Reserves return as Knights look to keep fringe ranks in tune (From York Press)

Reserves return as Knights look to keep fringe ranks in tune

11:00am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Knights RL By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

YORK City Knights are restarting their reserves team, The Press can reveal.

The Championship outfit axed their second team in September but are now reversing that decision, in time for the new reserve league season, due to “the amount of quality players at the club” who will need regular game-time.

The decision was taken last week – and so had nothing to do with developments this week whereby the Rugby Football League stalled on introducing a full dual-registration system between Championships and amateur clubs, which would have solved some of the issues.

The Knights admit reintroducing the reserves may have financial implications but believe it is a “calculated risk” and are now seeking sponsorship to foot the bill. Additionally, all money raised through their Lancealotto lottery will now go towards the reserves.

They also say they do not expect to dip into playing resources at amateur clubs York Acorn and Heworth to fill the reserves team, as they have done in recent seasons.

The Press reported in September that the Knights were axing their reserves largely because a change in RFL rules meant they could no longer run a scholarship, undermining the club’s player pathway to the second string and onto the first team.

Additionally, the switch to a summer season of the National Conference League (NCL), of which Acorn and Heworth are members, meant the Knights could no longer call on those players without clashing with amateur clubs.

On top of that, only five other teams remain in the Championship reserve grade competition in 2012, other clubs having also scrapped their second strings. However, the Knights’ new-look under-18s “extended scholarship” seems to be bearing fruit for the player pathway, and 31 players are in the first-team squad, six more than initially planned.

General manager Ian Wilson said: “With the amount of quality players we feel we’ve got at the club, on the fringes or coming through the ranks, we thought it was in our best interests to have another playing outlet. At the time, it was a tough decision (to axe the reserves) but probably the right decision, but things have changed.”

Filling the team might be an issue, especially when injuries take a hold, but, in addition to those in the senior squad, players are likely to come from the U18s, trialists and the amateur arena.

Of the latter, Wilson was wary of clashing with amateur clubs. “I do not envisage asking masses to come down from Acorn or Heworth,” he said. “We know they’re in the summer season and have commitments. We don’t expect players to play twice a week.

“We’ve got 80 per cent of a (reserve) team already and with one or two U18s added we’re not far off fielding a full side.”

A new head coach for the reserves will be named in due course. Last year’s reserves boss, Mick Ramsden, is now an assistant to first-team player-boss Chris Thorman.

Meanwhile, the RFL stated this week that the new dual-registration system between Championships and NCL clubs – which could have presented a playing outlet for fringe players or those needing game-time after injury – has so far been brought in only for academy (under-18s) players.

As revealed by The Press last year, it was envisaged that this new dual-reg system – much like that between Super League and the Championships – was to be introduced this term.

Indeed, Keighley’s former Wakefield coach, John Kear, wrote in League Weekly this week that such a system should be brought in.

However, an RFL spokesman has confirmed that any player with an RFL contract can only play in tiers one (Super League) or two (Championships), and not tiers three or four (the amateur game) – with U18s being the only exception.

He explained: “There is no such thing now as a semi-professional player – you are either an RFL contract player (tiers one and two) or a player not holding an RFL contract in which case you can play at tiers three and four.”

This issue is likely to be discussed at a clubs’ meeting at the end of this month.

Wilson added of the Knights: “We were under the assumption this new dual-reg system would come in. The fact it hasn’t has not had a bearing on our decision to bring back the reserves.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring the Knights reserves in any way is asked to phone Wilson at the Knights on 01904 767404 or email ian@ycknights.co.uk

• Back rower John Davies, who scored six tries in eight games for York at the start of last season on loan from Castleford, has signed on dual-reg forms for Dewsbury.

• York Acorn ARLC’s Carnegie Challenge Cup preliminary round tie against Norland Sharks has been postponed for a second time.The sides will try again at Thanet Road on Saturday, February 11 (1.30pm).