national mungoball league players who were rugby juniors

[RugbyFuture]

Brian waldron stated with the latsest league convert that they were targeting others, however they will all have strong rugby backgrounds.

so who knows which players around have a rugby background and tag in particular (maybe in italic or bold) those that are off contract soon.

although i would be worried if someone on this board had such in depth knowledge of league players...

 

[RugbyReg]

I only know of two.

Joe Tamone of the Titans who just started a new contract.

And that Jared Warea-Hargraves lad who I think also just started a new contract.

 

[fatprop]

How do you define rugby juniors?

The kids from Kebra High this year won the Aus 7s but are a league focussed school etc

 

[liquor box]

it is hard to know who had a rugby background as league players are never refered to as a "former union player" but union players are regularly refered to as "former league" player. It is almost as if a rugby player has attended a league game then this is where there skills were developed.


I thought a lot of the Melbourne Storm players attended Nudgee so they might have some Rugby experience

 

[TOCC]

There is 3 or 4 in the Broncos system who are ex-union players, then you also have Frizell? At the sharks who only joined this year controversley after the schoolboys Europe tour

 

[en_force_er]

Sorry to start a sidebar but I think grabbing a union kid but from league after a couple of years in just terrific.

It takes discipline to be part of a professional sporting set-up. On top of this you get improvements out of our body when training is your job that a normal club player just can't get.

When we get a kid back we get a mentally and physically prepared player that needs some fine skill retuning. So much of this player's development is done on league's coin, rather than one of the academies'. Just great.

 

[RugbyFuture]

I might agree with you enforcer except its feeding rugby league...

Terry Campese is around, he went to one of the canberra schools, though i think he's well established in league now and is vying for the nsw SOO team.

 

[Lee Grant]

A lot of boys play both codes; so it doesn't really signify a lot mentioning players like Cooper Cronk who made Oz Schools in union. They are just the tip of the iceberg. Below the waterline it's the pre-teen boys who have played rugby union, and often union one day and league another that we have to look at.

Which NRL players played union is probably the wrong question as far as relevance is concerned. The real question is: of all the pre-teen boys who play in both codes and become good enough and interested enough to play professionally, what percentage will end up playing rugby league and what percentage rugby union?

Assuming that they like both codes equally: unless they go to a rugby private high school, either recruited, or otherwise, or have a tight five build, the majority will see more opportunities in league. League has 15 professional teams and they can earn grocery or entertainment money early. Union has 4 teams, soon to be 5, and only an elite handful earn any money the year after leaving school.

Some private schools players go to league but the sport keeps most of them. It's the state school system that has to be worked on. We have to keep more boys who play both codes and are 50/50 interested.

That has nothing to do with the thread and I have digressed? Excuuuuuse me.

 

[Ruggo]

I agree with you Lee. Given the massive development changes kids go through in the teen years get them into rugby earlier and use rugby as as possitive tool for youth development. Clubs with the aid of the state union should be infiltrating their local schools. Not every kid is going to be the next big thing or rise to the cream of the crop. Those who don't will still have the passion for the game and will be loyal participants at their clubs increasing player participation. The sports which have a bigger impact on the community get a bigger piece of the funding pie. I think we miss a lot of potential players because we don't aim young enough.

 

[Redsfan]

Perhaps it'd be better to ask who has played for the Australian schoolboys rugby side and is currently in the NRL? Surely there's a few.

There was a Knights game on last year at the pub, and I'm pretty sure I heard Rabbits Warren mention that they'd plucked a player out of the Newcastle rugby competition, can't remember his name though.

 

[AussieDominance]

Jarrod Saffy
Lagi Setu(last person to do a Frizell)

 

[Nusadan]

Sorry to start a sidebar but I think grabbing a union kid but from league after a couple of years in just terrific.

It takes discipline to be part of a professional sporting set-up. On top of this you get improvements out of our body when training is your job that a normal club player just can't get.

When we get a kid back we get a mentally and physically prepared player that needs some fine skill retuning. So much of this player's development is done on league's coin, rather than one of the academies'. Just great.

A case in question is Rocky Elsom...he went straight to league from Nudgee I think, and was in Cronulla lower grades for two years or so, and then Tahs signed him up, I didn't think he was all that great in the first couple years then...but I see now how league could be beneficial to a player's development in some cases...

Beale probably would have benefited had he went to league...

 

[Lee Grant]

Beale was a league junior and actually made the Oz Emerging league team. He never played union before he went to Joeys. He's really a league person and I saw him at the Dragons v Penrith game last year with his mates. When he is asked about player role models he always refers to a league player and most often Benji Marshall.

I have no doubt that he will play league one day, maybe teaming up with brother Will, whose rugby talent at age 13 at Joeys was even more precocious than his older brother's was at the same age.

 

[Reddy!]

Why didn't Beale go straight to league then? I'm sure there were offers on the table.

 

[matty_k]

I could be wrong with this but this is what is coming to mind.
At the time he signed his last contract the Wallabies were still looking for their next flyhalf.
He and QC (Quade Cooper) were both being touted as the only contenders.
Gits still hadn't cemented it, he was still considered a stop gap measure and they still wanted him to be 12.
Berrick hadn't stepped up at the world cup yet.

At the time he was approached by some league sides and whichever Ella brother that is managing him did put it out there.

 

[TOCC]

I could be wrong with this but this is what is coming to mind.
At the time he signed his last contract the Wallabies were still looking for their next flyhalf.
He and QC (Quade Cooper) were both being touted as the only contenders.
Gits still hadn't cemented it, he was still considered a stop gap measure and they still wanted him to be 12.
Berrick hadn't stepped up at the world cup yet.

At the time he was approached by some league sides and whichever Ella brother that is managing him did put it out there.

its money, rugby union were offering him more then any NRL club were willing to pay..

No NRL club is going to pay $300k for a unproven player

 

[dobduff11]

Both Beale and Quade base their game on Benji Marshall as they were both in their last year of school when the tigers were premiers.

Unionies:
Rocky had Cronulla trials i think
JOC (James O'Connor) was a Parramatta Eels rugby league junior in Sydney before switching over to rugby union at 15
Beale apparently played league
I can imagine that Gits played a bit of league because of his dad
Berrick played for the broncos
Rod davies played for the broncos

Leaguies:
Joe Tomane played at Nudgee with JOC (James O'Connor) and Stephano
Nathan Stapleton played in the Gps for TSS
Karmichael Hunt played for Churchies Gps

 

[Lindommer]

Rocky had Cronulla played two years for the Bulldogs straight out of school trials I think

 

[waratahjesus]

what constitutes a junior?
i know several people at my school that only played rugby that got drafted to leagues clubs.
and we had a player who played league on the weekend but union for the school who ended up giving up league at 17 and getting selected in australian schoolboys what junior was he?

 

[dobduff11]

Fair enough Lindommer didn't see that, I wonder how good some of those union players would do in league

Just read on wiki that he played for the bulldogs for two years not the sharks