Saxon Fenwick has been playing 12 for kings this season but certainly knows how to play 10 and has been there a couple times this season, and he was just too good to leave in the 4's, although I could see the Riverview 10 Joe Dillion getting the nod over him for the 3's team.
Surely Oscar will be picked. It is just a question of which team. I haven’t seen Shore, Kings or Newington play though , if there are multiple wingers that are better than Oscar then the CAS is in trouble!
Perkins did seem to give Oscar a bit of trouble on the weekend, having resulted in 2 collar-grab-tackles when Perkins challenged him the outside There's no doubt about Oscar's ball running ability but from the two games of Joeys I've seen, defensively he looked a tad shakey.
Would be interesting to see where they are all playing now and what code
Forget the food starting your Saturday night off with 6 beers at Jacks bar is never a good move
It is such a shame as this kiddy has been at the College since his Prep school days. This is a homegrown product. Who got in his ear? He has playing interchange for Manly this year. Such a pity as has been playing club rugby since he was 7.
RA simply needs to get its act together. There are 2 issues, 1) marketing, if you can’t convince a youngster that the career opportunity in RU > RL then you aren’t trying (global game, total career earnings, Olympics etc) 2) Make pathways attractive and clear, I know that a lot of high quality Union players that are contracted but don’t get enough playing time at the right level in Australia early in their careers. As a result their development stalls. Perhaps the solution to 2 is pay them to go to Europe early in their career, allow them to keep the RA payment plus what ever they get in Europe, develop their game and then return to Australia in time to play Wallabies U20 and enter the Super system after that.
Its a contract till 2025 when one year out of school. Therefore most likely playing for the Manly SG Ball side (u19)
Good points but its much more basic than that. Schoolboys and juniors who are excellent players but do not make Gen Blue (for example) are instantly forgotten and discarded. There is no pipeline. No development path. No communication. No incentive. No nothing. No wonder league gets all the best junior rugby players.
I agree with your premise that there needs to be more depth to development opportunities. However the players getting tagged by the NRL would all win Gen Blue deals. Speaking to a number of families and players who are in the process of making the big decision it is very apparent that the lack of playing opportunity at an appropriate level is a major issue. That is why I like the OS option, an ideal solution might be placement in div 2 teams in France, the standard is high and the better teams are challenging for tier 1 status.
Not sure on the above point, however their are some good points up and above around keeping union talent. Overseas comps are very strong. I know South Africa has a big issue in the Craven Cup SA Under 18 comp whereby allot French clubs sign and poach SA best talents before they can play senior Currie Cup comp. Its just not an Aussie issue.
I’m assuming a lot of the boys who go to league are looking simply at short term financial incentives rather than potential long term international exposure. Also aren’t there more NRL teams than Super 12 teams in Australia so more chances of playing?
Its not just NRL, its the feeder clubs, SG Ball etc They hook them in early and have room to give contracts to everyone, they have hundreds of opportunities, tonnes of cash, and they are willing to spend on dozens of players just to find one Cameron Murray, Katoa or Sua'ali'i.
Andrew Kellaway was 15 when he made GPS 1sts and NSW IIs in Yr 10
| 1stXV | 2ndXV | 3rdXV |
|---|---|---|
| 1. J Barret (J) | T Jorgensen (N) | ? |
| 2. C Johns (E) | Lipina Ata (N) | Bailey Park (K) |
| 3. J Stiel (E) | H Basten (K) | ? |
| 4. O McCrea (S) | N Ritchens (E) | D Fogarty (J) |
| 5. ? | Archie Campell (J) | J McCreery (E) |
| 6. B Di Staso (S) | Harry Darling (J) | Liam Sullivan (I) |
| 7. J Villiamu (N) | H Davis (S) | A Burbridge (K) |
| 8. Tim Sekel (I) | Nick Harris (S) | Richard Penisini (K) |
| 9. Billy Dickens (N) | J Hutton (E) | Charlie McLaren (S) |
| 10. B Dufficy (K) | J Fowler (J) | J Dillon (I) |
| 11. W Perkins (I) | T Klem (E) | H Murray (E) |
| 12. J Caillol (I) | L Bassingthwaighte (E) | T Lokeni (K) |
| 13. R Leahy (J) | M Threkeld (I) | J McLean (N) |
| 14. S Taukamo (N) | O Jorgensen (J) | H Tonga (K) |
| 15. M Jorgensen (J) | Dougal Payne (E) | A Staniforth (K) |