Bulls youth system is 'well on the road to recovery'

Bradford's head of youth saw yet more talented youngsters depart the club at the turn of the year as off-field woes again derailed their plans.

Jacob Trueman's move to Castleford Tigers and Cameron Scott's switch to Hull FC, for instance, must have felt like a real kick in the stomach for Bastian and his team.

However, they remain committed to developing young players for the Bulls first team, and ensuring the best local talent is identified and recruited.

Bastian told the T&A: "Considering what these young blokes have been through and how young they are, we're certainly well on the road to recovery with regards to junior players and the academy. We're delighted with that.

"It may sound a bit arrogant but that hasn't really surprised us because we've been very consistent with staff within the academy and we've got a really good database, run by Robin Sharp, looking at community players.

"We're constantly watching under-18s fixtures and looking at junior players that may have slipped though the net. We're always looking at open age games as well.

"So whilst it was bitterly disappointing to lose some of the quality juniors that we developed over the last three years to Super League clubs, we always knew that we could recover.

"And we're still doing that – we've got a fair way to go and have some improvements left to do over the next 12 months, but we will do that. That's in terms of club projects, not just the academy.

"We're getting strong again. Another pre-season with these juniors will do them the world of good, and I'm sure we'll see another marked improvement."

A host of Under-19s have been involved in the Bulls first team this season, and Bastian believes that the return of reserve-team action would drastically improve their chances of forging successful careers in the game.

"The young lads have done brilliantly this season under a lot of pressure," he continued. "There are times when they need to be pulled out of the senior side, but unfortunately when they are pulled out there are not many places for them to go.

"That's why it's vitally important for the long-term development of, not just the juniors at Bradford Bulls but the game, that we have a reserve grade back within our infrastructure of rugby league.

"We're losing far too many players that do develop later, and the progress and development that you can give them in the reserve grade gives you far more time to be proactive with these young players.

"The reserve grade competition was a very good area where you could give these kids the time that they deserve."

Other than that, and a healthy dollop of natural talent, Bastian insists that the future for his young guns is dependent on two key factors – hard work and their mental strength.

He said: "Young players have to keep their feet on the ground. While we'll give them lots of credit for what they've done already, they're still only on the first rung of the ladder of their progress when it comes to first grade rugby.

"There's a long road ahead, and the mental side of it and keeping your feet firmly planted on the concrete is an important factor in how any young man develops.

"The star names that we have up on the board at Tong – John Bateman, Sam Burgess, Tom Burgess and so on – should be inspirational to the young players that are in our system at the moment. They should be constantly looking at what those guys have achieved and how they got there.

"It's been through hard work, it doesn't come for free. It's through hard work and consistently performing week-in week-out on the field.

"When you get to first grade level there's an expectation that you should be putting a really good shift in every day – that's their next challenge."

Bastian was also quick to add: "A significant contributor to the youth development has been BullBuilder.

"Their outstanding support over the last five years has been so beneficial to the development of many, many of our junior players. It's important that everyone connected to the club recognises that."