From what i keep reading, is that we havn't won a youth game yet? Is this true? And if so, why are our kids / reserves doing so bad? Are they simply not that good, are they not taking it too seriously (especially the fringe players who think they are possibly better than that). In my opinion, they should be making more of an effort than most, especially if they want to impress the management team.
With my work hat on.. It is simply not as clear cut as achieving the best results. One of the issues is that the side that will go out and get the best result (at Junior level) may not be players with the highest potential. This then poses the question of what is best, results or player development? Some would argue the two go hand in hand, but I wouldn't... The key is to give those players the opportunity to develop in the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework and certain players (& positions) have different maturation rates and a massive amount of factors contribute (especially within team sports) to players movement along the talent pathway. In short, we should be doing better.... but I would like to think that the experience and added exposure to these chosen players with recognized potential should help develop them into better players in the future
