Orange Peeler
Peter Burge (5)
Does this mean Joeys as a school is now following an Academic path, due to the lack of 1st XV GPS Rugby tittles over the last few years.
School sporting scholarships/recruitment
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Does this mean Joeys as a school is now following an Academic path, due to the lack of 1st XV GPS Rugby tittles over the last few years.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Not judging by the HSC results in 2012
Brian Westlake
Arch Winning (36)
Philosophical as always Sir
scaraby
Ron Walden (29)
We all come from somewhere but where we presently are may not be home.
thats a shame.
T
Tight head Lion
Guest
I worked at Joeys and have intimate knowledge of what you claim. The boys were given bursarys these are awarded on a number of factors by the foundation and NOT an individual. Even the boss can't fly over their heads. To receive one takes a long list of requirements that ALL must be meet. Having worked there now I know they don't hand out "Booster Support" like three GPS schools do. (Support groups at these schools raise funds to pay for these students. School is not out of pocket) They don't have the money as Joeys don't invite this behavior. Simple.
T
Tight head Lion
Guest
No. They still had 22 undefeated teams (from 45), were unbeaten from 2nd's down to the 9ths and as a whole the school won 81% of all games played.
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
I think there is little difference between what you have described and the so called "Booster Support". They are one of the same in my book you are relying on a technicality to claim the moral high ground.
Joeys have always been very successful in attracting players from other Marist Brothers high schools going back to eighties. They were even successful in converting Protestants to Catholicism back in the eighties. Not saying a technical definition of scholarships were involved just they were successful in attracting players.
Orange Peeler
Peter Burge (5)
Elfster
Dave Cowper (27)
These days that is one major concern I have; the success of a rugby program is based only on one team - the 1st XV. At school level rugby should still be a sport, an extra curricula event. The school's program should be about inclusion and getting the best out of what they have, the individual. (Which should be the educational philosophy in general, getting the best out of the individual.)
A good rugby school should be based on what they bring to the whole ethos of education and rugby in general ( Oh hell, I sound like a bit of a Tom Brown Schoolboy's refugee.) If they focus solely on one team they may as well be a league school; one dimensional, appease to the masses over quality and be sponsored and funded by Tom Waterhouse.
T
Tight head Lion
Guest
Excellent point.
Sounds very much like Stanmore school. The fact the backline has all league contracts is remarkable. Maybe they "bought" more than just cattle into the school.
providence
Herbert Moran (7)
Tight Head Lion,
You seem to have become increasingly bitter and entrenched over the past 12 months, you okay?
You seem to have become increasingly bitter and entrenched over the past 12 months, you okay?
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
The school at Stanmore not that long ago was on the same slippery slope that has seen High and Grammar exit the GPS competition. They decided to do something about it and lift their standards. Difficult in a school that unlike most in the GPS is more diverse culturally and doesn't draw primarily from a narrow demographic.
The changes have brought success at the top under the principle that a rising tide lifts all boats.
Tight Head Lion you are obviously critical of Newingtons approach, so please do tell how you would have approach the problem Newington faced, or should they have quietly exited the competition after a couple of season of 100 plus floggings?
CTPE
Nev Cottrell (35)
Pray tell - who are these "Support groups"?
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Their response was to further narrow their demographic to blokes who have signed to play league and reach full physical maturity no later than 16.
Do you have any purpose in mind that might be served by the " rising tide lifts all boats"?
How does winning a rugby premiership actually improve the life opportunities:
(a) for the kids in the team;
(b) for all the other kids at the school;
Short sighted on almost every level.
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
The rising tide comment is that if you have a successful senior team this will rub off on the junior teams, more boys will play and you generate a better rugby program at the school. The old success breeds success argument.
In answer to your points
a) The ultimate decision to send your son to a school is that of the parents they are after all minors. So maybe this question is best answered by the parents. However I imagine like all parents they want the best for their children and don't want to have a conversation in 20 years time about why you as a parent knocked back that opportunity offered to their son as a 16 year old.
b) For the other kids at the school I would say more than 50% probably don't care much for rugby they have other interests which the school would support them in. If the school doesn't support them in these non rugby pursuits to the satisfaction of the parents, they will take their school fee money elsewhere. For the kids that care about rugby they want to see a strong competitive and successful rugby program. Not a rugby program on a slippery slope of 100 point plus floggings and an exit from the GPS competition.
I just struggle to see another way around the problem that they could have implemented in isolation. System wide there are other solutions but that requires the co operation and co ordination of many parties.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Whats the problem you're trying to solve?
If it is merely winning then it's solved by importation. At this level winning is entirely secondary to the experience.
If its something else - such as learning to aim up - it isn't going to work.
Boiled down to its basics importation in this way and on this scale just tells everyone who stops to think about the issue that the solution lies in acquisition of more and better talent - from any available source.
The difficulty is that the "GPS competition" is no longer a level playing field: once it ran on the random variations inevitable from year to year. Now it runs on half the teams importing and the other half struggling.
Thats a bullshit competition - it only proves who was prepared to import more and fans debate like this as to when and why any given kid started in 3rd term of year 10 or 11 after coincidentally playing NSW U 16's.
As for the "opportunities" I'd invite you to make some inquiries as to the fate of a number of the imports once they leave school: I'm not going to mention names or outcomes because I do not think that is fair to those young men.
I also think it is unfair to them to use them to make the old boys, or even the parents, feel better by winning a competition that says more about recruitment than the ability of the school to educate, even in rugby.
Gristlechewer
Charlie Fox (21)
Kenny, for the life of me I have not seen a more narrow minded narcissitic view taken. I'm alright Jack, we'll freight in a team, call them our own, grease a few more misguided old boys into paying these kids to stay at school. Yes, read that as a given. This in turn will just get little Johnny or Paul in prep just going and playing another sport as they know that they will just get shuffled into the IV's and maybe be tackling bags at training if they stay playing Rugby.
What a shame for these young lads Kenny for a few to live vicariously through their alma mater.
Gristlechewer
Charlie Fox (21)
Best check with some KOB's there CTPE. Have you not been kept in the loop?
Kenny Powers
Ron Walden (29)
And your solution would be?