The beginning of the end - AFL has stormed the ramparts

[Gooner]

My view is that the ARU/Tahs should be contracting the district clubs to develop rugby in thier natural catchment (they should be anyway). This would allow the District clubs to leverage off people they already want to retain full time.

It brings me to my favourite topic and that is how the SD management helped the SS/Wollongong CCC U16 team win the CCC trials. They took a strong interest in the boys (encouraging them to join SD colts when they left school) and put together an alright team (needed more time together). This model should be extended to a district schools competition where the district can keep an eye on player development and coaching.

As said by others the CHS and CCC are not going to resource and run their own program, if the district can do that for them the school can take credit for offering the program (which is all they want).

On numbers CCC and CHS should give GPS and CAS a hiding every year in the school comps. it's just that rugby is a very team sport and the more you play it as a team the better the team gets, it just needs the time.

I think that this would be a low cost way of building rugby in schools and allows the district clubs to build people resources in their organisations (ie full time coaches/managers etc). The ARU would then provide governance over the contracted clubs, to make sure they delivered on the contract.

Yes, the GM from Southern Districts was heavily involved and the CCC team did win the trials. However, didn't they only pick four of the winning CCC team to go on to the Championship against the other schools (GPS CAS etc). Politics again.

 

[Quick Hands]

Quick,
That's a shame.
I wouldn't provide money for vague outcomes like "development". It would have be to develop and run a local CCC and CHS comp., it may only be 6 teams hence 5 games a season, but it would have to be delivered to get the money.

Agreed, money is in short supply and needs to be targeted and spent wisely.

In this area, the North Shore Zone CHS used to run a Wednesday afternoon competition with an open team and 15s team for about 8 schools. It was run by the teachers and it folded about 10-12 years ago. The teachers running it were promoted or transferred and not enough people were left to coach in the schools concerned. (Back in the dim dark past when I was at school, this competition consisted of a 1st & 2nd XV, 16 A & b, 15 A & B, 14 A & B and 13 A & B).

From what I can gather a similar story can be told in many of the CHS zones. NSWRU and the clubs have allowed this to happen, through lack of support.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Agreed, money is in short supply and needs to be targeted and spent wisely.

In this area, the North Shore Zone CHS used to run a Wednesday afternoon competition with an open team and 15s team for about 8 schools. It was run by the teachers and it folded about 10-12 years ago. The teachers running it were promoted or transferred and not enough people were left to coach in the schools concerned. (Back in the dim dark past when I was at school, this competition consisted of a 1st & 2nd XV, 16 A & b, 15 A & B, 14 A & B and 13 A & B).

From what I can gather a similar story can be told in many of the CHS zones. NSWRU and the clubs have allowed this to happen, through lack of support.

Go easy on the clubs:.they have been the meat in the sandwich between full on professionalism and the amateur ways below. Many of them struggled financially even before it became expected that club players would be paid.
It's no coincidence that the comp you mention collapsed 10~12 years ago: that would be just enough time after professionalism for the money to have been diverted upstream to lote and Wendell.
IMO, the ARU, in particular, hasn't really worked out its development strategy: it seems to be directed at the elite level only. Or is left to the private schools.

 

[Quick Hands]

Go easy on the clubs:.they have been the meat in the sandwich between full on professionalism and the amateur ways below. Many of them struggled financially even before it became expected that club players would be paid.
It's no coincidence that the comp you mention collapsed 10~12 years ago: that would be just enough time after professionalism for the money to have been diverted upstream to lote and Wendell.
IMO, the ARU, in particular, hasn't really worked out its development strategy: it seems to be directed at the elite level only. Or is left to the private schools.

I wasn't putting blame on the clubs, as I know the financial pressure that they have always been under. It's really NSWRU and ARU that are at fault and neither seem willing to trust anyone down the line to do anything and as you say, neither have really had any sort of development strategy for the game as a whole.

The game at CHS level is diminishing, and once gone these competitions aregone, they are very hard to restart. Another thing to be considered in the state system is that the average age of a teacher in a state school is something like 57 and many of our long-serving rugby coaches have either been promoted away from rugby playing schools, or are nearing retirement or have retired. These guys don't have the energy to try to start/restart rugby in their schools and there are hardly any rugby orientated young teachers to follow - they're all in the private system with more pay, better conditions and more resources for teaching and sport.

This is where the ARU/NSWRU need to step in as the AFL are doing and run programmes for the schools. They would find willing teachers and schools who are under-resourced, who mostly will welcome any sporting body who will provide support,

 

[Quick Hands]

As an aside to the above post; today's Manly Daily carried a story on the impending retirement of Greg Cross from Manly West Public School on reaching 60. An ex first grade rugby league player, he has been at the school for 33 years. In that time, among other things, he coached the school rugby team to 3 Bryan Palmer Shield wins (93, 02, 06)and was on the committee which ran the Palmer shield for many years. These are the men who have run rugby in the state system and many are retiring or will be retiring in the next 5 years. There are big holes to fill across the state and NSWRU and/or ARU must step in here or the AFL will.

As a generalisation, there simply aren't the rugby-oriented men going in to teaching in the state system (primary and secondary) that there once were. It's a huge problem.

 

[Man on the hill]

Not helped when a guy like Peter Stokes gets the sword at Narabeen Sports High.

http://origin.manly-daily.whereiliv...may-as-narrabeen-sports-high-school-job-axed/

Stokes was well regarded when he got the rugby program back on the map at Cranbrook recently!

 

[Quick Hands]

Not helped when a guy like Peter Stokes gets the sword at Narabeen Sports High.

http://origin.manly-daily.whereiliv...may-as-narrabeen-sports-high-school-job-axed/

Stokes was well regarded when he got the rugby program back on the map at Cranbrook recently!

Tonight the new synthetic AFL field will be officially opened at Narrabeen Sports High. Construction of the field was a joint venture between AFLNSW and Dept of Education. While the synthetic surface is available for general use by the school, it will be used for AFL matches and training during the winter months.

Source Manly Daily 18.12.12

 

[Inside Shoulder]

any info on the technical (not too technical) detail Quick Hands?
Always interested in the viability of this sort of stuff - happen to think that the bounciness of synthetic cricket pitches is part of an issue with technique (but I know less of cricket than I do of rugby)

 

[Quick Hands]

any info on the technical (not too technical) detail Quick Hands?
Always interested in the viability of this sort of stuff - happen to think that the bounciness of synthetic cricket pitches is part of an issue with technique (but I know less of cricket than I do of rugby)

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to use a synthetic grass field for rugby training when wet weather had closed grounds and it was fine as a training surface. We could do pretty much everything except for scrums. I don't think that it would be viable as a match surface for the reason of scrums and also when its not wet it can be quite abrasive on the skin.

If schools or clubs have spare ground and spare cash, I'd certainly recommend it as a wet weather training option.

Probably ok for Aussie rules matches though as most of their of their on ground stuff resembles a kindergarten stacks on the mill.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to use a synthetic grass field for rugby training when wet weather had closed grounds and it was fine as a training surface. We could do pretty much everything except for scrums. I don't think that it would be viable as a match surface for the reason of scrums and also when its not wet it can be quite abrasive on the skin.

If schools or clubs have spare ground and spare cash, I'd certainly recommend it as a wet weather training option.

Probably ok for Aussie rules matches though as most of their of their on ground stuff resembles a kindergarten stacks on the mill.

But is it softer than it used to be?
Looking at the nfl they seem t have made the fibers longer and put a more spongy material under the carpet, as they call.
The Dunedin ground (forsyth barr?) is sown with 1 in 10 (?) blades of grass being synthetic I believe.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Gooner]

But is it softer than it used to be?
Looking at the nfl they seem t have made the fibers longer and put a more spongy material under the carpet, as they call.
The Dunedin ground (forsyth barr?) is sown with 1 in 10 (?) blades of grass being synthetic I believe.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

There are two synthetic surfaces in the Shire. The latest technology has
Been installed at Endeavour Sports High. I have played soccer on it and the technology has come along way from the surfaces played on in London 20 yrs ago. The bouce of the ball is natural and the surface has quite a lot of give. It can still be abrasive but not as bad as it was. NFL games are played there on Saturdays.

 

[Quick Hands]

There are two synthetic surfaces in the Shire. The latest technology has
Been installed at Endeavour Sports High. I have played soccer on it and the technology has come along way from the surfaces played on in London 20 yrs ago. The bouce of the ball is natural and the surface has quite a lot of give. It can still be abrasive but not as bad as it was. NFL games are played there on Saturdays.

I'd say that the one at Narrabeen Sports High would be similar or the same as at Endeavour.

 

[southsider]

the 2013 afl comp will be run on saturday mornings, not sure of the dates but will involve nearly all the CAS schools, st pats strathfield (i think) and also riverview, shore were very close to agreeing and are expected to join in 2014

 

[kbw]

I have played my fair share of sport on synthetic grass, and I say a def big no to playing any form of RU or RL on it.

There are 4 major codes of football with differences in resourcing.
- AFL are smart and poured a lot of money into grassroots, it has decreased though and Fitzwhatever's article is a tad out of date. They still have some very good development processing in place
- Soccer, come from Europe, mother is afraid of contact sport, well thats it. Grass roots gets $0 zilch nada nothing. Fees are stupidly high to cover the neglect, yet it still flourishes.
- RL, well loads of $s and not much of it comes down to grass roots. $outh$ and surprisingly Easts junior teams get looked after, but really its hard after that.
- RU lots of $s but nothing back to the grassroots. Backed up by private schools, wealthy peoples and hard working volounteers.

Basically its sort of ridiculous, sport is there to be enjoyed and most kids play 2 or 3 codes. if you look at things its just another way money is ruling sport.

I say stuff the lot, cut the number of "administrators" by 50%, cut the "professional" players salaries by50-60% and get the money back into helping the kids ejoy their sport, especially in the country.


BTW apologies, I am having a few scotches in preparation for the end of the Mayan Calender

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Maybe i would like scotch - I like everything else you had to say!!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

With Winter Sports seasons on in full swing, does anyone have any reports on how the School Combat Netball competitions are going?

I was talking to a Mexican expat mate of mine last year and he said that VIEW had a team in the Sydney AFL under 18 division 1 competition (club), and that they were doing quite well.

Presume that they will be at the vanguard of any Schools competition.

 

[Pfitzy]

Coupe of weekends ago I attended a junior game in Greystanes of all places. The two clubs involved have been around since the 70s. But one dude was about three players short, and in a prior match they only had half a side.

But this was the south west league. There are apparently two others for Sydney West, and while they may not fill every grade every week, they're putting the structures in place