Langers
Bob McCowan (2)
JGC Program in this part of NSW has reduced the number of players playing representative rugby in my opinion.
This is due to Mid North Coast and Far North Coast zones being combined to form the North Coast zone for JGC. The selection process effectively culls 20-30 players who would normally play representative rugby for either MNC or FNC at the Country Championships. Then, it's only the usual faces turning up to trial for selection.
You then have the distance issues to manage for training and playing. It takes on average 6 hours to travel from one end of the zone to the other, so a training session for the whole squad means a minimum 2-3 hour drive each way for parents and potentially the coaches and other staff.
Issues arise around where mid week training is held. If the majority of coaches live at one end of the zone, then the players at that end attend regularly and get a bigger benefit than other players where the distance is too great to attend at the frequency (2-3 nights a week). Meaning the full benefits of being in the program are never fully realised.
This coupled with the cost to participate (approx $650 without travel and accommodation, etc) leaves some questioning the value of the program and excludes others all together.
There are some terrific people from each zone who work extremely hard to make the program as successful as it can be, but the issues I've touched on above will always be the major stumbling blocks.
It then becomes a bit like the recent NSW State Championships, where a group of very good players come up against WA, Victoria, ACT and the Sydney or Brisbane sides and aren't quite competitive enough.
This is due to Mid North Coast and Far North Coast zones being combined to form the North Coast zone for JGC. The selection process effectively culls 20-30 players who would normally play representative rugby for either MNC or FNC at the Country Championships. Then, it's only the usual faces turning up to trial for selection.
You then have the distance issues to manage for training and playing. It takes on average 6 hours to travel from one end of the zone to the other, so a training session for the whole squad means a minimum 2-3 hour drive each way for parents and potentially the coaches and other staff.
Issues arise around where mid week training is held. If the majority of coaches live at one end of the zone, then the players at that end attend regularly and get a bigger benefit than other players where the distance is too great to attend at the frequency (2-3 nights a week). Meaning the full benefits of being in the program are never fully realised.
This coupled with the cost to participate (approx $650 without travel and accommodation, etc) leaves some questioning the value of the program and excludes others all together.
There are some terrific people from each zone who work extremely hard to make the program as successful as it can be, but the issues I've touched on above will always be the major stumbling blocks.
It then becomes a bit like the recent NSW State Championships, where a group of very good players come up against WA, Victoria, ACT and the Sydney or Brisbane sides and aren't quite competitive enough.
