Sydney Stars . NRC Official Team Thread

[Hugh Jarse]

Stars Team to be announced next week according to Brett Mckay from the Roar.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/08/06/players-to-watch-in-the-nrc/

"A genuine schoolboy prodigy" Hmmm. Assuming it is a back, because 18 year old schoolboy piggies don't really cut it with the big lads in semi pro rugby, narrows it down somewhat.
I reckon it will be one of Jack McGregor, Simon Kennewell, Theo Strang, or Harrison Goddard, and more likely one of the last two named. Age and size is not all that big an issue with yappy cheating runt halfbacks.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Brett McKay in The Roar comments section is saying that the schoolboy prodigy is not Harrison Goddard. so my money is on Theo Strang.

Good luck (in HSC exams as well) to whomever it is.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Stars Team to be announced next week according to Brett Mckay from the Roar.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/08/06/players-to-watch-in-the-nrc/

"A genuine schoolboy prodigy" Hmmm. Assuming it is a back, because 18 year old schoolboy piggies don't really cut it with the big lads in semi pro rugby, narrows it down somewhat.
I reckon it will be one of Jack McGregor, Simon Kennewell, Theo Strang, or Harrison Goddard, and more likely one of the last two named. Age and size is not all that big an issue with yappy cheating runt halfbacks.

That's a lot of genuine prodigies running around out there.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The protege unveiled.

Advance notice of some squad members thanks to Uncle Google:
http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detai...ydney-stars-nrc-headshot-news-photo/483095988

 

[AussieDominance]

So Theo Strang didn't make Australian Schools and Nick Duffy did in 2014 and is at Sydney Uni I don't get it why wouldn't Duffy be selected (or are both selected?)

Assume Gordon will be available and Draper? Merriman to Country

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Aust Schoolboys Selections only reflect the opinion of the selectors at that time. They sometimes have to "toss a coin" with little between some candidates for some positions. Just because ASRU selectors have decided not to choose a player, doesn't necessarily mean that every other selector will think the same.

Quite a few Wallabies, and many Super Rugby Professional players were not Australian Schoolboys. Some former Australian Schoolboys prioritise other lifestyle choices, like work, travel, Loig, study etc over Rugby.

 

[AussieDominance]

Yes I am aware of what happens but Strang has never played senior football of any form if I was Duffy and not selected I would be asking plenty of questions.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

It is a big call to pick a schoolkid, regardless of whether he was a current Australian Schoolboy or not.

I'd presume that recent Waratah 2016 Contractee Jake Gordon will be one of the "main" halfback options for the Stars.

 

[RugbyReg]

who is it?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^As suspected, Theo Strang from Scots College, NSW AAGPS, and NSW II.

Photo Credit: Lee Grant/Green and Gold rugby

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/2015-sebel-australian-schools-rugby-union-championships-preview/

Some Keyboard Selectors saw some potential in the lad in the Australian Schoolboys Championships preview:
"These young fellows also had impressive trials: Theo Strang, Patrick Pellegrini, and Jake Prindiville."

 

[kiap]

So it seems like a squad (including a few WTS options) something like this:

Alasdair King
Tom Robertson
Alastair Ryan
Paddy Ryan
Matthew Sandell
Jeremy Tilse

Tom Coolican
Folau Fainga'a
Tolu Latu

Nick Coaldrake
Dafi Davies
Nathaniel Deans
Loma Kaveinga
Mathew Philip
Rohan O'Regan

Calum Bucking
Ofa Finau
Jason Havea
David Hickey
Pat McCutcheon
Declan Moore
Tom Shaw
Jake Wainwright
Mitchell Whiteley

Richard Draper
Jake Gordon
Theo Strang

Jack Macklin
Scott Meekan
Connor O'Shea

Samuel Barclay
Tom Carter
John Hale
Ben Hughes
Tom Kingston

Henry Clunies-Ross
Harry Jones
Jonny Loseli
Joey Maston
Jim Stewart
Christian Yassmin

Guy Porter
Angus Roberts

 

[qwerty51]

There's players from Uni 3s and 2s there.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

A starting 15 from that squad would looks rather similar to the team that The Corporation wheeled out for the Shute Shield Finals series, and they were beaten by the Hobbits and MMM.

Against an almost Super Rugby team like Rising, or Vikings, the Stars are going to struggle. Possibly another long year for them.

 

[AussieDominance]

Interesting that Harry Jones is in the squad. Rapid rise for Havea from 3rd/4th grade at Eastwood to NRC in a year.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Jones is a good player with a fair bit of potential. He has a tonne of gas and a monstrous kick off both feet.

As a very loyal Rat, it would have been a brave decision to move from the Rays, but what else is an aspirational footy player going to do if the Rays selectors overlooked him? Maybe his name fell off their clipboard due to the injury layoff he has had this year.

 

[AussieDominance]

Jones is a good player with a fair bit of potential. He has a tonne of gas and a monstrous kick off both feet.

As a very loyal Rat, it would have been a brave decision to move from the Rays, but what else is an aspirational footy player going to do if the Rays selectors overlooked him? Maybe his name fell off their clipboard due to the injury layoff he has had this year.

It's entirely possible that Jones was just headhunted to play for the Stars. I know a lot of players put offers up between franchises instead of just choosing natural affiliations. Country are obviously particularly active in this field.

My concern with the above squad and give me a break because I am not a Uni basher like some posters are here but the last thing the Sydney Stars should be doing is using the Stars as a vehicle to make Sydney Uni successful.

It is integral that this franchise needs to show some success if NSW are to keep four teams and if this means going out and recruiting players they need to do this (not select 3rd graders and unproven colts players who have played 2 first grade games).

I just get the feeling the Uni/Stars connection is hanging out for the long term benefits of having direct correlation between Uni/Stars in enabling them to keep and attract these players.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It's entirely possible that Jones was just headhunted to play for the Stars. I know a lot of players put offers up between franchises instead of just choosing natural affiliations. Country are obviously particularly active in this field.

My concern with the above squad and give me a break because I am not a Uni basher like some posters are here but the last thing the Sydney Stars should be doing is using the Stars as a vehicle to make Sydney Uni successful.

It is integral that this franchise needs to show some success if NSW are to keep four teams and if this means going out and recruiting players they need to do this (not select 3rd graders and unproven colts players who have played 2 first grade games).

I just get the feeling the Uni/Stars connection is hanging out for the long term benefits of having direct correlation between Uni/Stars in enabling them to keep and attract these players.

If that's there motive behind it then they're towing a precarious line. I've said previously that NSW are probably running with a team too many. As I cannot see the one club model working they may be the prime candidate for the chop.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

So it seems like a squad (including a few WTS options) something like this:
<snip>

A squad like that has been posted on Wikipedia (with the addition of the Wallabies like Skelton, Foley, Phipps, Dennis, Folau who won't be seen in a Stars strip).
It is a funny world when Wikipedia can scoop the official announcement. No detail on the 2015 squad on the Stars web site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Stars

This Welsh lad from Balmain sounds interesting, Dafi Davies. In some amazing quirk of the system Rugby Link has him as scoring 7 tries for a total of 25 points. Must have lost some points on the exchange rate.

Tim Davidson named. I thought he had retired.

Who is the second rower Ben Hughes from England? There is a Ben Hughes at The Corporation but he plays at 10 according to Rugby Link.

7 Colts eligible players: Sandell (Aust U20), Fainga'a (Aust U20), Moore, O'Shea, Jones (Selected for Aust U20 but injured), Yassmin (Aust U20 for Oceania Champs), and Porter, with 3 of those in their first year out of School, & 1 Schoolboy (Strang).

Apart from Jones (Rats), Strang (Scots College) and Havea (Emus), the squad named seems to be entirely from Camperdown and Balmain.

Excluding Wallabies, there are 11 Professional Super players (including some who have only just signed contracts for 2016):
Robertson, Sandell, Ryan, Tilse, Latu, McCutcheon, Gordon, Kingston (former Rebel), Clunies-Ross, Stewart, Roberts (former Rebel).
Two former Pro Players who are fairly long in the tooth: Carter and Davidson.

Summary: Not a bad development team.

 

[kiap]

It is a funny world when Wikipedia can scoop the official announcement.

I reckon you scooped it yerself up the page, HJ (or just about did). The interwebs is a wunnerful thing when you can get a whole squad with a few clicks and a C&P of the source text:

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/r0zUdyLpkjr/Sydney Stars Headshots Session/browse

 

[Jagman]

Strange that some colts players are there but starters for the dominant NSW U20s side aren't like McCalman and Williams.

If you inject Weeks, Winton and Dennis into the team it's not so bad.

Paddy Ryan
Tolu Latu
Laurie Weeks
Dave Dennis
Liam Winton
Pat McCutcheon
David Hickey
Loma Kaveinga/Jake Wainwright
Jake Gordon
Angus Roberts
Harry Jones
Tom Carter
Jim Stewart
Henry Clunies-Ross
Tom Kingston