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NSW AAGPS 2024

rugbyAU

Nev Cottrell (35)
Well GPS Rugby is just as good as this sport gets in this country, good to see there's still good support for it
 

Game_Day_Ritual

Sydney Middleton (9)
Game_Day_Ritual

Great ideas. State school comp would be good start. Advertise it and get coaches into the schools.
A fighting fund is essential. Where does the rego fees $400 go ? If you put aside $50 from every rego and put it towards signing best 15/16 yr old players, then rugby people can see where the money is going. Good for the game.
Def Shute Shield promotion. It's not too bad at the moment but can be better.
Send some of the best junior 18s overseas on player experince "scholarships" for 1-2 years.
Awesome ideas, its a shame the ARU doesnt consult this group! some excellent thoughts and ideas that could only benefit the system.
 

2 + 2

Allen Oxlade (6)
Ahh pathways ... Met a bloke from the 'Gong and got a good take on why pathways are broken, and why the GPS is not the problem. He said a few years back there was a massive Illawarra junior team that made the semi-finals at state juniors and won consecutive Country junior titles. Only a few years later and there are only 2 kids from that team who play rugby now. Both went to GPS schools and one is Nathaniel Titii (Kings and Aust Schools & U18), and the other is Eamon Doyle (Joeys and Waratahs U18) and they weren't even the stars of that Illawarra junior team back then. There is no Illawarra rugby comps or schools comp for a kid aged 13-18 anymore, so the rest of the kids play league as there is no other viable option. Same with the Illawarra age division above them, but at least Ollie Mccrea (Scots) and Jaydon Viliamu (Newington) stayed the course - again via GPS schools. Similar stories in other regions and parts of the country I'm sure. The GPS/CAS schools can't do all the work on country talent retention on their own.
mate we are based on the Gold Coast, there was no rugby competition on the Gold Coast this year in the u14 or u15 age group. There was a combined u15/16 comp however all the 6 teams in that bar 1 were u16. if you are a kid on the Gold Coast you have to either travel south to the Northern NSW competition or North to the Brisbane junior comp. That means a 2 hour round trip 3 times a week to play rugby OR you drive 5 minutes down the road and play either AFL or Rugby League which has multiple divisions in all age groups just on the Gold Coast.
 

Cuz

Allen Oxlade (6)
Ahh pathways ... Met a bloke from the 'Gong and got a good take on why pathways are broken, and why the GPS is not the problem. He said a few years back there was a massive Illawarra junior team that made the semi-finals at state juniors and won consecutive Country junior titles. Only a few years later and there are only 2 kids from that team who play rugby now. Both went to GPS schools and one is Nathaniel Titii (Kings and Aust Schools & U18), and the other is Eamon Doyle (Joeys and Waratahs U18) and they weren't even the stars of that Illawarra junior team back then. There is no Illawarra rugby comps or schools comp for a kid aged 13-18 anymore, so the rest of the kids play league as there is no other viable option. Same with the Illawarra age division above them, but at least Ollie Mccrea (Scots) and Jaydon Viliamu (Newington) stayed the course - again via GPS schools. Similar stories in other regions and parts of the country I'm sure. The GPS/CAS schools can't do all the work on country talent retention on their own.
Ahh, not entirely true, but almost. There is still an Illawarra juniors comp for 13's to 16's (it's possibly on its last legs with between about 4-6 teams in each age group). In the 18's, there is only enough for 2 teams & they both play in the SJRU comp.
 

The Phantoms

Peter Burge (5)
Completely agree our local club wanted $400 per kid to register! imagine if you had 4 or more kids. Completely agree with Timmy.

Few Ideas:
- We have to invigorate The Waratah Shield comp.
- State schools including "boys High" have a statewide Under 15 and Under 16 and opens Rugby competition every Friday afternoon. Can be broken down into zones. Three games every Friday afternoon.
- Create a fighting fund keep the best Under 15/16 by signing them on Dev Contracts so the kids don't go to NRL clubs and play Harold Matts etc.
- Boost the Shute Shield make it a center piece for grass roots rugby.
Listen to former Wallaby Jimmy Grant on the below podcast, warning as a few F bombs but insightful.

 

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
Good suggestions. Anything to open up opportunities are a necessity.

There is a fighting fund that was brought established in 2019. It was used to sign Angus Bell, Will Harris and Reesjan Pasitoa initially. Since it’s inception the results of Australian U18s/schools and U20s have been mostly positive in comparison to to the previous decade.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
IMG_8960.jpeg

Congratulations to all the GPS boys.
 

Rudderless

Ron Walden (29)
GoR has already listed the Australian U18 team list ABOVE (picked from NSW Gen Blue, QLD Reds, Rebels and Brumbies Academies) for tomorrow's (Thursday) game against NZ Schoolboys at 2pm in Canberra.

LIVE ON STAN SPORT


1695782082154.png





Also playing tomorrow (Thursday) is Australian Schoolboys (picked from the Aust Schoolboy Championships held at Two Blues Rugby Oval in early July) against Tongan Schoolboys. This is the final game for Tonga.
None of this Aust squad are from the various State Academies.

LIVE ON CLUCH TV

Thu 28 SepTONGA SCHOOLBOYS V AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS
Kick off 11:00am, Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga (Sydney)
 
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Rudderless

Ron Walden (29)

New Zealand Schools named for first Australia U18 match​

27 SEPTEMBER 2023
The New Zealand Schools team has been named ahead of the first of two matches against the Australia U18 team on Thursday 28 September, in Canberra, Australia.

New Zealand Schools team is;
1. Tonga Helu (Sacred Heart College)
2. Manumaua Letiu (Christchurch Boys' High School)
3. Logan Wallace (Palmerston North Boys' High School)
4. Josh Tengblad (Sacred Heart College)
5. Aisake Vakasiuola (Tauranga Boys’ College)
6. Quinten Holland (King's High School)
7. Oli Mathis (Hamilton Boys’ High School) (c)
8. Mosese Bason (Feilding High School)
9. Dylan Pledger (King's High School)
10. Rico Simpson (Sacred Heart College)
11. Kiseki Fifita (Southland Boys' High School)
12. Caelys-Paul Putoko (Hamilton Boys’ High School)
13. James Cameron (Westlake Boys' High School) (vc)
14. Tevita Naufahu (St Kentigern College)
15. Isaac Murray-Macgregor (Westlake Boys' High School)

16. Shaun Kempton (Rolleston College/Selwyn Combined)
17. Raharuhi Palmer (Hamilton Boys’ High School)
18. Sione Mafi (Nelson College)
19. Robson Faleafa (St Peter's College Auckland)
20. Jake Frost (Christchurch Boys' High School)
21. Micah Fale (St John's Hamilton)
22. Tayne Harvey (Palmerston North Boys' High School)
23. Charlie Sinton (Tauranga Boys’ College)
24. Rangiwai Lunjevich (Hamilton Boys’ High School)
25. Frank Vaenuku (De La Salle College)
26. Marshall Blakely (Christchurch Boys' High School)

Head Coach: Kane Jury
Assistant Coach: Ngatai Walker
Assistant Coach: James Hantz

New Zealand Schools Head Coach Kane Jury has named a 26-strong squad to play trans-Tasman rivals, Australia, in the first of two fixtures.

New Zealand’s next generation of players impressed last weekend at St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton, during their final preparations, when they recorded a 57-22 win over the New Zealand Barbarian Under 18 team.

Jury said the New Zealand Schools players were excited for the opportunity to represent New Zealand on the international stage.

“The group have connected really well off the field and are excited about the challenge ahead. We haven’t played against Australia since 2019, and the players are looking forward to putting on a performance that makes their schools and their families proud.”

The match kicks off at 5.05pm NZT and will be live on Sky.

The New Zealand Schools front row features players from across the country including four from Hamilton Boys’ High School and three each from Sacred Heart College and Christchurch Boys’ High School.

The front row features loosehead prop Tonga Helu, hooker Manumaua Letiu and tighthead Logan Wallace. Josh Tengblad and Aisake Vakasiuola will make up the locking duo. While Quinten Holland, Oli Mathis (captain) and Mosese Bason will complete a strong loose forward trio.

In the backs, Dylan Pledger and Rico Simpson have been named at nine and ten respectively, alongside a strong midfield combination of Caelys-Paul Putoko and James Cameron (vice-captain) . An exciting back three of Kiseki Fifita on the left wing, Tevita Naufahu on the right wing, and Isaac Murray-Macgregor rounds out an exciting starting fifteen.
 

Rudderless

Ron Walden (29)

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
Huge shame.

New media companies seem to go the same way as sports apparel companies after a couple of years.

Hopefully the Schools have seen what a positive Cluch is for the community and can do something or use YouTube. The argument about creating faux celebrities is moot since every kid down to the 7ths has a highlight reel made. These aren’t making icons like Shaun Johnson’s did in the mid 2000s
 

KOB1987

Rod McCall (65)
Its sad but I have to say I'm not surprised, every time I switched it on I thought there is no way they could be covering all these games and be making any money
 

Rudderless

Ron Walden (29)
Huge shame.

New media companies seem to go the same way as sports apparel companies after a couple of years.

Hopefully the Schools have seen what a positive Cluch is for the community and can do something or use YouTube. The argument about creating faux celebrities is moot since every kid down to the 7ths has a highlight reel made. These aren’t making icons like Shaun Johnson’s did in the mid 2000s
These guys have been around for years if they have to move.
Great coverage

 

Goosestep

Syd Malcolm (24)
It’s 2023 there’s no need for clutch … The schools could do it themselves…

A lot of boys who study media, make videos anyway, for fun .. why not let them run it ..

Make a GPS channel on YouTube .. done ✅ cost next to nothing….. you’ll actually make a bit of money …
 
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