Interested Onlooker
Frank Row (1)
Would he be eligible for GPS selection however, due to the competition they now find themselves in? Interesting questions to be answered come the upcoming season
NSW AAGPS Rugby 2013
- Thread starter Inside Shoulder
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Interested Onlooker
Frank Row (1)
Seems you took the words right out of my proverbial mouth trublu
TruBluAussieBattla
Frank Nicholson (4)
Is there a certain time period boys must attend a GPS school to qualify for selection in combined GPS teams? Because if not we could potentially see up to 9 Grammar boys in these teams, if not more.
G
gilbert15
Guest
Andy Kellaway - as above and will do it with grace and humility..[/quote]
Something very ODD going on with this very talented and capable player, I've watched him play club and school for several years BUT confused about several things, in 2011 was selected in the NSW 16's, didn't turn up to training and didn't play???, and in the 2012 Schoolboy NZ tour, although on tour, and apparently playing well, was not in the run-on team in the all important game vs the kiwi's???, and 2013, made himself unavailable for the Youth Olympic Aussie 7's after being selected??? Can someone enlighten me!
Something very ODD going on with this very talented and capable player, I've watched him play club and school for several years BUT confused about several things, in 2011 was selected in the NSW 16's, didn't turn up to training and didn't play???, and in the 2012 Schoolboy NZ tour, although on tour, and apparently playing well, was not in the run-on team in the all important game vs the kiwi's???, and 2013, made himself unavailable for the Youth Olympic Aussie 7's after being selected??? Can someone enlighten me!
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Something very ODD going on with this very talented and capable player, I've watched him play club and school for several years BUT confused about several things, in 2011 was selected in the NSW 16's, didn't turn up to training and didn't play???, and in the 2012 Schoolboy NZ tour, although on tour, and apparently playing well, was not in the run-on team in the all important game vs the kiwi's???, and 2013, made himself unavailable for the Youth Olympic Aussie 7's after being selected??? Can someone enlighten me![/quote]
Perhaps his manager is Khoder Nasser?
Brian Westlake
Arch Winning (36)
Perhaps his manager is Khoder Nasser?[/quote]
Harsh Call IS. Bloody funny though.
As an aside, Isn't it good to see your alma mater working hard on research regarding use of the left handed mouse?
Thanks Trublu et al
gpsoldboy
Chris McKivat (8)
Is there a League contract in the wings?
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I thought about an emoticon - it was really a dig at someone else whose name I dare not mention for fear of attracting Reds posters to this purely NSW thread!
Its your Alma Mater too old chap - though I note you do seem to forget your online persona from time to time!
Evidently the absence of computers in the class room means that they have not cottoned onto the fact that your IP address cant be traced or, maybe, even what it is - either that or they're very naive. That had me laughing i can assure you.
The samoan coat of arms and 2 blues had me for a while
Snort
Nev Cottrell (35)
Look, I know this is the internet, so rational argument is unwelcome. But by any rational standard, the omission of Grammar from the 1st XV competition is sensible. No-one benefits from risking serious injury whilst being defeated 112-0. The schools have a duty of care to their students - if someone had been seriously injured while playing against an opponent forty kilos heavier, it would have been no defence that tradition required it.
Tradition is often a good thing. It can also be a straitjacket. If tradition mandates the continuation of an uneven and dangerous competition, it should be abandoned. It surprises me how people who love to bang on about "tradition" turn out to know very little history. In the early days of Rugby, only goals counted in the score (a "try" was so called because you got to try to kick a goal - but if you missed, you scored no points). Well, that was an early Rugby tradition. Anyone want to go back to it? Well, how about hacking? In the early days of Rugby, the laws allowed hacking, which was defined as kicking the legs of the ball-carrier between the knee and the ankle. Anyone want that tradition back?
Traditions change when things need to be improved. That is what has happened here.
And, by the way, you'd be surprised how quickly new traditions begin. These days you hear people talk about the "traditional" MCG Boxing Day cricket Test. Well, that tradition is just over twenty years old (it replaced the traditional NSw-Victoria Sheffield Shield game - which almost no-one cares about, and no-one seems to miss).
There are two concerns about the change - that good Grammar boys may miss GPS selection, and (my own) about the suitability of the home-and-away format. The first is, I think, a non-issue. If a genuinely talented Rugby player emerges form Grammar, I don't doubt pragmatic ways can be found for him to progress. There are so many avenues available now that there is scope for anyone with talent and ambition to find a path forward. The second is my own concern, though not too many people seem to share it. The home-and-away format in the Associated Schools competition has turned the competition into a real grind, and in the few years it has been running, it has never once produced a close competition, the winner having been close to unbeatable at the halfway point. And it reduces, even eliminates, the prospect of meaningful inter-association games (such as Scots/Cranbrook, Knox/Waverley, Newington/Trinity), which I think is a shame.
Tradition is often a good thing. It can also be a straitjacket. If tradition mandates the continuation of an uneven and dangerous competition, it should be abandoned. It surprises me how people who love to bang on about "tradition" turn out to know very little history. In the early days of Rugby, only goals counted in the score (a "try" was so called because you got to try to kick a goal - but if you missed, you scored no points). Well, that was an early Rugby tradition. Anyone want to go back to it? Well, how about hacking? In the early days of Rugby, the laws allowed hacking, which was defined as kicking the legs of the ball-carrier between the knee and the ankle. Anyone want that tradition back?
Traditions change when things need to be improved. That is what has happened here.
And, by the way, you'd be surprised how quickly new traditions begin. These days you hear people talk about the "traditional" MCG Boxing Day cricket Test. Well, that tradition is just over twenty years old (it replaced the traditional NSw-Victoria Sheffield Shield game - which almost no-one cares about, and no-one seems to miss).
There are two concerns about the change - that good Grammar boys may miss GPS selection, and (my own) about the suitability of the home-and-away format. The first is, I think, a non-issue. If a genuinely talented Rugby player emerges form Grammar, I don't doubt pragmatic ways can be found for him to progress. There are so many avenues available now that there is scope for anyone with talent and ambition to find a path forward. The second is my own concern, though not too many people seem to share it. The home-and-away format in the Associated Schools competition has turned the competition into a real grind, and in the few years it has been running, it has never once produced a close competition, the winner having been close to unbeatable at the halfway point. And it reduces, even eliminates, the prospect of meaningful inter-association games (such as Scots/Cranbrook, Knox/Waverley, Newington/Trinity), which I think is a shame.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Has anyone questioned it?
I hope and think you're right: with all the squads and programs etc if there is one he will be known of even if he's only playing against other school's 3rds.
That is an interesting insight.
I well recall my first year out of school how long that season was - even with a 2 week holiday.
wreckless
Bob Loudon (25)
TruBluAussieBattla
Frank Nicholson (4)
Fair point but it seems as though this year it is likely with the new importing program, as well as home grown talent such as Shi, Grammar will be putting other schools with regulation 3rds XV level players at danger of both serious injuries and huge defeat margins. Surely something must be done about this?
randomhouse
Bob McCowan (2)
With the confirmation of this new importing program for grammar rugby, I'm sure many (including myself) are confused as to why the headmaster in conjunction with his sportsmaster have left it so late to start importing? Did it take grammar being relegated to start this upheaval in rugby?
TruBluAussieBattla
Frank Nicholson (4)
As far as I am aware, this program, in paticular the Namibian and American connections have been in the works for a few years, but it has taken relegation to really kick start the Grammar headmaster/sportsmaster into bringing it into action. They also be are trying to make up for lost time, bringing in almost an entirely new First XV. Grammars academic tradition has been upheld for so long, making them reluctant to import, but as Snort said, traditions change when things need to improve, so in my personal opinion, we will see Grammar elevated back into the Firsts competition, as well as a Grammar premiership in the next 3-4 years.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Quick Hands
David Wilson (68)
I share you misgivings about the home and away format. I don't know enough about CAS rugby to comment on the internal workings of the competition, but it has definitely made difficult or eliminated many of the interassociation games that you mention. It's one of the reasons that I hope Grammar make a speedy return to 1st XV, as a 7 team x 2 rounds wouldn't work, other being the fact that Grammar should be there after over 100 years of membership and of course it would see the return of the bye, which has been relegated to ISA div 1 with the demise of St Andrews. The upside of the bye was again the opportunity for inter association competition, for example in 2012 when the big ISA schools played Andrews (whose teams played Cs), the rest of the school played very competitive matches against GPS teams through the age groups.
CTPE
Nev Cottrell (35)
As the GPS and CAS competitions are now both 10 rounds perhaps aligning their comp start dates might allow for inter comp trials before the season proper?
George Smith
Ted Thorn (20)
Happy NY to all fellow bloggers...I am off the beach given this weather and thought I'd have a look at the season past and ahead.
Out of interest I looked at how each 2012 team did in the HSC!! Here is some interesting and useless facts:
Top Performers in the classroom:
Out of interest I looked at how each 2012 team did in the HSC!! Here is some interesting and useless facts:
Top Performers in the classroom:
CTPE
Nev Cottrell (35)
Have always appreciated your stats work GS but this is exceptional - far too much time on your hands but thank God for rainy days
George Smith
Ted Thorn (20)
One of the areas of interest is determining whether Newington or other schools that offer scholarships actually get any other benefit from their athletes in areas such as school life, leadership in the classroom etc.
A case in point is that many of the US colleges expect there student athletes also to do well in class. Some even demand a 3.5 point grade average (70%) in every subject to maintain your scholarship. Although the movie "Coach Carter" was based on fact it is not isolated.
In respect to Newington, where less than 1/2 of the 2012 1st XV players in Yr12 team were offered places in tertiary education then I wonder where the benefits are. Maybe the athletes need to be at this privileged school for 6 years to get whole of education benefits, not just 2 years?
A case in point is that many of the US colleges expect there student athletes also to do well in class. Some even demand a 3.5 point grade average (70%) in every subject to maintain your scholarship. Although the movie "Coach Carter" was based on fact it is not isolated.
In respect to Newington, where less than 1/2 of the 2012 1st XV players in Yr12 team were offered places in tertiary education then I wonder where the benefits are. Maybe the athletes need to be at this privileged school for 6 years to get whole of education benefits, not just 2 years?
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