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
Slash old mate I think that hat is one size too small. Lets have a look at the points you've raised to support your assertions. Most senior clubs have very little input or development with their junior village clubs and aren't really interested in spending development funds until players are at Colts level due to the fact that many of the schoolboy stars can't cut it when they step away from the pampered existence and glorification of the first XV. Having said that, Wests has a junior academy of predominantly 16/17 year olds from their juniors and local schools that they encourage to move through and play colts. These boys train and mix with first grade players and colts throughout the year at various training camps and are exposed to an accelerated rugby education. I think you'll find that some of the profits you mentioned are put towards this level of grass roots development.
Yes, Wests have only the one junior club but they aren't prepared to go broke by paying for the sake of clubs affiliating with the district. Two local teams in Petersham and Canterbury were enticed to affiliate with Sydney Uni (who of course need a large junior village base to find players to fill their grade and colts teams) with healthy sponsorship and Hunters Hill chose to affiliate with Gordon/Norths. Junior rugby clubs don't spring up overnight and the Wests juniors president (who won the NSW junior rugby club official of the year) has spent many hours trying to develop bonds with clubs like Balmain and Briars who have subbies teams but no juniors as yet.
Thought I'd do some checking of how well your Manly club was travelling and I see they have the grand total of 4 village clubs and I guess St Pius at Chatswood or St Augustines is now considered Manly junior development clubs as thats where Jones, Hooper and Hingoa attended school isn't it? or are the rules different on the peninsula.
As to our reckless poaching of junior out of district players, the state championship rules don't allow players to represent another district unless they are not selected by their district or their district doesn't enter a team. Looking at this years championship program Wests had 4 non Wests juniors players from 49 selected in the 16/17 age group and Manly had 5 of 44 players. To add to that all the 17's Manly juniors were from the Roos club while the 16's were all but a couple from Harlequins. Based on your earlier statements it looks like Manly don't do anything more than Wests when it comes to the development of these age groups. Throwing stones in glass houses aren't you.
Billy Young did go to Joeys and then played Wests colts before he moved to the Brumbies and also Eastwood with his mate Lee Green who was looking to play first grade but was competing with a couple of ex Australian schools players in the same position at Wests. Many Wests boys have come from St Pats, Trinity, Newington, Joeys and as afar as Oakhill and Hills Sports recently, just as Warringah and Manly feed off St Augustines and Shore or Gordon off Barker and Knox. But this is the current landscape of junior rugby as the ARU and the provinces stand by and watch junior club rugby wither on the vine. Every club now has representatives at the schools trials but they are few and far between at a state championship.
Now, as to that 100k profit. That is probably due to the club having a common sense approach to not paying over the top payments to guys who should only be playing for the enjoyment of the game. That money reinvested in junior development is more logical than paying some mercenary who at best might bring in a couple of dozen paying spectators. Ask the clubs who are surviving from week to week if that's an effective financial policy to work from. Eastwood and Gordon have both recently come close to folding their tents. Of course the downside to this is the lazy clubs who are able to offer financial inducement or higher representative opportunities enticing these players away from Wests. I don't know what all the driving factors behind your list of players who have left or are leaving is but I know at least 2 of them were told moving was in their best interests if they wanted to play provincial level rugby and others are looking for extra grocery money. Maybe if other clubs stopped enticing large numbers of players away we would make the semi's on a more consistent level. Some may have found the grass wasn't any greener having spent the year in 2nds and 3rds at their new club.
2011 a political nightmare? By whose reports? Those that I know have said they enjoyed the year and the clubs players showed great support for the fourth XV in their grand final battle with Easts. If you dig deep enough you'll always find someone who feels their talents weren't recognised in any rugby club.
I guess all we can ask for in future is you take a good look in your own backyard before you start throwing wild accusations around about what other districts do in regards to the development of their junior/colts players. Wests rugby knows as well as anyone what it's like to invest time (more than money) into a promising young player only to see them enticed to leave for what they see as a necessary evil for a successful future. If the clubs came to their collective senses and realised that the levels of interest amongst paying spectators can't justify paying players sums of money above what their viable income is then it may be possible to return to the days where most players saw out their careers at the district club they played for as a junior.
PS* I hope the grammar, spelling and punctuation is suffice for your colleague, Lord Lily of the Peninsula.