EXCITING NEW G&GR DEVELOPMENT - Help Needed

[barbarian]

For something that so many people are interested in, grade and schoolboy rugby recieve virtually no coverage from anyone. Getting merely a score can be difficult, and finding a match report nigh on impossible. So thousands upon thousands of rugby fans are left wandering the lonely abyss of the internet, looking for some tiny morsel of info on how their team went.

We at G&GR have been looking to expand the way we cover grade and schoolboy rugby. Last year we started a few Sydney GPS rugby match reports, which were met with great interest. Now we want to go further, but we need your help.

At the moment we are looking at creating a portal for each competition. It would automatically publish reports submitted via email from approved sources. It would look a little like this (using Sydney GPS as an example): http://www.gps.greenandgoldrugby.com/

But first I want to canvass some opinions of our clientele. So with that in mind I have a few questions that I would appreciate responses to.

What do you want to read about? Shute Shield, Brisbane Premier, Schoolboys (which comp?), Subbies etc.

Would you want a whole match report or just a score?

And most importantly:

Would you be willing to contribute to the portal?

You don't need to be a gun wordsmith, merely able to put a paragraph together about the game you saw.

If you have any ideas or suggestions about how we can better cover grassroots rugby, please throw them up. We would love to hear them. We want to make G&GR home for rugby at ALL levels.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

What do you want to read about? Shute Shield, Brisbane Premier, Schoolboys (which comp?), Subbies etc.[/QUOTE]

All of the above including all the varying Schoolboy competitions from NSW and Queensland. If you could get some reports out of their Vic and WA wqivalents would be fantastic as well.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

You could even go down the path of looking for contributions about the country competitions. I'd put my hand up for the Illawarra if you're game.

 

[Refabit]

Great idea. Lots of interest out there.
I am sure plenty of GAGR readers would contribute.
Will it be anonymous? (If I do a match report on a game I have refereed it'd be pretty obvious who I was).
I would be interested in Brisbane, Sydney and Gold Coast grade rugby. Plus schools games Syd & Bris.

 

[Moses]

You could report under any anonymous handle you choose, though if you used refabit it wouldn't be too hard to join the dots!

 

[Bruce Ross]

I don't read the posts on schools rugby but am interested in Grade and Colts in Sydney and Brisbane plus the ACT competition. If WorkingClass follows through on his offer to write about Illawarra rugby I would be interested in that as I was involved in rugby down there for about 25 years.

 

[ned]

I think it's a great idea and would be interested in both Senior and Junior rugby competitions scores and match repoerts (as long as the reports are positive and no negative comments towards players).

 

[AngrySeahorse]

This is a great idea. I'd love to cover Newcastle regularly but I play on the same day everyone else does, our team warms up half way through premier one which is the highest level in Newie so I couldnt give a complete report start to finish. So my reporting would be a little sporatic. I'm happy to just post in the thread I made for newcastle/Hunter rugby when I can get around to it. A good idea on scores would be to post the direct link to Rugbynet for the comp scores for a whole round across all premiers/grades across a comp.

I would like to hear from my NSW country/regional companions in illawarra, central west, new england as well as country rugby comps from other states/terrritories in Aus like WA.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I don't read the posts on schools rugby but am interested in Grade and Colts in Sydney and Brisbane plus the ACT competition. If WorkingClass follows through on his offer to write about Illawarra rugby I would be interested in that as I was involved in rugby down there for about 25 years.

It will give me a reason to get out and watch somec games. I'll start next week.

I played my junior Rugby down here and represented the region from U13s -15s before I moved into Sydney to play for Clovelly and then Randwick.

 

[RugbyFuture]

I would be more interested in getting the many readers we have from the forum contribute to a shute shield weekly rundown, so have a paragraph match report on each game, on the front page in a single Shute Shield Rundown.

 

[Bruce Ross]

It will give me a reason to get out and watch somec games. I'll start next week.

I played my junior Rugby down here and represented the region from U13s -15s before I moved into Sydney to play for Clovelly and then Randwick.

Who with, WCR? I was foundation president of the Woonona Shamrocks who were very wild boys back in those times. One of their watering holes was the Bulli Workers Club, affectionately known throughout the district as the Shitcarters' Arms.

 

[Spewn]

I am interested in GPS, colts and Shute shield. I would be happy to contribute.

 

[barbarian]

I would be more interested in getting the many readers we have from the forum contribute to a shute shield weekly rundown, so have a paragraph match report on each game, on the front page in a single Shute Shield Rundown.

RF we would synthesise the reports in a front page article so it can be exposed to a wider audience.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Who with, WCR? I was foundation president of the Woonona Shamrocks who were very wild boys back in those times. One of their watering holes was the Bulli Workers Club, affectionately known throughout the district as the Shitcarters' Arms.

For the Campbelltown Harlequins. Played my first real game of club Rugby against the Shamrocks. Do you still have any contact with the club?

 

[RugbyFuture]

RF we would synthesise the reports in a front page article so it can be exposed to a wider audience.

still would like to see a more organised approach for specifically the Shute Shield and or Hospital Cup games.

 

[Bruce Ross]

For the Campbelltown Harlequins. Played my first real game of club Rugby against the Shamrocks. Do you still have any contact with the club?

Yes, WCR, but not as much as I should. I was down at their clubhouse for their 40th Anniversary function last year. Unfortunately whenever they make a grand final it conflicts with the Sydney Premiership finals. In any case I know very few of those actively involved now.

So basically it's anniversaries and funerals these days, although I did line up Greg Matthews and then Dave Brockhoff for two of their fund raising lunches and took them down there. The highlight with Brock was to be showing his Battle of Brisbane Test from the 'Seventies but they couldn't get the hotel's video player to work. It would have gone over very big there given that Illawarra rugby, unless it has been cleaned up in the last few years, tends to be a throwback to earlier times in terms of on-field brawls and other pleasantries.

 

[Jets]

I think most of us would like to hear about as much grassroots rugby as possible but the hardest thing will be to get writers. I should be able to write something on some Brisbane Premier, Premier Colts and maybe the odd GPS 1st XV game. I have taken the year off coaching to keep my wife happy so this will be a good excuse to get the kids out of the house and stay involved.

I could also do reports on my sons Under 6's team for those interested. It is coached by a guy who used to be on here a bit called RugbyReg. Some of you may remember him.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Yes, WCR, but not as much as I should. I was down at their clubhouse for their 40th Anniversary function last year. Unfortunately whenever they make a grand final it conflicts with the Sydney Premiership finals. In any case I know very few of those actively involved now.

So basically it's anniversaries and funerals these days, although I did line up Greg Matthews and then Dave Brockhoff for two of their fund raising lunches and took them down there. The highlight with Brock was to be showing his Battle of Brisbane Test from the 'Seventies but they couldn't get the hotel's video player to work. It would have gone over very big there given that Illawarra rugby, unless it has been cleaned up in the last few years, tends to be a throwback to earlier times in terms of on-field brawls and other pleasantries.

From what I have been told for the most part those days are long since passed unless you are playing Avondale, then it can become a bit of a warzone. Should be interesting to observe purely as a spectator this season. The funny thing is as a junior I never got the sense that the competition was rough and ready down these parts but then again as I discovered during my time at Randwick when a former Illawarra Reps teammate of mine joined the club, they were to scared to engage us in that sought of thing. Evidently, they had the impression that Campbelltown was full of gangs and we weren't to be messed with. Funny that.

 

[Swarley]

I can cover all the BGS 1st XV games if you like. Maybe a section in the wiki called 'Schoolboy Rugby 2011' or something along those lines would be beneficial.

 

[Ruggo]

For the Campbelltown Harlequins. Played my first real game of club Rugby against the Shamrocks. Do you still have any contact with the club?

Those boys have been regular attenders of the Australia Day Sevens (now Hottest Sevens) here in Darwin for quite some years.