Well Walt ......to address your points / queries in sequential order in how you raised them :
1. The ability to gather best talent in the Country should not be the sole marker of success
I didn't say it was . You suggested that idea . But seeing as though you did ( and thank you that you did ) given the fact that the ARU has bled $28M + of unbudgeted expenditure to the Super Rugby franchises for the last 3 or 4 years , and , that the State Bodies / Local Bodies have no money of their own either , thank sweet fancy Moses for Australian Rugby that outside of their own fanciful follies - GPS recruiters have their shit together and are doing their part.
[Edit -It is fair to say that GPS Schools don't give a shit about any upstream flow or in "doing their part" that ultimately benefits Australian Rugby. Obviously Schools are only focused on their self interest. ]
The 2nd part of what I think you may have been trying to suggest ( like a lot of others who recoil as the initial assertion from time to time ) is that programs should be judged by levels of participation and success "down the line" for the little acorns who may one day become the oak.
The reality in this regard is that raw talent that is performing in mid teens generally holds in a higher % than the late bloomer if we separate ourselves from the emotion of the feel good stories of late bloomers
All of this is well and good in fanciful theory and celebrating the unpolished gems , but , Rugby's ego is writing cheques its body can't cash [ Credit : Maverick and Goose's Admiral in Top Gun .....meaning ..........it is not terribly efficient or practical ( financially ) in talking up and trying to implement a big game of expansion and combing every square inch of the country side trying to find the next [ insert name here ]
T'would be more efficient to concentrate them in one place . And gee wiz whaddayknow this is already occurring without any financial or operational assistance from the game's regulatory bodies.
2. 2nd Generation + Australians
I just wanted to make sure in this age of inclusivity we didn't exclude anyone from your original point given that we had covered other Australian States and persons of ethnic origins from PNG, Fiji and other Pacific Island states.
So long as we're talking about the Harvest Combine that is GPS Rugby I just wanted to make sure we didn't exclude the biggest majority minority of 2nd Generation + Australians from your example .
Problem Solved. Fixed.
3. Rugby selling its Soul
The historical reality of Rugby in Australia is that it was aspirant. Aspirant for a better life . A game that could take you places when the game was over. It was OK to want more , to be more in what you might ultimately become , the nobility of true self improvement - as opposed to now being the boi growing up on the mean streets and superimposing American Ghetto thug life into the clichéd existence that awaits many across all of our football codes ....and competing with 5 kick and AFL in the heartland of non core markets aren't ever going to cut it . Maybe for a season or two if the Reds ever win another Super Rugby title or the Wallabies manage to win a World Cup . But it will be fleeting ....not fundamental and we will revert to the niche sport we truly are and what the kool aid drinking administrators deny that we are
So drunk on our own hubris and with no clue as to business that become Pro Rugby ( and so being bereft of any meaningful strategic vision ) we recruited Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers and Co to go big and put bums on seats as we focused on the superficial ....all in short term vision and grappling with the new driver ( content media ) of a new business that Rugby became in this Country , and which , at every level , the Game's Management has been an abject failure in trying to manage.
Free to Air Rugby
Again , nice in theory Walt but the game in Australia is literally broke , and that's a long stream of urine being jettisoned into Cyclone Debbie - hoping that the kiddies pick up a Gilbert instead of a Steeden .........
Can the game wait that long ?
Here is a thought . Maybe kids want to watch other kids just like they do in broadcasting First XV Rugby in New Zealand and Rep Junior Baseball and Basketball in the States . It may be repugnant to some , however , if you can provide a "'best in show" peer reflection through a popular medium ........gee wiz the look at me generation may well want to see what they can do to get amongst it . Is it a way for the ARU to align and ( gulp ) co-ordinate with Schools...and shock horror opens up potential ( alternate ) Revenue for Schools too ?
Or are they just going to keep raising taxes in their catchments by 10% every 2 years and then go ""Wotif" on rinky tink deals for those seats they don't sell ahead of time ?