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NSW AAGPS 2017

Tip the 2017 AAGPS 1st XV Premiers

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    92
  • Poll closed .
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Black & White

Black & White

Vay Wilson (31)
Rich_E said:
New would have to be considered more than dark horses already, surely.

They do have quite a few 'young guns' with limited or no 1st XV experience. But so do most of the other teams and they will all face the same challenges.

Also off the top of my head, I can't think of any school that has any massive advantage in the number of players returning with 1st XV experience. From a quick glance at the predicted 2017 teams earlier in this thread, it would appear most teams, including New, have around 5 back this year.

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Black & White

Black & White

Vay Wilson (31)


With only 5 rounds, I getting the impression that the field is wide open, although Scots might be considered something of a favourite. My expectation in these very early days is a joint premiership between two or even three schools. With Joeys, Scots and Kings as the potential top teams. Riverview and Newington to act as spoilers against the other three and Shore will keep the rest honest.
 
Armchair Selector

Armchair Selector

Johnnie Wallace (23)
With only 5 rounds, I getting the impression that the field is wide open
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B&W I completely agree re wide open comp. IF you take the summary of team selections at post#650 as "gospel" then it would appear most teams (as you mentioned) will have around 5 returning Firsts players.

My sense of it will be that the school with the most dominant forward pack will be the one to watch. Whilst a scrum is important, I am meaning more about mobility around the field in attack and defence.

It appears there are very few returning firsts forwards. Maybe 2 per school? Scots and View have blooded a few young guns but I would have no idea who would have the dominant forward pack on paper.

I will watch with great interest the 7 weeks of trials
 
Rich_E

Rich_E

Ron Walden (29)
As stated in earlier posts, I think Scots will be strong. But, B&W, I dont agree that they would be favourites. Top 3? Sure. But not favourites. It's too early to be assigning favourites tag to anyone.

Like all sides this year, Scots have a few (5) back from last year and some talented youngsters coming through. But who knows how they will gel as a team. I guess only time will tell.

I agree that this year's comp will be close again and think that the reduction in comp games from 10 to 5 will play some roll in that.

I also think, Armchair, that Joeys look, on paper, like they will have the edge in the "mobility around the field in attack and defence" department and, with 4 of their forwards back this year, they could be the front running pack, so long as they have also packed on some size in the off season.

But this is all just speculation and the great thing is we now don't have that long to wait until the ruggers gets under way.

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Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
In a one round, 5 game competition a joint premiership would be a distinct favourite.

Joeys tend to be one of if not the most mobile teams on a regular basis. 5 fine Saturdays and they are a definite chance to break the drought. Recently thought they have struggled in the wet, when the game is more of a forward grind and thus their pace is nullified.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Azzuri said:
Totally agree..I also followed that tour around england and as far as Im concerned it is the land of a thousand pies with not one good one.
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The trade-off being that most of the pubs (particularly in the countryside) are top notch. Nothing like a pint of bitter from the hand pump.
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Of potential interest to posters - bound to settle some and start other arguments:

Screenshot 2017-02-20 13.18.23.png
 
F

Footydad

Bob McCowan (2)
Quick Hands said:
In a one round, 5 game competition a joint premiership would be a distinct favourite.

Joeys tend to be one of if not the most mobile teams on a regular basis. 5 fine Saturdays and they are a definite chance to break the drought. Recently thought they have struggled in the wet, when the game is more of a forward grind and thus their pace is nullified.
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F

Footydad

Bob McCowan (2)
Apologies,but I have been out of the loop since the end of last season. Can someone explain the rationale regarding the 5 game 1st and 2nds competition in 2017.
 
Armchair Selector

Armchair Selector

Johnnie Wallace (23)
Just read Vegas' assessment of the QLD GPS and the impact of scholarships on school culture.

I couldn't agree more. Love his parting sentence!

Vegas' post is well worth a read.

I genuinely wonder if AAGPS have the mettle to enforce their own policies on sporting scholarships.

There is no doubt the quality of the 1st XV schoolboy rugby is good - but at what cost ? What is schoolboy rugby really about ?

Schoolboy Rugby is about the 400 or 500 boys in the programme, not just the 1stXV and A teams. 1st XV and A teams is certainly the pinnacle for boys to aspire to ( note - not get parachuted into ), but it is not the be all and end all. I haven't seen many comments in this forum about broader rugby programmes, participation, number of boys in the programme etc., or about the boys in the 13Cs or 14Ds that were developed through and are now training in a 1stXV train-on squad - let's hear about those guys on this forum.

It is not the job of schoolboy rugby to provide a pathway for the betterment of the QRU / ARU - if the QRU and ARU got off their arses and did their job properly, pathways would lead to outcomes as a matter of course.

Nor should schoolboy rugby be a holding pen or incubator for NRL prospects.

Schoolboy rugby is about it meaning something to represent your school - not just playing a game as a means to an end.

Its about heeding a call of arms with your mates and bleeding every weekend for them and your school, about playing in the morning, and then hanging around with your mates to watch the First XV game - dreaming one day that you might get the opportunity to run onto the Main Oval at 2:30 . ( Its a bit hard to be engaged when you have to run off from training on Thursday, or on the weekend, to prepare for the Cyril Connell Cup! Even knowing your school warcry would be a good start !)

Schoolboy rugby is about setting the benchmark with that hot team in Under 13, setting aim and measuring your progress against that team each year through to First XV. It makes it a bit hard when that benchmark brings in 6 better players in Yr 10, and then another couple in Yrs 11 and 12.

The system is broken - full stop. The objective of these rugby programmes is counter-intuitive to what these schools should be about - scholarships are fine, but as long as they are in place for the betterment of the boy . This programme is arse-about, and the race to dish out scholarships today is primarily for the betterment of the school - the boy is really a means to an end.

Interesting - you have the schools using the boy, and the boy using the school - now there's a guarantee of commitment and passion !

The system is broken. You just have to see and hear the disenchantment of the boys throughout the schools - those who set that benchmark in Yr 8 and worked toward the goal of running onto main oval at 2:30, only now to be overlooked for boys brought in ( or bought ?? ) in Yrs 11 and 12. Even worse is the resignation of boys in Yrs 8 and 9 today, seeing what is going on ahead of them, and wondering whether it is really worth their while !

Simply responding that "everyone else is doing it, so we have to" is a cop-out.

The scholarship programmes are to the rugby culture in the schools what myxomotosis was to rabbits !
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S

sidelineview

Guest
Armchair Selector said:
Just read Vegas' assessment of the QLD GPS and the impact of scholarships on school culture.

I couldn't agree more. Love his parting sentence!

Vegas' post is well worth a read.

I genuinely wonder if AAGPS have the mettle to enforce their own policies on sporting scholarships.
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Interesting and certainly rings true from a moral and practical point of view but is it realistic?
Can anyone really stop it?
Monitor and control it perhaps but I doubt it will ever be stopped.
 
formerflanker

formerflanker

Ken Catchpole (46)
sidelineview said:
Interesting and certainly rings true from a moral and practical point of view but is it realistic?
Can anyone really stop it?
Monitor and control it perhaps but I doubt it will ever be stopped.
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Maybe, just perhaps, the new structure of GPS rugby competition has a hidden agenda of stopping it. Fewer "competition games" and the increased probability of shared premierships may decrease the value of buying in top class players.
I'll opt out of this discussion on this thread.
 
Black & White

Black & White

Vay Wilson (31)
formerflanker said:
Maybe, just perhaps, the new structure of GPS rugby competition has a hidden agenda of stopping it. Fewer "competition games" and the increased probability of shared premierships may decrease the value of buying in top class players.
I'll opt out of this discussion on this thread.
Click to expand...

One version I heard was that certain schools wished to have lesser GPS Games and more games against CAS and ISA opponents. In order to improve their Win /Loss Ration over the Rugby season. But also their is a belief that a shorter GPS season as suggested above, increases the likelihood of shared premierships. They would not admit it openly, but a few people at numerous other schools have read between the lines of their agenda. How they got it through, must be a view must shared by others in GPS System. Self-Interest I suspect is at play.
 
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