Recent content by stonecutter

I'm not usually a supporter of conspiracy theories but if you remove the 2 clubs where young players can get an opportunity to play Shute Shield locally in the west then the only remaining honourable thing to do is to allow the vultures to pick the best of the talent for themselves. There won't...

Vale Penrith Colts 1st XV if the posts are correct.The obvious issue at hand is the unevenness of talent distribution among the various teams. I'd suggest a cap on how many points a club can recruit in a year based on previous years success and similar to a draft. Taking Randwick as an example...

The discussion here on whether clubs have an expectation that junior rep players continue to play for said club as seniors is a by product of what is wrong with rugby to a degree at the moment. Unfortunately, we have 2 clubs who have an overkill on influencing where talented junior players...

Over the past 2 seasons the Gordon, Penrith and Parramatta clubs have done a good job of re-invigorating their Colts program and are starting to see the rewards of this commitment. One club has seen early success with recognition of one of their young players by gaining high level representative...

With all the banter regarding the points cap and talent dispersion currently taking place, I was interested in overhearing the thoughts of a club coach regarding these issues recently. His view centred around giving credit to district clubs who put time and effort into developing a junior...

Dave, Again, it's not so much as about when they are grown adults and seasoned professionals seeking a career opportunity. It's about when they are impressionable kids who hand on every word of a couple of adults with their own agendas

Dave, Each club is now a victim of a set of circumstances that have been allowed to eventuate while no governance was taking place Yes, everyone has intelligently worked (manipulated) within the rules, but the rules were and still are rubbish and amateurish. Manly shouldn't be punished for...

I would be interested to hear what work other clubs are doing with their junior clubs. Parra are obviously doing good things and we will see many parra juniors getting higher honours in future (if politics doesn't come into it). To my understanding Parramatta are doing no more than providing...

Sorry but have to disagree with those who claim the governing bodies are not responsible for the situation rugby finds itself in. I admire Uni for reviewing their situation and identifying what they needed to do to turn things around but they were allowed far too much leeway and are now at a...

Having just read the NSW Colt's squad announced for a tournament in Canberra this week I truly fear for the longevity of the game. Does anyone truly think that it is healthy to have 22 of 30 players from only 3 clubs in this elite category? How is this allowed to happen? Many of the players...

Just being the devils advocate regarding what appears to be a hurried process with little planning. Lets see the details before committing a clubs roster and resources to a joint venture. Some of the clubs being rumoured to forming partnerships have spent years hating each other. Who is going to...

Dave, Be careful for what you wish for. I might be a touch underwhelmed by the apparent lack of planning involved but I don't doubt the intention of some who don't like that the SS clubs still have some say in the running of the game. I'll be very surprised if there is still any club rugby as we...

Manly's performance was outstanding considering the circumstances that evolved in the match. Losing Hodge to injury was unfortunate, losing Foketi to a red card wasn't as the rules are clear in regard to lift tackles. Across the park Manly's individual flair seemed to have greater attacking...

Taking into account the scorelines in the qualification finals (1v4 & 2v3) of 100 and change vs 5 and 40 vs 13 are you advocating we reduce the final series to a two team event only, as Uni and Manly have clearly cornerned the market in elitism? Adding to that, the fact that 8th beat 5th in all...

Firstly, the clubs don't create the draw or competition so all any club can do is play who they are allocated. This is based I believe on previous club championship results and Parramatta's situation last year is a long way from where they stand now. Secondly, they gave Manly a decent fright a...