KOB1987
John Eales (66)
All the more reason that he would have been noticed.
Waratahs 2022
- Thread starter RugbyReg
- Start date
Silverado
Dick Tooth (41)
Club rugby in the UK is a different beast. They are very professional and have huge resources, so can have their own academies and pathways. The UK don't have state franchises so clubs take their place. The Shute Shield clubs semi professional at best. The Australian franchises are the only way to make money, so the players are identified for potential early and they go through the academies and "Pathways" (I dislike that word) or go to clubs.
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Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I know. What I meant was - do players actually get picked from SS club rugby for higher honours?
Eyes and Ears
Bob Davidson (42)
Yes, they do. Of course, there are multiple influences in the development of players but examples of current players who were selected from Shute Shield include Folau Fainga'a, BPA, Jake Gordon, Irae Simone, Tom Robertson and Caydern Neville. I would argue that Nic White's time with Eastwood was also influential in his selection for higher honours. Then there are next tier players like Jed Holloway, WIll Miller and Hugh Sinclair, who have been long term dominant SS players.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Who from our current lot have been sourced from SS?
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Unsure about the Shute Shield, but to talk to the grass roots system more broadly. In Queensland squad members like Fotuaika, Paisami, R Smith, Daugunu, Zander, Campbell and Uru arguably earned their professional contract through the QPR and then NRC rather then junior pathways.
i think there’s fair evidence that the junior pathways don’t capture all talent. But to talk to this players fathers comments, I don’t think it’s right to say that not making NSW Academy by Colts means your pro career is over in Australia.
i think there’s fair evidence that the junior pathways don’t capture all talent. But to talk to this players fathers comments, I don’t think it’s right to say that not making NSW Academy by Colts means your pro career is over in Australia.
It's kind of insane that people are essentially suggesting that the Waratahs should have offered a player they hadn't heard of until about a week ago, a five year contract back in 2017.
Swinton, Gordon, Grant, Sinclair, Gamble, Horton,
Rob42
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
C'mon BH, you can't remove one of the oldest tropes of Waratahs forum threads - "this Sydney-grown player should have been picked up by the Tahs recruiters years ago, despite showing no outstanding talent at the time. Tahs recruitment sux!"
Watched highlights of the game on the weekend, he's a mobile back rower who played off the bench behind Montoya. Worcester were pretty ordinary.
Pass it to Dunning!
Bob Loudon (25)
The first two have been great, but the others I'm pretty meh about.
Brumby Jack
Steve Williams (59)
Jack Whetton is off to Castres in France immediately as a medical joker
Jimmyjam
Watty Friend (18)
We all know plenty of 'superstar' 17/18yo's never progress to successful professional players and plenty of 17/18yo who never shine in the schoolboy years develop into great professional or even international players.
It's a lottery and some you win and some you lose. There are always plenty of keyboard experts ready to put the boot into the recruitment teams but unfortunately they have to make a call sooner rather than later within a specific budget and limited places in the squad. If there were 8 - 10 professional teams in Aust we would likely have spots for everyone with no losses to o/s, but with only 5 it becomes more a matter of luck than anything else/
Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
Didn't Horton come up through the U20s?
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
If the Tah’s operating in the biggest city in Australia with the biggest base had more than one title in the Super Rugby era you could have a point, but you don’t.
Silverado
Dick Tooth (41)
Yes. Swinton as well
Jimmy_Crouch
Ken Catchpole (46)
Spot on. Many times in these discussions there is no consideration to the players in the squad already. Look at the 2012-2014 Reds backrowers (off the top of my head Curtis Browning, Jarrad Butler, Liam Gill, Scott Higginbotham, Ed Quirk, Radike Samo, Jake Schatz and Beau Robinson). Plenty of "small" backrowers (or 6.5s) so you can see why Sean McMahon who was in the acadamy program went elsewhere. It isn't a failing of the Reds they just weren't in a position to offer him the same opportunity at that time.
A mutterer
Chilla Wilson (44)
did i miss a previous post about cam clark going to the brumbies?
dont know. Did you?