What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:24 am  

I’ve watched a lot of academy recently and one thing strikes me over and over.

Sure it’s slower, it’s less physical and the skill level is lower.

However the organisation and the ability to do the basics right is way ahead of what we get from the first team. Not just us wait either but most SL teams.

You watch any academy game and far more often than in the senior game tge players are where they could be. There defence doesn’t always hold but there methods are text book. They all run the right lines and so on.

I know it’s not as intense etc but oddly it looks more professional in a clunky kind of way.

I know the first team players are way better physically and technically in many ways but what I don’t get is why they have in some cases lost all ability to do the basics and play like a team.

If a bunch of part time kids can then why do our first team find it so hard.

Note, the opposition is all relative so to me that doesn’t count.

[PopTart]

Re: What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 10:56 am  

vastman wrote:

I’ve watched a lot of academy recently and one thing strikes me over and over.

Sure it’s slower, it’s less physical and the skill level is lower.

However the organisation and the ability to do the basics right is way ahead of what we get from the first team. Not just us wait either but most SL teams.

You watch any academy game and far more often than in the senior game tge players are where they could be. There defence doesn’t always hold but there methods are text book. They all run the right lines and so on.

I know it’s not as intense etc but oddly it looks more professional in a clunky kind of way.

I know the first team players are way better physically and technically in many ways but what I don’t get is why they have in some cases lost all ability to do the basics and play like a team.

If a bunch of part time kids can then why do our first team find it so hard.

Note, the opposition is all relative so to me that doesn’t count.

Speed of game and quality of opposition makes a big difference. Nice to see them doing well but I don't think you can compare the two.

Re: What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:13 am  

I would say abilities at that age are more equal than in Championship/SL, where we are very much at the bottom of the pike in terms of player recruitment. We need to be on our game to compete. If we're not, as seems to be the case for the past three weeks, then we suffer.

Re: What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:15 am  

Khlav Kalash wrote:

I would say abilities at that age are more equal than in Championship/SL, where we are very much at the bottom of the pike in terms of player recruitment. We need to be on our game to compete. If we're not, as seems to be the case for the past three weeks, then we suffer.

Should that say pile instead of pike ,only asking because the spelling police will be on your case !!!

Re: What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:43 am  

Kettykat wrote:

Should that say pile instead of pike ,only asking because the spelling police will be on your case !!!

Yes, pile, not pike.

Re: What goes wrong? : Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:11 pm  

I’d say hunger is a big factor in how the different teams play ,and as sad as it is to say the youngsters seem to have more appetite for the game at this present time than our senior players . Most of our players won’t get a gig in any other super league clubs ,so the hunger in their game has gone , most haven’t that connection or affinity with the club any more than an employee would at a firm . But take the supposed derby that never was ,the bragging rights if you want , gone are the days when at my pit it was the topic of conversation for weeks between nigh on 1500 men who lived and breathed RL . That has been lost in translation on the players , to us it was a must win game ,but to most who took the field for us ,it was another day at the office . We expected thunder and we got drizzle . The youngsters are eager to get themselves noticed and from that contracts and careers are forged ,unfortunately looking at our first team that’s not there as they know they have hit the ceiling to their careers ,and for me Poching has a job on his hands not from a skill level but an attitude level to get the team hungry again .