Shute Shield 2013

[Bruce Ross]

I get your point Bruce but I wonder if today it would be cheaper and more effective to do this via Facebook, Twitter, weekly email to subscribers and/or via Green and Gold. I also think it might be too late by Saturday morning to provide options for the day ahead.

Points well taken, E&E

Why not advertise the fixtures on Friday & Saturday?
Letting the public know that games are actually on , together with the time & place , I should have thought ,was the very least that the SRU could do to support the competition for which that body primarily exists.
There must be many people who , on seeing the fixtures whilst browsing through the sport pages , would be jogged into having a look at a game , perhaps out of curiosity , or even because they happen
to be at a loose end on the day , & have pretty much forgotten about club Rugby since they or their son have stopped playing.
Not advertising the sport at club level & which the SRU claims to support ,is criminal.

I have to disagree with you to some extent, Done that. "The very least that the SRU could do to support the competition for which that body primarily exists" is what they and before them the NSWRU have been doing for many years now, namely AFA.
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[Dave Beat]

I have to disagree with you to some extent, Done that. "The very least that the SRU could do to support the competition for which that body primarily exists" is what they and before them the NSWRU have been doing for many years now, namely AFA.
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Bruce, I'll start be saying I admire what Uni has achieved - but we can still hate them for the rival sake.
SRU supporting the competition - I think it is a concern the amount of players the premiers contribute to the Sydney Country Game, no doubt there are reasons but from the outside they do look selfish.

 

[In the know I think.]

I agree 100 % - why re invent Clubs that have no history or following. There is no sport played in this country in October. My view is that you play the best 2 Clubs from Sydney, Brisbane & Canberra in a round robin in October. I don't know if the Clubs would go for it and it would cost $100 000 to put it on before prize money, however, that is the simple answer (except the 100 grand of course!)

Most sensible answer well said.
If you cut the existing clubs you loose millions in revenue, hundreds of volunteers risking on some thing that has already failed in better econimic times. The suggestion from Clubrugbytv is spot on.

 

[In the know I think.]

I can see the attraction to this idea. But I think the bigger problem is player development. Even if some struggling clubs are left out of the Shute Shield, there are still too many players spread across too many clubs (not to mention Qld and even Canberra) to develop players very well at all at the level below Super Rugby.

To really develop players, I think the best players need to be condensed in no more than 8-10 clubs. And I can't see how the Shute Shield (+ Qld) can get to that without excluding most club rugby fans, when their team gets the cut.

I don't want to get off topic, but if we are going to be talking about ways to develop club rugby and make the Shute Shield more attractive, I don't think we should be thinking it will solve the bigger problem of better developing players. Perhaps we should treat them as separate issues.

Getting rid of a few clubs from the Shute Shield, or having divisions, or having a champions round with the best clubs from around AUS, may create a little more interest in club rugby (or a few clubs) - which would be good, but won't really scratch where the itch is in AUS rugby.

Here is where I think many have it wrong blaming Club Rugby for poor player development.
I know of at least 4 young footballers who are in Academies or fringe Super Squads who are now expert at running around cones and running ladders, they are excellent in the gym. All 4, before they went into the system and were playing club rugby would play with injury, strap ankles and get on with it but now if they feel a twinge, during one of the 3 maybe 4 games they actually play will leave the field.
One missed half a season to stay fit for the u20 disgrace.
The players, when they left the clubs were fitter, stronger and more athletic than past years.
It is the post club development that is the problem. They train and train and may get a run in the ACT comp.
Ok I'll say it the fish rots from the head, its the ARU and the vast structure of theoretical BS that is the problem.
How dare they judge the clubs when they can't firstly control and secondly get performance out of 20 to 30 of the best.
If the Wallabies were world champs and the Warratahs were winning club rugby would be better off.
The quality of player they are getting is not getting worse it is getting better. It is what they are doing that is the problem.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Here is where I think many have it wrong blaming Club Rugby for poor player development.
I know of at least 4 young footballers who are in Academies or fringe Super Squads who are now expert at running around cones and running ladders, they are excellent in the gym. All 4, before they went into the system and were playing club rugby would play with injury, strap ankles and get on with it but now if they feel a twinge, during one of the 3 maybe 4 games they actually play will leave the field.
One missed half a season to stay fit for the u20 disgrace.
The players, when they left the clubs were fitter, stronger and more athletic than past years.
It is the post club development that is the problem. They train and train and may get a run in the ACT comp.
Ok I'll say it the fish rots from the head, its the ARU and the vast structure of theoretical BS that is the problem.
How dare they judge the clubs when they can't firstly control and secondly get performance out of 20 to 30 of the best.
If the Wallabies were world champs and the Warratahs were winning club rugby would be better off.
The quality of player they are getting is not getting worse it is getting better. It is what they are doing that is the problem.

I see club rugby as a primary development structure for young and ambitious players. From there we need to find a higher level of competition for the top line talent.

 

[It is what it is]

3pm seems to be the magic time for Rugby.on a Saturday in winter all decent games begin at this time. The Rugby public is split between GPS, CAS,ISA, Subbies, Shute Shield etc ! We need to be a little more innovative.Friday evening games, Sunday or even Monday evenings? Sadly some most school games have more spectators than Shute Shield!

 

[Tah and feathered]

More action from Broke St Coogee
They have made the GM position redundant and the GM is gone. I think this will make a lot of Randwick supporters happy
That's Randwick , Warringah, Easts without a GM
Who would want a paid position in a Sydney Rugby club

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Parra Two Blues seem to be doing OK with their GM, and are other clubs.

It would seem to be that the key to success as a Rugby Club GM may be more about competence and actual ability than promise/potential/paper qualifications.

 

[Interested party]

Parra Two Blues seem to be doing OK with their GM, and are other clubs.

It would seem to be that the key to success as a Rugby Club GM may be more about competence and actual ability than promise/potential/paper qualifications.

Are clubs spending their money on coaching instead of admin?? Hasn't Randwick "outsourced" their coaching to Stallions Rugby"
Will be interesting to see how the coaches cope with all the admin or will volunteers have to step up again!!

 

[Pete King]

Are clubs spending their money on coaching instead of admin?? Hasn't Randwick "outsourced" their coaching to Stallions Rugby"
Will be interesting to see how the coaches cope with all the admin or will volunteers have to step up again!!

Think it was more the matter of wanting that particular GM out of the picture.

 

[rugbyisfun]

How about connecting some major school events with Club events where possible? Joeys v Kings at TG. Barker v Knox at Chatswood . Scots v Cbrook at Woolahra. Waves v some other pack of mungos at Cooogee??

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I like the cut of your gib rugbyisfun, but a first XV challenge at 3:15pm is the culmination of a full days athletic battle between School A and School B from Under 13z's to Under 16A's and all opens teams.

School sport must be about participation regardless of ability. Anything less would be counter to the schools athletic ethos.

There are not enough ovals or hours in a day, in the immediate vicinity of Chatswood Oval to have Grade 1-4 Gordon vs Opposition and Barker vs Knox games done in one day allowing sufficient time for the "crowd" to assemble for the 1st XV battle (1pm kick off) and Shute Shield 1st Grade 3:15pm kick off, same for Woolahra 1/Lyons Park/Woolahra 2&3 etc.

 

[Bruce Ross]

The most obvious thing that could be done to build support for the Shute Shield would be to play as many games as possible on a Sunday. It would solve the problem of conflicting with Subbies games and private schools fixtures as well as numerous other commitments that rugby followers may have on Saturdays.

Provision could still be made for a Saturday fixture each week to be televised by the ABC.
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[Andrew B Cox]

The most obvious thing that could be done to build support for the Shute Shield would be to play as many games as possible on a Sunday. It would solve the problem of conflicting with Subbies games and private schools fixtures as well as numerous other commitments that rugby followers may have on Saturdays.

Provision could still be made for a Saturday fixture each week to be televised by the ABC.
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Couldn't agree more Bruce. And Friday nights need to be persisted with as well.

The problem in the past has always been that (among a number of clubs)when things were not an initial roaring success, we scurried back to what was done in the past.

I remember once we played Uni at the Showground before the Bledisloe Cup game across at Stadium Australia. We had a great crowd and even better day of rugby. Why do we forget these innovations?

 

[SackRobbie]

Are clubs spending their money on coaching instead of admin?? Hasn't Randwick "outsourced" their coaching to Stallions Rugby"

Did a committee made up of Stephen Hoiles, Adam Freier & Simon Poidevan make a recommendation to the Board on the Randwick coaching make up for 2013?

Did that same committee put forward Stallion rugby as their preferred?

Don't some of that committee work for Stallion: http://www.stallionsportinggroup.com.au/hire-a-star-detail/rugby-union/

 

[Done that]

The most obvious thing that could be done to build support for the Shute Shield would be to play as many games as possible on a Sunday. It would solve the problem of conflicting with Subbies games and private schools fixtures as well as numerous other commitments that rugby followers may have on Saturdays.

Provision could still be made for a Saturday fixture each week to be televised by the ABC.
.

When considering Sunday Rugby , it should be taken into account that many of the Polynesian players will not play sport on Sunday.

 

[SackRobbie]

Speaking to a guy from the Easts Board on the weekend and discussing various methodologies on Shute Shield. We agreed that perhaps the only way forward for broke Clubs and a struggling comp was to abolish player payments.

So what are the chances of all SS Clubs pulling together and agreeing that nobody would play players/provide scholarships etc? I appreciate it is probably never going to happen and sounds ok in practice but would never be enforceable but surely there needs to be a new way of looking at things rather than Clubs going broke because they cant afford player payments.

Is it Disneyland or a potentially viable proposition for the future benefit of all Clubs?

 

[Bruce Ross]

When considering Sunday Rugby , it should be taken into account that many of the Polynesian players will not play sport on Sunday.

While not wanting to interfere with people's religious beliefs - fortunately in this country there is tolerance of my lack of religious belief - how do these players get on when matches are scheduled for Sunday now? Do many players make themselves unavailable?
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[Pete King]

How about connecting some major school events with Club events where possible? Joeys v Kings at TG. Barker v Knox at Chatswood . Scots v Cbrook at Woolahra. Waves v some other pack of mungos at Cooogee??

I take it your a Cranbrook Supporter Rugby is Fun????

 

[Andrew B Cox]

Having coached a club with a lot of Polynesian players, I reckon the argument is an absolute furphy.

We trotted it out if we didn't want to play on Sunday because we knew what all the boys got up to on Saturday night!

I don't know of a single current Super player or NRL player who refuses to play on Sunday.

The only guy I know who refuses to play on Sundays is Scottish prop, Euan Murray.

Perhaps we can put the kibosh on it in order to let more Scots play in the Shute Shield.