Torn Hammy
Johnnie Wallace (23)
My point is that union will never be able to compete with league when it comes to brilliant 16 year old kids who play both codes. If they are that good they are on rookie contracts that tie up parents, schools with more than a little cash, all worth more than what Lee Grant has suggested fringe Waratahs get. They then skill them up and develop them physically at a rate that is incomprehensible to those involved in union. Four nights a week plus weekends nine months a year. One club I know had a budget of $1 million for its juniors 18 years and under. And by the time they have 2 years of Toyota Cup they are very skilled and physically well developed. Of the hundreds of kids who have gone through their system a NRL club might get 3 or 4 playing in their first grade each year, though it is often less. For the rest, the prospect of playing A Grade against Larpa 4 times a year, can be very unappetising.
These are the kids someone should be looking at. Often they have only been out of rugby for a couple of years and would happily join a union club if a bit of petrol money was thrown in or for just the hope of being a successful footy player. The thing is that we have to do the looking, as these kids' agents aren't going to suggest that maybe a career in amateur/semi-professional union might be a good idea. I just think that these kids have a better long term chance of success for our code than the likes of Folau, Sailor, Tuquiri etc, who have always been league guys dressed in union clothes. For example, as a Bulldogs supporter, I'm feeling very grateful towards the Waratahs for building up Folau this year and preparing him for a season in the mighty blue and white next year.
