Keep in mind when you make your ironic comment that the University actually has substantial money to give to kids through scholarships and hence they have had the majority of the cream of the crop.
The whole idea of 'a program' is to develop players. Surely the proof is in the pudding that Wests were one game off the big dance and had none of these superstars from school. That's the question everyone is asking and I'd say it has a lot to do with the work the players and coaches have done over the course of the last 8 months which developed these players substantially
Saying UQ only gets talented played due to scholarships is not 100% true.
This year UQ gave out 8 scholarships. 2 went to female 7’s players and the other 6 went to colts. 5 of these colts played plenty of games in colts 1. With 4 of them in colts 1 on gf day and 2 in prem colts.
The end of the day no matter how good a footy player you are you can't get a scholarship to UQ unless you are smart enough to get into UQ (plus some other non rugby criteria as well).
Kids come to UQ because they win a lot of games, their mates play there, it's fun, the coaching is pretty good across the board and there is a proven pathway to Premier Grade and beyond.
Wests did really well this year and I hope they keep at it but for me the true test of a premier Colts “program” is how many of them graduate to Premier Grade and higher and of course the consistency of this.
Of the 15 staters for UQ Premier Grade that won the premiership on Sunday only the 2 props, a lock (Irish guy over here for uni), the 13 (went to league straight from school) and the captain Jack De Guingand (played colts in Sydney) haven't won a colts premiership at UQ.
Of the 12 nrc players picked from uni only Jack de and Sef didn't play colts here. Obviously the colts part of their time at UQ is only one part of the development but for most it's an important part.
