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Aussie Player Exodus

Hogie

Allen Oxlade (6)
Looks as if the Leicester hooker Nic Dolly looks pretty handy and has had a good start to the season. Eastwood and NSW junior player moved to UK after being spotted playing when visiting family in his teens. He is now English qualified so one to keep an eye on...
 

Rugbynutter39

Michael Lynagh (62)
To play where? He was a league halfback and I'm not sure where he'd fit in playing XVs.

He's also 27.

Would have been a weird player for the Tahs to chase on anything more than a minimum contract (which I'm guessing he wasn't keen on). Even then, it probably wouldn't have been a good option.
Yeh one lost to league not overly concerned about.
 

Hogie

Allen Oxlade (6)
Sione Tuipulotu and Charlie Savala join another Aussie in Sam Johnson in Scotland training squad...

 

VassMan

Darby Loudon (17)
Sione Tuipulotu and Charlie Savala join another Aussie in Sam Johnson in Scotland training squad...

Nick Haining also an Aussie
 

Dan54

Tim Horan (67)
Campbell Parata to play his first Makos game at 5/8 today
He got MOTM to, went well in real shit conditions, seemed a fairly mature game. Actually has more about his game than when I watched him for Southport School, seems to of developed nicely. The beauty of not rushing a young fella through, I can see him in Crusader's squad in next couple of years.
 

John S

Desmond Connor (43)
Looks as if the Leicester hooker Nic Dolly looks pretty handy and has had a good start to the season. Eastwood and NSW junior player moved to UK after being spotted playing when visiting family in his teens. He is now English qualified so one to keep an eye on...

Looks like he's just been selected in their 45 man squad.
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
He got MOTM to, went well in real shit conditions, seemed a fairly mature game. Actually has more about his game than when I watched him for Southport School, seems to of developed nicely. The beauty of not rushing a young fella through, I can see him in Crusader's squad in next couple of years.
The 2017 GPS comp produced some very good 10’s .
Parata played 10 for TSS with Lolesio at12
Gordon 10 for BBC
Pasitoa 10 for Nudgee.

Not a bad conversation rate of schoolboys to professional rugby players.

Not sure I would classify Parata as an Aussie exodus though , from NZ and was always apparently headed back there, but would be happy to see him back .

Glad to see him getting a run , he certainly looked the goods as a schoolboy.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
According to today's SMH he was told by an unnamed NSW selector that "his work-rate was not high enough".

Or he went to the wrong school. Or played for the wrong club (Eastwood).

He was in junior rep teams but was seemingly out of the system at the end of high school.

It doesn't seem like he played a single game of adult rugby in Australia from what I can see.
 

Dctarget

John Eales (66)
I think it’s been quite a miraculous rise for him, he was playing for Jersey last year. No one saw him coming.
 

Wilson

David Codey (61)
He was in junior rep teams but was seemingly out of the system at the end of high school.

It doesn't seem like he played a single game of adult rugby in Australia from what I can see.
He got picked up by Sale at 17/18 so I can't imagine he would've. Did go straight into the English age grade sides so it does look like a miss on the talent identification side of things.

I think the move by QLD and NSW to run 3 sides in the junior gold cup at U15s level should help in situations like this, but it probably needs to flow through to the higher age grades. Need that chance to cast a wider net over the major talent bases and catch more of those players at different stages in their development and get them into the system.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
He got picked up by Sale at 17/18 so I can't imagine he would've. Did go straight into the English age grade sides so it does look like a miss on the talent identification side of things.

I think the move by QLD and NSW to run 3 sides in the junior gold cup at U15s level should help in situations like this, but it probably needs to flow through to the higher age grades. Need that chance to cast a wider net over the major talent bases and catch more of those players at different stages in their development and get them into the system.

He was there or there abouts.

Going back through the forums, in 2015 he was in Metro West under 16s side in the NSW state champs.

In 2016 he was in the NSW CCC schoolboys side (Catholic schools) 1st XV.
 

Wilson

David Codey (61)
He was there or there abouts.

Going back through the forums, in 2015 he was in Metro West under 16s side in the NSW state champs.

In 2016 he was in the NSW CCC schoolboys side (Catholic schools) 1st XV.
Yeah, it looks like it's that next step around 17 where he dropped off the NSW/Australian radar, which just happened to coincide with a trip to the UK and him getting scouted by Sale before he had a chance to move up to any adult rugby here.

Ideally you want to be staying in touch with these guys and giving them the indications of the way forward, but there's always going to be some missed. That said I do think it makes sense to broaden the pathways in the core states at least until the end of school. With the way the schools system works, and our current reliance on it, there's always going to be a bit of a concentration of talent around Sydney and Brisbane schools in that 16-18 age bracket, before the super rugby sides start to get a hold of the u20s guys and spread them back out a bit. Right now it feels a bit like the goal is to cut back to the absolute best options, rather than capturing as much potential as possible. Understandable given the limited resources, but I don't think it's sustainable when we need to grow the talent base.
 
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