tigerland12
John Thornett (49)
Happy to be proven wrong, I was just stating what I've been told by numerous people, whether or not they're right is another thing.
Financials aren't just about money and clubs crying poor. It's also the assistence from the Government that some clubs are able to apply for and others can't or it is not as substantial. . AND YES there are deals made under the table Re financial assistance whether it be help with courses (studying), housing etc, AND YES it definitely happens. Not all clubs can help in these matters.
. Also Easts began their decline of players from pre 1st round with their hooker suffering a work accident. By the time Sunnybanks game came around in the 1st round Easts had alreday lost quite a few players.
my bad, was trying to think through who'd they be, shon siemonik is one.
Ben Mowen will be back at Easts next year I've been told.
I think a lot has been said on here about the injuries of clubs throughout the season and a good point was made that it is a fact of life in a contact sport. At Easts the one example that is consisitent accross most positions is that they finished the season with the're 4th choice hooker, which is all i will say about that so as not to sound like a whinger. i think the key to consistently good performance of premier grade clubs over a few years is dependant on a quality reserve grade team which can put pressure on the clubs top players to perform and fill holes through the season when needed. Brothers and GPS are the best example of this as they always put a strong and physical reserve side on the park each week which is why they are amongst finals footy most years.
As for players being paid by clubs a few questions can be posed and i'd be interested to hear other peoples comments and thoughts:
- is it financially respopnsible of a club to pay a super rugby player to play for theire club considering the limited time they will play in the premier season (even more next season with super rugby going into August i believe) and the value they add to the club and the clubs responsiblilties in fostering development of the game and players at junior and grassroots level. I think money is better spent developing players rather than paying Super Players but inn saying that I have no issue with a club rewarding players who have come through their systems. Clubs would get a much better return on investment in paying a player just below Super level who will turn out for the club on a regular occurrence
-Are the players being greedy, considering they are paid a years wage by the QRU to play rugby as a profession Maybe but if the money is offered why would the player knock it back?
- How does it affect the culture of the club with players coming in and out of the team and players losing spots in the team to players coming back Defiantly something that should be considered. I think if the club has a strong culture then it wouldn't be an issue. Plus it depends on the players involved. If the rep player puts in at the club then they would be happy for him to return
- Is it healthy for the competition. Not at all. For the competition to thrive there needs to be a spread of talent between all of the teams involved. That is why competitions around the world have drafts and salary caps.
One last point: Easts won 14 games out of 18- the same number that minor premier uni won yet wont be around for the last 3 weeks of the season. Considering Rugby and finals rugby are all about beating teams, are bonus point good or bad. None the less the tigers gave their all this year and should be proud of themselves. good luck to uni in what has been an emotional year for them. My tip Uni to beat sunnybank in the GF in what should be a classic game.
Each and every club will have their own culture on how they recruit, develop and retain players. There are some interesting points raised in the recent posts however you wouldn't want all clubs to adopt the same strategy. While money does help clubs have to be very careful in how they spend it, as for most of them once it is given to a player it is gone and unless it has been appropriately budgeted and sourced as income initially, the club will pay the penalty in the end.
Player development is the key and it is the cheapest way to achieve results. Sunnybank has invested heavily in supporting local schools and under 17 junior club Rugby. Many of these players have gone onto play for other clubs however the net effect is that Sunnybank has fielded 3 colts teams for 5 years straight on the back of this yield. In addition they have made sure they have had a Premier standard coach at Premier Colts level. This can often mean that some very raw talent can be developed such as Seiuli and Ah Wong who both started in Colts 2.
Of the 12 contracted and 1 academy players at Sunnybank: Gill, Schatz and the 2 Lucas boys are all Juniors; Holmes, Anae, Simmons, Alo-Emile and Kingi started in Colts, Wallace-Harrison came over as an amateur from Perth more than a decade ago. Only Tapuai and Houston have chosen the club as professionals and no players signed to the Reds from interstate have come to the club.
It would be far more convenient to use the annual financial clout to sign players from around Australia or the other clubs however it would destroy the comp and make the notional value of winning meaningless.
Of all the practices that are questionable the dumping of 1st and 3rd grade by Easts on the weekend so they could qualify their 2nd and 4th grade teams is one that I think does the entire system no favours and speaks much to the cultural values at a club.
am i the onle psrson who follows brisbane rugby that is sick of hearing about easts injury issues? the team they put out on the weekend should have been more than able to handle what the 'bank was offering.
imo - bermingham is not as great as has been described here. i think the reds should have invested more in keeping PAE than this young buck who i feel is still some years away from being considered a 'prospect'
i think picking him for that QLD xv would have comparable to the selection of genia in that team - confused.
I'm not going to comment anymore on the clubs payment things, but was it GPS who paid for the Fainga'a boys? Was that true or just a rumor? Weird considering they were never much of a chance of playing.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the Shute Shield, do all clubs pay their players?
I dissaggree with this comment. The players that played in these games were legtimate 2nd and 4th grade players respectively, however found themselves playing above their level of abilty through the season due to unavailabilty in higher grades. There is nothing wrong with a team trying to get their players who will be available to them come finals to play together for the last game before finals. The QRU rules are strict for player eligibilty for finals and i know for a fact the coaches of these 2 teams were continuslly struggling to keep there players together through the season. It is a tough gig being a lower grade coach at a club with 6 senior teams. I dont think someone coming from Sunnybank can comment on the culture of another club, considering your club's success depends on the strength of the communities pokie addiction. However i will give you credit for your comments on Sunnybanks player recruitment and development at colts and junior level. So based on the comments posted recently is it only the faainga twins who demand to be paid by their club?
I'm not going to comment anymore on the clubs payment things, but was it GPS who paid for the Fainga'a boys? Was that true or just a rumor? Weird considering they were never much of a chance of playing.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the Shute Shield, do all clubs pay their players?