Wallabies 2023

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Think they serve a strong purpose as long as they are controlled centrally IMO. The current system which is akin to older methods is producing talent. You feed into relevant State body like Gen Blue U16s, U18s, U20s. The Rebels are showing great signs with some very good home-grown talent coming through, especially in the forwards. My only concern does become kids that miss the U16s falling away potentially. Especially in Tight 5 positions where physical development at 16 can be very different to what a young man looks like at 22-23 when they seem to come into their own in those positions. This is an outlier thing to happen and I full faith the Brumbies will pick them up from Shute Shield and make them a 50 Test Wallaby...

If we are to compete with the NRL for talent there is also a fantastic aspect of having them involved in the professional team's facility, gear & coaching. There is a vanity appeal to this that is a real factor as silly as it sounds.

These academies also only work if everyone is playing nice with each other. I'm not fully across it so I would like someone else to elaborate further but in QLD the GPS comp or a number of the schools don't let players go into the QLD Schools or U18s....? Unnecessary roadblocks are not what we need in Rugby.

 

[liquor box]

These academies also only work if everyone is playing nice with each other. I'm not fully across it so I would like someone else to elaborate further but in QLD the GPS comp or a number of the schools don't let players go into the QLD Schools or U18s....? Unnecessary roadblocks are not what we need in Rugby.

Many years ago I knew of a great young soccer player who had a GPS school scholarship and had an upcoming trial with the Brisbane Roar, his school had a game on the same day and he was forced to miss the trial to play with his school or his scholarship would be torn up.

I never really understood how this can happen, I realise the school wants a return on its investment but also wondered if having kids get a pro contract while playing for your school would be a great way to promote the school.

 

[dru]

Many years ago I knew of a great young soccer player who had a GPS school scholarship and had an upcoming trial with the Brisbane Roar, his school had a game on the same day and he was forced to miss the trial to play with his school or his scholarship would be torn up.

I never really understood how this can happen, I realise the school wants a return on its investment but also wondered if having kids get a pro contract while playing for your school would be a great way to promote the school.

More-so, pretty poor on the Roar that they couldn't organise something that let the kid present at a time that worked, surely.

 

[stillmissit]

More-so, pretty poor on the Roar that they couldn't organise something that let the kid present at a time that worked, surely.

Most probably one of many and unlike rugby they have a surfeit of riches.

 

[stillmissit]

I knew a young islander boy who at 17? joined the Tahs academy. They got him to put on a lot of weight and then big issues with hammie tears and several ligament issue. His body was too heavy for his ligaments.

 

[Silverado]

This was the Waratahs fault if my memory serves me correctly?

Everything is

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Anyone else notice that Eddie's ascension aligns perfectly with the Bermuda Triangle vanishing act of Dismal Pillock?
Dismal might have played the longest troll in forum history!

The most impressive part was convincingly pretending to be an Auckland Blues fan for close to a decade.

 

[Tomthumb]

On a positive note, it looks like Eddie performed a minor miracle keeping England competitive last year

 

[LeCheese]

 

[cyclopath]

I just needed the right bait...

 

[Wallaby Man]

Just watched a short catch up on Ireland v Scotland and Mack Hansen is MOTM. We seem to have a talent for losing quality players and the Wallabies can't afford it. Instead of buying proven ex-rugby NRL players, we might be better off investing in a top talent scout who can supply a list of players who could develop.
I also agree with a poster here who suggested it would be better if our young talent played club rugby but I think they should also play U20's.
The academies should be abolished as they have not provided us with a talent pool as far as I can see. It provides a protected environment that keeps our young talent juvenile.

We did go through a period only recently when the academy set up was removed. It coincided with arguably the worst period of Super Rugby performance in Australian history and the youth team wasn’t doing much at the annual world championships.

We need to keep up with what the top sports are providing and also the top teams in international rugby. Not having an academy system would make us the only top tier nation not to have one.

 

[stillmissit]

We did go through a period only recently when the academy set up was removed. It coincided with arguably the worst period of Super Rugby performance in Australian history and the youth team wasn’t doing much at the annual world championships.

We need to keep up with what the top sports are providing and also the top teams in international rugby. Not having an academy system would make us the only top tier nation not to have one.

wallaby man, I never heard of that period, do you know the dates it is interesting. What the others are doing doesn't make it right. England is a classic example. We need to let youngsters go through the colts systems of clubs, play in Un16, 18 and 20's and then when not needed by Super Rugby etc play club rugby. I think that is the best way for them to develop and would bring skills to the clubs and therefore assist the grass roots.

 

[Adam84]

wallaby man, I never heard of that period, do you know the dates it is interesting. What the others are doing doesn't make it right. England is a classic example. We need to let youngsters go through the colts systems of clubs, play in Un16, 18 and 20's and then when not needed by Super Rugby etc play club rugby. I think that is the best way for them to develop and would bring skills to the clubs and therefore assist the grass roots.

Academies dont prevent players from playing U16, 18 and colts club rugby though, at least not in QLD. Academies offer additional specialist training outside of those club and schoolboy commitments, nutritional education, S&C training and the occasional opportunity to train alongside the main squad.

Only time it got messy was during COVID when the teams were put in bio-bubbles and Super Rugby teams were running inflated squads and players weren’t able to return to club rugby.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

The really bad period was when we cotton woolled our Aus School boys and had them sitting at Super Rugby games for 3 years and then expected them to debut with no Club or A level games. The result was they were not physically ready which lead to injury and bad team results. Many players may have had their career paths changed because of it. The Super Rugby teams seem far more invested in having them play Club footy now. Most of the teams make a post each week about who is playing Club each week now.

 

[stillmissit]

Academies dont prevent players from playing U16, 18 and colts club rugby though, at least not in QLD. Academies offer additional specialist training outside of those club and schoolboy commitments, nutritional education, S&C training and the occasional opportunity to train alongside the main squad.

Only time it got messy was during COVID when the teams were put in bio-bubbles and Super Rugby teams were running inflated squads and players weren’t able to return to club rugby.

My experience of academy in NSW was over 10 years ago and the guy I referred to didn't play much club rugby during that time. They certainly advised and assisted him to bulk up under the idea that if he wasn't bigger he wouldn't get a start in pro rugby. Ended up out of rugby.

 

[stillmissit]

The really bad period was when we cotton woolled our Aus School boys and had them sitting at Super Rugby games for 3 years and then expected them to debut with no Club or A level games. The result was they were not physically ready which lead to injury and bad team results. Many players may have had their career paths changed because of it. The Super Rugby teams seem far more invested in having them play Club footy now. Most of the teams make a post each week about who is playing Club each week now.

Ghost when was that period? It is critical that young men are physically ready to play but that doesn't necessarily mean putting on muscle weight at the expense of speed and agility.

 

[stillmissit]

In the same way, we shouldn't discount young players from becoming Wallabies we should not exclude shorter players with the skills and speed from playing our game. I am watching what SA and to a lesser extent NZ are getting out of smaller players but we seem to ignore them.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I'd say between 2007-2017 was a pretty poor time for this.

 

[stillmissit]

I'd say between 2007-2017 was a pretty poor time for this.

Christ! Ghost that was 10 years when the Wallabies were going downhill. It was around this time that the young islander I referred to was in the system.

 

[rodha]

I'd say between 2007-2017 was a pretty poor time for this.

So what changed after 2017?