Hows that saying go again, say nothing and people might think you're a fool - say something and you just confirm their thoughts!
If you did some due diligence you might note that there have been many ex Wests juniors turn up at other clubs just like next year with Cummins and Windon going to other clubs.
Other notables over the years have included Michael Foley, Bill Young, Tony Daley and numerous others. Put your brain in gear before you shove your mouth into overdrive with dribble.
I didnt know Hills Sports High and St Pats Strathfield were Wests junior development clubs...........Same as Joeys where Bill Young went............
I'm talking about Wests only having 1 junior club for years, doing NOTHING to grow the number clubs within the district (let's face it, not every kid goes to private school) and then just sitting back and poaching from baulkaum hills, merrylands, rooty hill, blacktown, beecroft, hillview etc..........
You West Harbour blokes are so pathetic when questioned. Here's one for you, you blokes made a 100K profit in 2010, yet failed to make the semi's in 09,10,11 with arguably the second best player roster in the comp (certainly in 09 and 10, not so much in 11) in 1st grade. From all reports 2011 was just a political nightmare. Has anyone within the club actually asked why the players are leaving by the dozen????????
Cummins, Su'a, Afualo, Ah Lam, Paurini, Windon, Ayoub, Hunkin, Salanoa, Seavula...................the list goes on and on[/QUOTE]
While you make some valid points Slash, you must admit that the West Harbour Colts system has brought a number of players through to professional level, and have been successful for decades. Right back in the 80's, Bob Lamaro took them back to back in 1sts Colts. In 1994, my first year of coaching, I had Eastwood Colts with Steve Best and we played Wests in the GF. Their team under Dave Treweek and John Lomax were a game short of the GF and supplied 9 first graders to West Harbour this year. Given they draw from a solitary junior club and a small number of rugby schools, they do punch above their weight.
On the club's troubles, the biggest problem is that as they are perennially 'the best of a bad bunch', and with a good colts system, they are a prime target for poaching. Can you name a player in Sydney who has moved from a top 4 club to a bottom 4 club? The strong tend to feed on the weak. The only reason one would go to a struggling club is probably money, and ironically, they're precisely the kind of player Wests don't need. The other thing is that the Wests area is a massively changing demographic. The area north of Parramatta Road is rapidly becoming Rugby Heartland- with kids everywhere. This same area closed Drummoyne Boys HS 25 years ago due to lack of enrollments. An ageing area is now young again and junior clubs are popping up everywhere. Balmain have just started and I'm sure more will come. The polynesian community that centred around Ashfield in the '80s has moved west, but stayed connected to the club, and that's why they draw from Parra and Penrith juniors.
The club's problems have more to do with natural law and rapidly changing demographics than poor management.
