LEICESTER TIGERS 2023/24 - KANGAROO MCKELLER: Do you come from a land down under? (Squad thread pt 2)

[RagingBull]

Also isn't Seb Smith in his 6th season?

[TigerFeetSteve]

Also isn't Seb Smith in his 6th season?

https://www.leicestertigers.com/news/sq ... uates-2106

So just checked he is in his 3rd season by my maths based on this announcement

EDIT: I think it's also only his second season as a Hooker, having been a Loosehead in his first Senior Academy season with us.

[sapajo]

Senior academy is 18-24 and under 50K a year.
Tom Manz is still only 22 this season so technically could have another 2 years in the dev squad

Best guess when our new attack coach will join us? Ordinarily would be July but I wonder if it could be sooner?

Prob in the off season, as he's still got his current job.

Think the last regular season match is 5th May.

However it looks likely that the team he coaches is in the promotion/relegation playoffs. Those finish 25th May, so unlikely to be here before June.

Apparently they are in relegation playoffs according to this tweet on X

https://twitter.com/rugbyjpcom/status/1 ... 9184407780

[Pellsey]

Senior academy is 18-24 and under 50K a year.
Tom Manz is still only 22 this season so technically could have another 2 years in the dev squad



Prob in the off season, as he's still got his current job.

Think the last regular season match is 5th May.

However it looks likely that the team he coaches is in the promotion/relegation playoffs. Those finish 25th May, so unlikely to be here before June.

Apparently they are in relegation playoffs according to this tweet on X

https://twitter.com/rugbyjpcom/status/1 ... 9184407780

Does this mean their attack is as good as ours this season?

[Tigersunited]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... ts-defeat/

That article could have been written by DM himself!

[RagingBull]

Think the last regular season match is 5th May.

However it looks likely that the team he coaches is in the promotion/relegation playoffs. Those finish 25th May, so unlikely to be here before June.

Apparently they are in relegation playoffs according to this tweet on X

https://twitter.com/rugbyjpcom/status/1 ... 9184407780

Does this mean their attack is as good as ours this season?

They are about where their squad budget allows them to be at best a mid table if that.
In a league where the likes of PSTD, Marx, Barrett, Savea etc all play, the black rams star signings are in the forwards Nathan Hughes and backs Hadleigh Parkes.

[sk 88]

Because there is a seperate cap for Senior Academy guys than the main squad, the club want to keep as many as possible in the Senior Academy cap to allow more cap to be spent elsewhere, being in the Senior Academy does not restrict appearances in the senior team, so I suspect Carnduff and Woodward at least will remain in the Senior Academy, unless their wages dictate otherwise (Senior Academy players have a cap on max salary). Steward and Van Poortvliet for example were regular starters whilst still in the Senior Academy.

This is a slight misunderstanding.

There are two types of Academy player in the Cap regulations.

Home grown academy player. This is all the ones released and most of the players listed on the academy page. They played for us at U-18s, or joined the club before their 18th birthday. They are not capped in any way currently provided they cost under £50k (inc. Employers NI & agents fees). Over that they are in the normal salary cap but attract a credit of £50k on their salary (up to a maximum of £600k overall).

The Senior academy cap is for players who earn under the £50k barrier but did not play for the club before 18. For instance Ollie Allan, Archie Van Der Flier on the squad page.

[sk 88]

Senior academy is 18-24 and under 50K a year.
Tom Manz is still only 22 this season so technically could have another 2 years in the dev squad

Good point, I've just re-checked the regulations and they are more generous than I'd thought.

They are about being 24 years old (inclusive) on 1st September. So he will still count as "academy" for cap purposes for 24-25 and the 25-26 season.

[Stephen18]

Seems a pretty odd decision to let Edward’s go whilst giving Whitley a new contract, he’s done a job but realistically he’ll never be more that a 3rd choice. Which Edward’s surely could have done next season before taking over from youngs when he retires and at 21 sure could only get better with some game time.
Similar with Meredith at 20 with our lack of 10 options would have been better to see how he would progress and I’m have another option if needed, as we nobly have 3 senior 10 options. With Pollard likely with the boks for the rugby championship we’re only 1 injury from having no back up 10.

[Tiglon]

Seems a pretty odd decision to let Edward’s go whilst giving Whitley a new contract, he’s done a job but realistically he’ll never be more that a 3rd choice. Which Edward’s surely could have done next season before taking over from youngs when he retires and at 21 sure could only get better with some game time.
Similar with Meredith at 20 with our lack of 10 options would have been better to see how he would progress and I’m have another option if needed, as we nobly have 3 senior 10 options. With Pollard likely with the boks for the rugby championship we’re only 1 injury from having no back up 10.

Maybe it's as simple as Whiteley being happy as 3rd choice, whereas Edwards has ambitions and wants an opportunity to play more? It's not always the club's choice when a player leaves, the players make decisions too.

[Tiglon]

It is a failure of the system that cannot find game time for players beyond the age of eighteen. Obviously young players need games to continue development and equally obviously they have to be ready to move on to create space for the next year group. Why on earth is it beyond the ability of the RFU or the Premiership.to create an under 23 league, an allowance for a limited number of over age players to participate would help injury returnees to get some game time whilst the young would benefit from p!aying with more experienced p!ayers.
Dual registration with lower league clubs does not always work as the senior clubs occasional usage of the young players just disrupts the other teams selection and unity.

I mean I don’t know about names, something like A league, could do Monday nights perhaps?

But is an u23 league and a professional championship achievable? It sounds like they're trying to merge the two, which doesn't sound like a crazy idea to me.

[GB72]

It is a failure of the system that cannot find game time for players beyond the age of eighteen. Obviously young players need games to continue development and equally obviously they have to be ready to move on to create space for the next year group. Why on earth is it beyond the ability of the RFU or the Premiership.to create an under 23 league, an allowance for a limited number of over age players to participate would help injury returnees to get some game time whilst the young would benefit from p!aying with more experienced p!ayers.
Dual registration with lower league clubs does not always work as the senior clubs occasional usage of the young players just disrupts the other teams selection and unity.

I mean I don’t know about names, something like A league, could do Monday nights perhaps?

But is an u23 league and a professional championship achievable? It sounds like they're trying to merge the two, which doesn't sound like a crazy idea to me.

It does sound like a plan to reduce the stockpiling of young talent in the Premiership clubs and spread it out amongst the championship.

[Jimmy Skitz]

didn't the A league fold as it was too costly?

[GB72]

didn't the A league fold as it was too costly?

Could have been an issue, I also seem to remember teams pulling out of matches last minute in its last few years as players were called up to the main squad.

[Jimmy Skitz]

didn't the A league fold as it was too costly?

Could have been an issue, I also seem to remember teams pulling out of matches last minute in its last few years as players were called up to the main squad.

maybe there is a way prem sides can field academy + sides in tier 3 or so to give these academy lads game time?