don't agree at all. Shipping players in to shore up the Skolars is not the way forward - what does it say to the players who have been training and playing since the season began and who will be there when the Quins legions disappear after one game ? The issues at the Skolars are much more root and branch and do not need band aid solutions. To be honest I have not seen them progress at all in recent years and whilst they had moderate success when they were able to field a team of Antipodeans, now the chickens are coming home to roost. Sad but true.

Re: Skolars and our reserves. : Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:27 am  

PC Plum wrote:

Sorry but don't agree at all. Shipping players in to shore up the Skolars is not the way forward - what does it say to the players who have been training and playing since the season began and who will be there when the Quins legions disappear after one game ? The issues at the Skolars are much more root and branch and do not need band aid solutions. To be honest I have not seen them progress at all in recent years and whilst they had moderate success when they were able to field a team of Antipodeans, now the chickens are coming home to roost. Sad but true.

But....and it is a big but, for the game to really put down roots in London, we need the Skolars to do well. Regardless of what has gone on before, Harlequins RL now have a great crop of players coming through and I would happily forgoe success in the reserve grade championship to help out Londons second team. As for those players who have trained all season etc..they aren't up to it. Not a nicety I know, just a plain fact.
222 points against and 3 Matt Thomas tries for over threee games shows that they aren't up to it.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:53 pm  

I agree that the Skolars need all the help they can get, even with an heroic effort from Joe Mbu (I think he played the full 80) they shipped a point a minute after a very even first 15 minutes against league leaders Dewsbury obn Sunday. I think there are a good few better players playing amateur level in the London area but I guess none of them fancy Skolars at the moment. Skolars are averaging 9 points for and 54 against this season. Ouch, it is painful watching god knows what is like playing in it.

Apparently, London League Leaders Hammersmith Hills Hoists (great name ) have had some ex? NRL players playing for them this season.

London RL is truly bizarre.

Re: Skolars and our reserves. : Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:30 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

But....and it is a big but, for the game to really put down roots in London, we need the Skolars to do well.

Why ?

Surely any professional sports club should be self sufficient?

The roots of the game are well and truly establishing themselves in the region through the CSC / Development Officers, but this has got nothing to do with whether the Skolars exist or otherwise.

More and more juniors are now playing the game across the region, throughout the year, in areas like Hertfordshire, Surrey, Middlesex, Essex, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, etc. as well as North London, and in time and given the right management, this will benefit the local amateur clubs, and the regions professional club(s).

If the Skolars want to get serious and become a professional club then they should be supported. But first let’s see a club with a proper structure, with a proper reserve grade, with a proper functional junior development plan, etc. The idea of seeing juniors coming through THEIR ranks and developing into capable Championship level rugby league players is great, creaming off the best local amateur talent and bringing in backpackers / randoms (as was in the past) is not.

Trust me, Skolars do not hold the key to the future of rugby league in the Capital, far from it.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:50 pm  

PC Plum is spot on here tbh.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:37 pm  

Dave Lister wrote:

PC Plum is spot on here tbh.

I understand his points, but regardless of his attitude to the "management" at Skolars, they are the second best team in London at the moment and if we can help....we should. The game on July 19th against Rochdale, followed by Quins in France on SLY TV would be a good event......but as it involves communication between "the management" and Quins RL, it won't happen
I did post my argument regarding skolars keeping their pre-challenge cup event to themselves and judging by PcP's responses, they may well have been better off moving it to TW2. Watching Skolars ship 60 points is really going to "put on a show" for the 1,500 odd northerners who show up

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:40 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

I understand his points, but regardless of his attitude to the "management" at Skolars, they are the second best team in London at the moment and if we can help....we should. The game on July 19th against Rochdale, followed by Quins in France on SLY TV would be a good event......but as it involves communication between "the management" and Quins RL, it won't happen
I did post my argument regarding skolars keeping their pre-challenge cup event to themselves and judging by PcP's responses, they may well have been better off moving it to TW2. Watching Skolars ship 60 points is really going to "put on a show" for the 1,500 odd northerners who show up

Without wishing to repeat myself, moving the event to TW2 would have had no benefits whatsoever to Skolars or Quins.

We have enough troubles of our own to deal with.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:47 pm  

Dave Lister wrote:

Without wishing to repeat myself, moving the event to TW2 would have had no benefits whatsoever to Skolars or Quins.

We have enough troubles of our own to deal with.

leave storming b out of this!

Re: Skolars and our reserves. : Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:51 pm  

PC Plum wrote:

Sorry but don't agree at all. Shipping players in to shore up the Skolars is not the way forward - what does it say to the players who have been training and playing since the season began and who will be there when the Quins legions disappear after one game ? The issues at the Skolars are much more root and branch and do not need band aid solutions. To be honest I have not seen them progress at all in recent years and whilst they had moderate success when they were able to field a team of Antipodeans, now the chickens are coming home to roost. Sad but true.

I agree.