Knockers
Ward Prentice (10)
And Carlin Anderson (QLD 2).
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George Smith
Ted Thorn (20)
thanks FootyHead. I confirm your corrections to the list and will correct the orginal-GS.
Knockers
Ward Prentice (10)
Nili Fielea also made QLD 2 last year.
Newbie
Bill McLean (32)
That is a handy team that GS has put together! Australian Schools will again be very strong this year (precluding any key injuries).
I am especially looking forward to the games against NZ Schools when they arrive. A hat trick is looming IMO.
Aust. Schools, depends I suppose on a little, tiny bit, of Politics and if NSW Smash Queensland, how many extra Lads NSW get and the same for Queensland if they smash NSW.
My likes are
5 R Hewart ( Q1s )
7 B Paenga Amosa ( NSW 2s )
9 M Short / I Fines, ( NSW 1s and Q1s )
10 J Clancy ( NSW 2 s )
11 C Taylor ( NSW 1s )
Lets hope all the Lads play well, the weather is fine and No Serious Injuries
Monday's Expert
Chris McKivat (8)
Roar, Australian Schools is ALL politics. NSW will get more players in no matter what the outcome of their games v Qld. Check the stats back to the start of the Schools championships in the 70's. NSW get picked over Q at a ratio of at least 2:1. I can't say I am across all of the players like those posters above me here but I do know one thing. Guttenbeil is a massive lump of a schoolboy but his workrate is nowhere near school 1st XV standard, let alone Q schjools or Aus Schools. If he is there for his weight and intimidating size - fine, maybe he has a role to play on the slower UK fields. I am amazed he is where he is based on what I have seen in the last two seasons in QGPS.
FootyHead29
Stan Wickham (3)
it is very clear that you have not seen him play this season. He has trimmed down in weight to about 110kg and has been involving himself much more ever since his move to Prop. He made countless breaks and tackles and was at the break down at most opportunities last week against BBC. He scrum is probably his best asset as I saw with my own eyes him dominate all scrums at the QLD trials on the weekend
Could be great in the English Conditions, something Selectors should take into account when picking the whole Aust. Side.
strokeside
Larry Dwyer (12)
Any reasons yet as to why the Saffies pulled out of the inbound schoolboy tour? (also posted on the SA school thread)
Monday's Expert
Chris McKivat (8)
FH29 - you are right I have not seen him in 2013 so apologies for the comment based on the old version of the player. If what you said is true then he sounds like someone has got in his ear and pointed out what can happen if big blokes get involved. Good luck to him.
Whichever state or territory wins or plays well in the Oz Championships let us not quibble that that state or territory should have more players in the two Oz Schools' teams than they did just because of that.
The teams are thrown together after their local trials and some can't click even though they have good players in them. Other teams click and play above the sum of their parts with players that have skinny scrapbooks.
IIs teams often contest the final and sometimes win it, whilst their Is team with better individual players play in lesser matches on the final day - just ask KB (Kurtley Beale) and QC (Quade Cooper).
In recent years the Oz Schools teams have done well, except against an England team in 2011 which was virtually semi-professional (all the lads were attached to an Academy and most had left school a few months before and were training 7 days a week whilst our guys were studying).
So the Oz selection process can't be that bad.
And if folks think there is a conspiracy against Queensland, and I said if, then it is a nonsense because I know Steve Phipotts, the Oz head coach from Queensland and a selector - and I imagine, an influential one.
If folks think he has an interest in boosting the chances of players from other parts of the country when they don't deserve it, I suggest that they think of more likely things, such as the flat earth theory — or do something more productive, like looking for Elvis.
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The teams are thrown together after their local trials and some can't click even though they have good players in them. Other teams click and play above the sum of their parts with players that have skinny scrapbooks.
IIs teams often contest the final and sometimes win it, whilst their Is team with better individual players play in lesser matches on the final day - just ask KB (Kurtley Beale) and QC (Quade Cooper).
In recent years the Oz Schools teams have done well, except against an England team in 2011 which was virtually semi-professional (all the lads were attached to an Academy and most had left school a few months before and were training 7 days a week whilst our guys were studying).
So the Oz selection process can't be that bad.
And if folks think there is a conspiracy against Queensland, and I said if, then it is a nonsense because I know Steve Phipotts, the Oz head coach from Queensland and a selector - and I imagine, an influential one.
If folks think he has an interest in boosting the chances of players from other parts of the country when they don't deserve it, I suggest that they think of more likely things, such as the flat earth theory — or do something more productive, like looking for Elvis.
.
I was talking about selectors.
Which of the of the selectors of Australian Schools are in this category?
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Dark Shark
Alex Ross (28)
Support what you are saying LG.
I do not believe there is genuine bias according to state.
I believe there is a natural bias towards age. Unfortunately for QLD they are at a disadvantage where the starting age / length of schooling is different and the Year 12 average age is around 16.5 years as opposed to most other states having an average age above 17.0 years.
Giving away between 8 months and over a year in physical development at this age is enormous and therefore the older players are at an advantage on average.
With the changes to the QLD school system put in place in around 2006 or 2007 with a Prep year being added to the curriculum this age bias disadvantaging QLD will disappear in 2019. About that time you will see the QLD Schoolboys teams being even more competitive
There are still a number of players in the QLD team who are turning 18 this year. This is because they may have originally been from interstate, deliberately started a year later by parents, repeated a school year or went to TSS who have been aligned to the NSW Schools System with regards to starting ages for quite some time.
I do not believe there is genuine bias according to state.
I believe there is a natural bias towards age. Unfortunately for QLD they are at a disadvantage where the starting age / length of schooling is different and the Year 12 average age is around 16.5 years as opposed to most other states having an average age above 17.0 years.
Giving away between 8 months and over a year in physical development at this age is enormous and therefore the older players are at an advantage on average.
With the changes to the QLD school system put in place in around 2006 or 2007 with a Prep year being added to the curriculum this age bias disadvantaging QLD will disappear in 2019. About that time you will see the QLD Schoolboys teams being even more competitive
There are still a number of players in the QLD team who are turning 18 this year. This is because they may have originally been from interstate, deliberately started a year later by parents, repeated a school year or went to TSS who have been aligned to the NSW Schools System with regards to starting ages for quite some time.
scaraby
Ron Walden (29)
.......sorry not 100% sure of this but a bit puzzled..when we play QLD schools at prep level they are all 6 months or so older so how do they become younger after senior school...would have thought that even though they are there less time they are older when they start?..no? as I said just a question not a statement..Support what you are saying LG.
I do not believe there is genuine bias according to state.
I believe there is a natural bias towards age. Unfortunately for QLD they are at a disadvantage where the starting age / length of schooling is different and the Year 12 average age is around 16.5 years as opposed to most other states having an average age above 17.0 years.
Giving away between 8 months and over a year in physical development at this age is enormous and therefore the older players are at an advantage on average.
With the changes to the QLD school system put in place in around 2006 or 2007 with a Prep year being added to the curriculum this age bias disadvantaging QLD will disappear in 2019. About that time you will see the QLD Schoolboys teams being even more competitive
There are still a number of players in the QLD team who are turning 18 this year. This is because they may have originally been from interstate, deliberately started a year later by parents, repeated a school year or went to TSS who have been aligned to the NSW Schools System with regards to starting ages for quite some time.
scaraby
Ron Walden (29)
None that I know of but some of the younger age groups are not quite as balanced...and no I'm not giving examples..its part of life and not just Rugby...builds character and can sometimes be the kickstart.
Dark Shark
Alex Ross (28)
I believe it is because NSW Secondary School is for six years (yr 7 to 12) and QLD Secondary School is for five years (yrs 8 to 12).
Each State has seven years of primary NSW has Kindergarten to yr 6 and Qld has Yr 1 to Yr 7.
This is why the age difference at the Open End of Schoolboys.
However, as I said before, QLD aligned its system with other States in around 2006 or 2007 by introducing a prep year (equivalent of Kindergarten) and it will have worked its way through by 2019.
There were also different starting ages previously, but I have not got exact times for each state. Hope this helps.
Monday's Expert
Chris McKivat (8)
Lee/ Dark Shark ( later post). Thanks for the mature opinion here. I think you are both correct and maybe I needed to express myself better. Steve Philpotts is a thoroughly decent man and a coach with an excellent record at test level, after a long stint at BBC 1st XV and Q schools level. He isn't going to select anyone based purely on their state jersey, he's after the best team he can put out. Maybe it was the age thing in the past, I had not considered that. I notice that Glen Cronan is still an Australian selector. What are his credentials for this? From what I can see he has never coached a team at any level.
The eligibility criteria for the National U16 tournament is solely age based and that is a reason why traditionally QLD has been very competitive at these tournaments.
The eligibility criteria for the Australian Schoolboys Trials are must be under 18 AND at School.
As Dark Shark has said, Queenslanders "traditionally" leave school between 6-12 months earlier than NSW. When they leave School, they are ineligible to participate in the Schools Opens tournament to compete against their age cohort from 2 years previously.
Roll on the National Curriculum.
Also, like the Wallabies, once the Aust Schoolboys and Aust A teams are announced, we need to get behind them regardless of how many boys wearing Green and Gold are from "our" state. They are representing the Country and we barrack for them.
The eligibility criteria for the Australian Schoolboys Trials are must be under 18 AND at School.
As Dark Shark has said, Queenslanders "traditionally" leave school between 6-12 months earlier than NSW. When they leave School, they are ineligible to participate in the Schools Opens tournament to compete against their age cohort from 2 years previously.
Roll on the National Curriculum.
Also, like the Wallabies, once the Aust Schoolboys and Aust A teams are announced, we need to get behind them regardless of how many boys wearing Green and Gold are from "our" state. They are representing the Country and we barrack for them.
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