Odyssey_Park the 2nd
Chris McKivat (8)
I think your last point there is a big concern for Australian rugby that is being over looked. In my area a number of schools used to have 3-4 sides and now only have 1 or run a 7s comp etc. Not to mention the drop off in junior clubs sides having teams all The way to 17s/opens.This is 100% the approach of Knox with Colts are concerned as far as I'm aware. In the clubs prime they used to get the top tier guys in a year group over, nowadays that is unrealistic, and the shift has been to getting those glue guys who might have potential to grow their rugby abilities too, the 3rd/4th XV guys.. those guys seem to relish in leadership / heavily involved colts footy, and they end up being the guys who hang around after their colts days are over to filter into the grades.
I think they also see a bunch of those Shute colts guys come play their last year of eligible colts with the club, when their two options are another year of colts with their old school mates or going up into grade with a Shute club.
The challenge is keeping those higher tier guys around after that year. Further, the school used to have 8+ opens rugby teams 10+ years ago, I dare say that number is closer to 3-4 now, with soccer, AFL, concussion knowledge and student ethnic diversity changing the sports parents want their kids playing. So that 3rd to 4th XV player isnt as good as he used to be.. but still the glue of a subbies footy club.
As a result we are starting to see clubs struggling to get colts sides. We put this down to bad management by those clubs and sometimes it is but it may also be due to the drop in kids playing the game across the board. Which in turn we will see the impact on these clubs in 5-10 years as there older guys stop playing.
The numbers of kids playing have definitely dropped and it’s becoming to keep a player group across the board engaged for a full season