The Two Blues

[#1 Tah]

Got rolled 111-0 by manly

 

[en_force_er]

Got rolled 111-0 by manly

At least they can only get better.

 

[Pfitzy]

I'm afraid it can only get worse...

 

[Cutter]

Manly are a good side who have started well the last couple of years. I don't think many other teams would have put that score on them in the first round. Hopefully things will improve.

 

[TOCC]

apparently from a source within the club, some of the ideas they are thinking about persuing, firstly they are looking at signing a core group of gun young players for a decent pay packet to build a team around, or secondly they are looking at match fees, paying match fees and winning fees to all grades.

 

[Pfitzy]

Talks about a ground with Baulkham Hills Shire Council have stalled and Sydney University have poached Campese for a rumoured $80,000.

The Renegades are using Riverstone High School ground at the moment. Why?

Because its the only rugby ground available to use that isn't being used by a league, soccer, or AFL club in some format. And its one of the few that has actual facilities like hot showers for visiting teams

 

[AussieDominance]

apparently from a source within the club, some of the ideas they are thinking about persuing, firstly they are looking at signing a core group of gun young players for a decent pay packet to build a team around, or secondly they are looking at match fees, paying match fees and winning fees to all grades.

They need money mainly for a first grade side, possibly a few second graders and they need to offer 'support' not neccessarily money for 1st Grade Colts...

Lower grade players are attracted by having good players above them i.e Super 14 players representing they have a good club this could be where the local juniors need to revived into forming decent lower grade teams if they do source that funding....

Same with Colts get a good program with a few headline acts and you are sorted by keeping your local juniors and looking at local schools such as Oakhill etc...

 

[Cutter]

apparently from a source within the club, some of the ideas they are thinking about persuing, firstly they are looking at signing a core group of gun young players for a decent pay packet to build a team around, or secondly they are looking at match fees, paying match fees and winning fees to all grades.

They need money mainly for a first grade side, possibly a few second graders and they need to offer 'support' not neccessarily money for 1st Grade Colts...

Lower grade players are attracted by having good players above them i.e Super 14 players representing they have a good club this could be where the local juniors need to revived into forming decent lower grade teams if they do source that funding....

Same with Colts get a good program with a few headline acts and you are sorted by keeping your local juniors and looking at local schools such as Oakhill etc...

Good colts players were being paid 15 years ago (when I was in colts). I think that to say they don't need money for colts is naive.

 

[RugbyFuture]

simple, associate with UWS and get scholarships going

 

[TOCC]

apparently from a source within the club, some of the ideas they are thinking about persuing, firstly they are looking at signing a core group of gun young players for a decent pay packet to build a team around, or secondly they are looking at match fees, paying match fees and winning fees to all grades.

They need money mainly for a first grade side, possibly a few second graders and they need to offer 'support' not neccessarily money for 1st Grade Colts...

Lower grade players are attracted by having good players above them i.e Super 14 players representing they have a good club this could be where the local juniors need to revived into forming decent lower grade teams if they do source that funding....

Same with Colts get a good program with a few headline acts and you are sorted by keeping your local juniors and looking at local schools such as Oakhill etc...

i agree that the lower grades dont need payments, but at the moment all that parra has is a first grade and a few second graders..

Colts IMO need to be paid, if the Two Blues focus on recruiting and retaining there best colts starting this year, by 2012 they could be highly competitive again. Even in the QLD a large number of Colts players were getting paid, and thats going back a few years as well, i imagine its only worse in Sydney.

RugbyFuture, you are right, they need to somehow allign themselves with a organisation like UWS to throw more weight behind themselves.

 

[#1 Tah]

AND they play against sydney uni this week

 

[Pfitzy]

Colts IMO need to be paid, if the Two Blues focus on recruiting and retaining there best colts starting this year, by 2012 they could be highly competitive again.

And then when they don't make First Grade and aren't being paid any more?

 

[TOCC]

Colts IMO need to be paid, if the Two Blues focus on recruiting and retaining there best colts starting this year, by 2012 they could be highly competitive again.

And then when they don't make First Grade and aren't being paid any more?

no, my comment was in response aussiedominance who said colts players didnt need to be paid, if you read back a few posts i actually said first grade should be paid

 

[Pfitzy]

Yeah but what if those Colts stick with the club, and get paid while they're Colts, then find their way to First Grade blocked? There are lots of Colts and only 22 First Grade spots.

 

[TOCC]

evidently if they arent good enough to break it into the parra first grade then they wont be good enough for another club, so there its unlikely they will be offered much incentive to shift clubs.. In term of paying players i think it should go in order of the list below.

Priority 1 should be First Grade
Priority 2 should be Premier Colts
Priority 3 should be Second Grade

 

[AussieDominance]

Colts IMO need to be paid, if the Two Blues focus on recruiting and retaining there best colts starting this year, by 2012 they could be highly competitive again.

And then when they don't make First Grade and aren't being paid any more?

no, my comment was in response aussiedominance who said colts players didnt need to be paid, if you read back a few posts i actually said first grade should be paid

I believe for Parra to be competitive like any other premiership rugby club they do need to attract these players somehow, but offering them plain straight out cash is the worst thing.

Things like :

Offering to set them up in an apartment with other young players(for country lads) - with no expense to the club rather just making it easier on the relocation
Finding them a job/setting them up with an apprenticeship/ setting them up at university(the lucky few who might be successful with UWS)
Paying Fees - I understand it is $150 at Parramatta this season
Buying boots
Covering medical expenses to a certain extent things like having a relationship with a local doctor/physio which they already do obviously for the weekend who will provide services cheaper and Parramatta can subsidise a bit of this or either recieve a fee for each client they send on if they can arrange etc...

They have to make it attaractive through things like working with guys like Mark Hartill, having great oppurtunities etc these are some serious selling points although when you come against money you couldn't really beat it.

 

[AussieDominance]

FIJIAN national coach Sam Domoni has emerged as a possible lifesaver for the Parramatta Two Blues and could provide the battling club with some Pacific Island flair in their fight for survival in the Sydney premiership.
The former Waratahs second-rower last night told The Daily Telegraph he would love to see some of his local players link up with the club and gain experience in the Sydney premiership ahead of next year's World Cup and the Under-20 World Cup in June.

"We are looking forward to that once they make contact," Domoni said. "That would be a great idea for them to get the professional attitude of the preparation and getting fit. We are all ears, we are listening."

Producing rugby players is a huge industry for Fiji, who have 67 professional footballers plying their trade in France and 47 in England.

But Domoni said there was still a host of exciting players running around Fiji and Parramatta coach Mark Hartill will now contact him to discuss what players may be available to join his club.


Being able to tap into that talent pool would be a coup for Parramatta, which had been one of the most feared Sydney rugby clubs, but whose current problems were cruelly exposed last weekend when they were beaten 111-0 by Manly in the first round of the Shute Shield.

But the premiership needs the Parramatta club as rugby must make a bigger footprint in Sydney's west for its future success.

That development comes as the Two Blues received a boost by securing their first overseas recruit - and he could be rushed into first grade for Saturday's game with defending premiers Sydney University.

Prop Richard Just from the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand was a reserve for New Zealand Under-20s a couple of seasons ago.

"We will train him [tomorrow] and see how he is and if he is ready to go," Hartill said.

Just is the first new player in Hartill's worldwide search to bolster the club's playing strength.

He has also been chasing other players in New Zealand, the US, Ireland and the Pacific Islands and said the door was open for players from other Sydney clubs looking for an opportunity.

NSW Rugby CEO Jim L'Estrange said now Parramatta have been provided with extra funding from the ARU, it is their responsibility to find the players. "They have to do everything they can to ensure they come up the right players in the right positions," L'Estrange said.

Hartill said after fielding two grade sides against Manly, he hopes Parramatta will field four teams against Uni this Saturday at Granville Park.

"I'm hoping we will be able to field third grade all year," he said.

First signing for Parramatta good to see they are starting where it counts up front! A legacy of Hartill, hopefully they get some more signings in the coming days...

 

[TheRiddler]

NSW Rugby CEO Jim L'Estrange said now Parramatta have been provided with extra funding from the ARU, it is their responsibility to find the players. "They have to do everything they can to ensure they come up the right players in the right positions," L'Estrange said.

Because old Jim is stuffed if he is going to help or support those people. I mean, Parramatta, its not even Sydney is it? Nowhere near Moore Park. Why should his team help out?

Or am I being unfair again?

 

[AussieDominance]

Report I have got on Richard Just -

Ex-Tauranga Boys and latterly played his club rugby for Te Puke, although I think he also played a season or two in Scotland. He'd be about 24-25 now and was in the same first XV as Lance MacDonald, Tanerau Latimer and Jason Hona.

As the nickname suggests, he's a big boy - probably 1.95m and upwards of 120kg. Loosehead prop but never really kicked on after school - think BOP Academy was about as far as he got.

 

[Pfitzy]

Or am I being unfair again?

Yes you are, you toff