Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2018

[Up the Guts]

It's a good effort by QLD I this year to lose at the death to a strong NSW II side. One thing worth noting in the selections for schoolboys and u20s is that most students finish school when they are 17 in QLD as opposed to 18 in NSW. I would expect a more NSW dominated side at schoolboy level and the QLD boys to secure more spots in the u20s often at the expense of players who made schoolboys.

 

[Garry Owens]

As I saw it, Kopua looked better than Winchester at 2 yesterday.

I also thought Qld 1's Nongorr excelled v NSW 2, he must be in the frame for the reserve tighthead but I understand he'll be back next year anyway.

Isn't Qld I's loosehead, Vella, back next year as well?

Correct G

Guys that I am aware of as to who will be eligible next year are

QLD 1

1. Harry Vella
3. Zane of Nongorr
12. Reesjan Pasiota
11. Glenn Vahiu

QLD 2

21. Kalani Thomas ( originally selected but didn’t tour for whatever reason )
22. Grant Tuisamoa
23. Jack Bowyer

 

[Garry Owens]

It's a good effort by QLD I this year to lose at the death to a strong NSW II side. One thing worth noting in the selections for schoolboys and u20s is that most students finish school when they are 17 in QLD as opposed to 18 in NSW. I would expect a more NSW dominated side at schoolboy level and the QLD boys to secure more spots in the u20s often at the expense of players who made schoolboys.

It’s worth noting that for 80% of the QLD 1 and 2 participants ( IE : The GPS Guys ) they haven’t had their season yet and just don’t have the same volume of Rugby under their belt compared to ( at least ) The NSW boys

Not meant as an excuse - just worth noting

In fact the NSW boys have been very impressive and fairly earned their records in this tournament

The ACT team has been a pleasure to watch and there is some talent in Vic and WA that is as good as anybody

Congratulations to all the boys who have participated

 

[redblack]

I think the 3rd place play off could be more interesting than the final.
Qld 1 have a better set of individuals on paper but ACT play best as a team.
ACT played well against NSW1 quickly aligning in defence and making it hard to break through.
It will be a real contest tomorrow.
Qld 1 underestimate them at their peril.
In the main game NSW1 will be too good. I expect a 20 to 30 point margin.
Difficult to see an upset.
In selections for the squad of 40 I would be amazed if the entire starting pack of NSW1 didn't get named.
Numbers 1 through 8 have all performed well in the 3 games to date.

We will soon see after the few few runs at set piece, as i stated earlier there are a few chinks there, hopefully they have been addressed

 

[Breaks_Away]

Gee what a shock - a NSW HPM giving a NSW kid a rap

I’m stunned

QLD 1 12/10 - Reesjan Pasiota seems as though he’s injured which explains why we didn’t see much of him this week - but like Donny Freeman - he’s a class act and probably will ultimately be in the mix when the Tests are on

Tim Rapp is the Waratahs general manger he overseas the NSW high performance Unit.( Gen Blue development programs) If you watch the Rugbycom replay of the NSWI vs QII you will hear his commentary/comments. Must admit I was a bit shocked to hear him openly express who has impressed!


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[Garry Owens]

He should be more careful otherwise he might get rapped over the knuckles

Actually ......bad jokes aside I will give that podcast a listen to over the weekend

I wonder if he is aware of a growing trend in leakage of NSW Country Boys in his Next Gen program to QLD GPS Boarding Schools

 

[Blazing Saddles]

He should be more careful otherwise he might get rapped over the knuckles

Actually ..bad jokes aside I will give that podcast a listen to over the weekend

I wonder if he is aware of a growing trend in leakage of NSW Country Boys in his Next Gen program to QLD GPS Boarding Schools

He is acutely aware of the boy he was praising was from a PUBLIC school, obviously something not caught on yet north of the border.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

It's a good effort by QLD I this year to lose at the death to a strong NSW II side. One thing worth noting in the selections for schoolboys and u20s is that most students finish school when they are 17 in QLD as opposed to 18 in NSW. I would expect a more NSW dominated side at schoolboy level and the QLD boys to secure more spots in the u20s often at the expense of players who made schoolboys.

If this years 20s are any guide we should end up with between 13-18 Queenslanders in Thommos U20 team of 28, neither qld team made the first 4 places in 2016. By the way Qld did not win in 2015 either.

 

[CatchnPass]

Walton deserves the wraps the way he has been playing. Hopefully he will be Waldaba High’s first ASB (no idea if that is correct, but there cant have been many). The symbolic importance of boys outside the private schools being selected at the highest level shouldn’t be underestimated. That in itself is not a reason to do it, but when a boy from outside the priveleged heartland is good enough to get a shot, there is hope for all the others who don’t regularly play in the spotlight.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Walton deserves the wraps the way he has been playing. Hopefully he will be Waldaba High’s first ASB (no idea if that is correct, but there cant have been many). The symbolic importance of boys outside the private schools being selected at the highest level shouldn’t be underestimated. That in itself is not a reason to do it, but when a boy from outside the priveleged heartland is good enough to get a shot, there is hope for all the others who don’t regularly play in the spotlight.

He is well and truly good enough, hopefully the selection cards roll his way

 

[The Nomad]

If this years 20s are any guide we should end up with between 13-18 Queenslanders in Thommos U20 team of 28, neither qld team made the first 4 places in 2016. By the way Qld did not win in 2015 either.

No but they have won the U20s comp for as long as it has been in existence.


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[Up the Guts]

If this years 20s are any guide we should end up with between 13-18 Queenslanders in Thommos U20 team of 28, neither qld team made the first 4 places in 2016. By the way Qld did not win in 2015 either.

That’s my point, the QLD boys are a year younger at Schoolboy level and you wouldn’t expect them to do as well. When they reach u20s and everyone’s the same age then more QLD boys will be selected despite not being in the schoolboy team a few years before.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

No but they have won the U20s comp for as long as it has been in existence.


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Nah not really 2014,15 NSW 2016,17 QLD , NO COMP 2018

 

[sidelineview]

Walton deserves the wraps the way he has been playing. Hopefully he will be Waldaba High’s first ASB (no idea if that is correct, but there cant have been many). The symbolic importance of boys outside the private schools being selected at the highest level shouldn’t be underestimated. That in itself is not a reason to do it, but when a boy from outside the priveleged heartland is good enough to get a shot, there is hope for all the others who don’t regularly play in the spotlight.

Walton's already listed as that school's only Aussie Schoolboy rep from last year.
If he doesnt win another cap this year something's wrong. He's been in great form for NSWI.

 

[The Nomad]

Nah not really 2014,15 NSW 2016,17 QLD , NO COMP 2018

Sorry for my ignorance. Do you mind me asking the years that you think Qld had too many in the Aust U20s ?


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[Garry Owens]

He is acutely aware of the boy he was praising was from a PUBLIC school, obviously something not caught on yet north of the border.

Sure it’s caught on

The Combine Harvester just exists at the Schooling level moreso in QLD than it does elsewhere . I could name you several different examples of Public School kids who are now QLD GPS kids .....just in the last 6 months from a few different schools with a few of these boys previously attending Public High Schools in NSW

There doesn’t seem to be much motivation for NSW Schools to operate on the same level


If a kid gets through to Nationals and is good enough than good luck to him .

But a kid shouldn’t gain extra status in consideration just because he attends a Public High School and he hopefully becomes a flagbearer for the needles in those haystacks

The War is over - League won . AFL came 2nd ( in NSW and QLD at least )

And Jake McIntyre sends his regards

 

[Breaks_Away]

Walton deserves the wraps the way he has been playing. Hopefully he will be Waldaba High’s first ASB (no idea if that is correct, but there cant have been many). The symbolic importance of boys outside the private schools being selected at the highest level shouldn’t be underestimated. That in itself is not a reason to do it, but when a boy from outside the priveleged heartland is good enough to get a shot, there is hope for all the others who don’t regularly play in the spotlight.

Similar thoughts to yours Catchnpass regarding Public Schoolboy players under the spotlight’ and their being hope for them to progress further.

However, at last years champs there were public School boys such as #7 Harry Turner from NSW Epping Boys Public High School ( Combined States) who received great wraps from all Rugby media sites including Aus Schools web site likening him to Micheal Hopper for his work horse performance(The Roar - quote[ Michael Hooper clone destined to play for the Waratahs
Openside flanker Harry Turner worked his way up the ranks in Sydney and currently plays in the Waratahs U19’s Generation Blue side. He was awarded NSW Waratahs 'Spirit of Rugby' Junior Player of the year 2017 https://www.theroar.com.au/tv/michael-hooper-clone-destined-to-play-for-the-waratahs/ ]
and on and off field leadership attributes. He was the NSWCHS captain 2017 who toured South Africa - St Johns Rugby festival
Johannesburg, alongside (CHS)Joey Walton.

They had a fantastic tour ,Turner commended for his leadership and hard nosed work on the field, ultimately being awarded NSW Waratahs Junior Player of the year “Spirit of Rugby” Award 2017. And yet did not configure within either of the Aussie Schools Teams.
WA #7 selected C.Tazarro (ISA) who ended up being replaced by a (GPS ) Queensland player,Tazzaro was not injured so a bit of a mystery to why he was replaced?
My reasoning for all the above is this...

At the end of the day no matter you’re proven performance, or top shelf awards received selectors will select who they feel fit into their plan of play.
Imo we need to understand the reason to why very few pubic Schoolboys make it into Australian Schoolboys, simply because less than a handful throughout the entire states are selected for any of the National Schoolboy state teams! so unless that changes and changes soon we few will continue to highlight the public Schoolboys making higher honour selections.

Last year the general consensus was size being the main focus selectors had on mind for both the Aussie teams at selection time which many felt was why (CS)#15 Pavlakis, Turner, ACT Jimenez and other standout players during the championship were left outside the Aussie Schools Sheds making room for their heavier, taller counterparts.
Size must have come into the mix of things somewhere along the line as why else would Donny Freeman #7 NSWI and Harry Turner both having had standout performances as Openside flankers in 2017 not make either of the Aus School teams that year?

Hopefully this year selectors will take into fact when thinking about size, that size is not the be and end all, that size is needed in respect yes, but not necessarily the crux that will take Aussie Schoolboys Teams over the game line, ( just need to look at last years Aus School team and the year before and the year after that and so on and so forth...) positional skill and smarts are equally as important as size if not more so when it comes to matching up with the Kiwi School boys, remembering when it comes to NZ Schools selectors selecting their Kiwi schoolboys side it’s not the School blazer the boy wears that gives him an advantage over other players,it’s his prowess,speed,smarts,mental fitness and comradely that is the key for the young man’s success on gaining higher honours....

Thoughts anyone?





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[CatchnPass]

Leaving aside say a preference for size, which I agree was probably the key factor in Pavlakis - from a CAS school which was performing reasonably well - omission, I think it largely comes down to familiarity bias. For better or worse, most selectors will come from a GPS/CAS/ISA background and/or spend a lot more time watching matches from amongst these associations, as they are played in the Sydney metro area each Saturday afternoon and so are easily accessible. If you see a boy play consistently well over many weeks or even years, you are more likely to be predisposed to select him and to forgive a less than stellar performance in a rep trial match. On the flip side, the unknown or lesser known lad will probably have to play out of his skin at all trial matches to unseat those biases. This is not a criticism of selectors - we all carry ingrained biases every day, and it’s easier said than done to leave them at home on selection day(s).

 

[sidelineview]

Combined States 45 defeated VIC 19.
Who won the first game?

 

[scotsman18]

Combined States 45 defeated VIC 19.
Who won the first game?

QLD II by about 70 I believe