YOUNG guns once again played a massive part in their club's games at the weekend, which was truly fantastic to see.
It shows coaches are not afraid to throw in untested under-19s stars for their debuts, and gives them a taste of Super League action which can only benefit both players and their clubs a huge amount for 2015 and beyond.
Hull KR fielded centre Macauley Hallett on the wing, with Sonny Esslemont coming on from the bench, whilst promising Hull FC scrum-half Harry Tyson-Wilson didn't look out of place at Huddersfield Giants at the weekend.
Watching Rovers take on Catalan on Sunday, it was time for Hallett to stop knocking on Chris Chester's door and finally clinch his first run-out for the Robins' first team.
Hallett has been itching to play for the last five or six weeks, and his form in the under-19s has been pretty good. The below-par first-team performances have also been well documented, so it was the right time to give the youngsters a chance.
And what was very pleasing from a KR point of view is that Hallett looked like he had played in that team all his life.
His first-team debut came on the wing, rather than his preferred centre position, and he deserves a lot of praise because didn't put a foot wrong. He'll remember his try for a long time, too.
With Esslemont, he found it quite difficult to come on from the bench, and had to wait around 50 minutes to get on the pitch.
He made a few mistakes on Sunday, but that can be forgiven due to his inexperience of the first-team environment.
For Hull, Tyson-Wilson will have delighted his rugby league mad family by taking to the field at the John Smith's Stadium.
A late replacement for the ill Richard Horne, Lee Radford alluded to his desire when speaking in his post-match press conference, and indicated he wanted to get his hands on the ball.
Tyson-Wilson plays with no fear or nerves, and that's great considering how much of a pressurised 12 months he's had. Just over a year ago, he was sitting his GCSEs. Now, he's just made his Super League debut.
Progression is now the key factor for both KR and Hull's youngsters, and a huge pre-season promises to be in store for the players.
I've seen that Hallett does everything at a million miles an hour, but sometimes he'll need to be dragged back and taken out of proceedings.
We have to remember he's only a baby at 18 years old, but as with every young player, they want everything now.
KR are fortunate to have the likes of Kris Welham, who made that exact same progression as a youngster, to guide Hallett and others through the next stages of their careers.
Tyson-Wilson and Esslemont will be bulking up in the gym during the off-season, which both coaches admitted to afterwards.
Leon Pryce's signing at Hull will help to guide Tyson-Wilson, along with Jordan Rankin, who has found things tough at times to control his side's games. Pryce has been there and got the T-shirt, so he'll be a huge assistance.
Don't be surprised if both coaches stick with the youngsters this week.
