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Sydney Subbies 2014

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Heavyd

Arch Winning (36)
A good source has informed me a NSW country representative has been enticed back into the NSW Suburban comp with a lucrative deal. The Div 2 team has already been poaching players from other DIV 1 teams mid season to avoid relegation with offerings of accomodation, $70k job and a vehicle on top of match fee's. Talk about appalling. money talks &... well you know the rest.


I'd like to hear from those defending player payments on this is good for subbies rugby? Hunters Hill has recruited players from St pats 1st grade for money. If they have secured others it will be interesting to see how they go against undefeated (and amateur) Newport this weekend. Imagine Hunters win 9 on the trot and make semis and then win comp (a massive massive stretch but it could happen). Depends on how far the recruitment campaign goes and how deep the pockets are. Anything is possible!
 

Tommy Tudehope

Ted Fahey (11)
I'd like to hear from those defending player payments on this is good for subbies rugby? Hunters Hill has recruited players from St pats 1st grade for money. If they have secured others it will be interesting to see how they go against undefeated (and amateur) Newport this weekend. Imagine Hunters win 9 on the trot and make semis and then win comp (a massive massive stretch but it could happen). Depends on how far the recruitment campaign goes and how deep the pockets are. Anything is possible!


This above all else is the reason against player payments. Never been an issue in lower division (as far as I'm aware) but it really does create an unequal playing field. We all love to win but the more and more you erode the camaraderie the more competitions will continue to shrink.
 

Heavyd

Arch Winning (36)
Just wanted to give a plug to a local paper who have been doing a great job of covering subbies rugby this year. Check out their website

http://www.kgex.com.au/category/sport/rugby/

Any other local papers do a good job of covering subbies?


Great write up. The Manly Daily give subbies club Newport plenty of coverage and Dean Ritchie from News Ltd (and number 1 ticket holder for Forest) makes sure the men in green get good coverage as well.
 

Pfitzy

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Love the enthusiasm about banning player payments. But Subbies have not the manpower or the acumen to enforce it.

Instead, let it happen, make a top division from the "haves", and let the rest play footy FOR LOVE OF THE GAME.
 

Whale berry

Larry Dwyer (12)
Love the enthusiasm about banning player payments. But Subbies have not the manpower or the acumen to enforce it.

Instead, let it happen, make a top division from the "haves", and let the rest play footy FOR LOVE OF THE GAME.
I agree with you on the first part of your post Subbies haven't got a hope in hell of enforcing it.
 

Tommy Tudehope

Ted Fahey (11)
I agree with you on the first part of your post Subbies haven't got a hope in hell of enforcing it.

I think Subbies mentioned that they will have someone enforcing it. A commissioner so to speak. Brave club who continuities to pay players next year in spite of the new rules. I think it will work and we'll see the changes/
 

Ozzie Bob

Charlie Fox (21)
I'd like to hear from those defending player payments on this is good for subbies rugby? Hunters Hill has recruited players from St pats 1st grade for money. If they have secured others it will be interesting to see how they go against undefeated (and amateur) Newport this weekend. Imagine Hunters win 9 on the trot and make semis and then win comp (a massive massive stretch but it could happen). Depends on how far the recruitment campaign goes and how deep the pockets are. Anything is possible!

How many could they have possibly taken from St Pats? I know of the subbies number 8, but how many other could they have taken?

I think its a great shame that for a subbies div 2 comp there is so much money being thrown about to stay up this year.

I wouldnt mind the creation of a new division. If you want tp pay players then your whole club goes into that division. The rest can play for the love of the game!
 

Pfitzy

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Well, there is paying a player, and then there is paying the player.

The myriad of ways that rugby clubs got around it in the shamateur era will continue, and probably increase, in this semiprofessional era.
 

XVProps

Herbert Moran (7)
I work with someone deep inside the Campbelltown setup (Let's call him Mr X). To lay some rumours to rest:

1) At the start of the year, a motion was raised to move to IDRU, and defeated.

2) They were told to run all grades or else, and they took "or else". Other clubs also took that route, but paid the fees to Subbies in order to just be listed as forfeit instead of having championship points taken off them.

3) Previously, when told to run 5th Grade or else, they picked up the disbanded Liverpool players from the year before. This gave Tim Richards the shits because Liverpool had some disciplinary issues apparently.

4) Ultimately they've had a shit year with injuries and internal politics to the point of firing multiple coaches, and now they're trying to pull it back out of the fire. Cultural change coming.

There appears to be no doubt that they'll be relegated, even with Beecroft's poor showing to date.

Mr X suggested that First Division should be for clubs who want to spend all the money on players in their little dick-swinging competition while the rest of the clubs got on with being clubs.

When I suggested promotion/relegation with Premier Rugby, Mr X said that Premier Rugby don't want any more east/north clubs, and would rather have a more competitive, properly SYDNEY-WIDE competition i.e. with more Western Sydney clubs. They don't want Drummoyne, for example, with West Harbour just up the street.

Mr X also said that there is more money floating around in Subbies than there is in Premier Rugby at the moment but unless the north shore in particular reorganised itself, clubs were going to be put under a lot of pressure.

We know that Parramatta and Penrith are perennial strugglers, but look at Gordon - they are coming apart at the seams results-wise, and they're really crowded in by other clubs.

Mr X is a big fan of the 3 Grade maximum, and uncoupling the Championship system from Colts.


Ok gents, I will attempt to shed some more light on the fall of Campbelltown.....
Over the course of a few years player numbers have dwindled. A number factors have contributed to this. Competition with other codes, especially Rugby League, Competition with paying clubs (yes Campbelltown did lose some players to other clubs in Subbies offering money), and natural attrition (retirements, injuries, blokes moving out of the area). I'm sure clubs all over Subbies have gone through this, so this is not a sob story by any means, just facts. The club, once very competitive, found it harder each year to compete, and has witnessed first hand the rapid change in the 1st div comp over the past three or so years.

Dwindling player numbers - Liverpool players looking for football asked to play at Campbelltown. And in particular to make up a lower grade team. This suited at the time as Campbelltown were going to struggle to fill 5ths. Unfortunately, those who made up that side had some discipline issues and forced Campbelltown to compromise it's own values. This extended further to players not paying there subs. To enforce the no pay no play, you need competition for positions. This was an issue, so, in order to fill the requirements of Subbies, certain blokes thought it was okay to free load on the others who did the right thing. Those players were asked to leave at the end of the season.

The move to IDRU - A handful of senior players put it to the rest of the playing group to vote on an investigation into the IDRU. The numbers were there and formally approached the board to carry out this investigation. After all the information was gathered, a meeting was called with the board, old boys network and playing group. At this meeting was some representatives from IDRU to answer any questions. At the end of this meeting, after a lot of group discussion a vote was taken. It was almost unanimously for Subbies.

Not meeting all the requirements for 1st Div - At no stage did Campbelltown go out to deceive Subbies. In fact, at the end of the 2013 season and all through summer in 2014, Campbelltown were transparent in the fact that it could not field all the grades required. Campbelltown did offer to voluntarily I've to a lower div., however, this was quashed by Subbies. Subbies did however, point out all the penalties the club would face in the event that any requirements were not met, knowing full well that Campbelltown could not meet these requirements.

2014 - Well pre season was okay, a lot of positives. However, by the time the first round was under way there were problems. Yes, the fact is that there were two new first grade coaches, who were asked to move on for a few reasons which I will not go into in this forum. And this has been a major disruption. Around 8 to 10'players chose to move to other clubs for their own personal reasons. On top of that is some career needing injuries early in the season, and their you have it, that's 2014 to date.

The point is Campbelltown can no longer compete in 1st div under the current format. The club did point this out prior to the 2014 season, but here we are.

I hope this clears a few things up for those who were wondering.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

XVProps

Herbert Moran (7)
Sorry lads, there are also some auto correct issues above. But I'm sure you get the idea.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Rugby Central

Charlie Fox (21)
. In fact, at the end of the 2013 season and all through summer in 2014, Campbelltown were transparent in the fact that it could not field all the grades required. Campbelltown did offer to voluntarily I've to a lower div., however, this was quashed by Subbies. Subbies did however, point out all the penalties the club would face in the event that any requirements were not met, knowing full well that Campbelltown could not meet these requirements.

So Subbies were told the situation, offered a solution, but Campbelltwon were told they were going to be punished anyway. Given there are some significant financial penalties imposed by Subbies, this sounds like extortion.

Go Subbies - How to make friends and influence people.
 

Whale berry

Larry Dwyer (12)
Ok gents, I will attempt to shed some more light on the fall of Campbelltown...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thankyou for you for shedding the light, it highlights the issues that a lot of clubs can face during the year.

Just out of curiosity what where the main reasons the group decided to stay in subbies vs going to Illawarra.
I suppose it is easy for us at a distance to stand back and say they should do this or do that, without knowing the ins and outs.

An aside, talking to a couple of players on Saturday they unanimously agreed that despite the numbers issues, the Quins have the best post match hospitality going around.
 

Heavyd

Arch Winning (36)
Great wrap up on Campbelltown. Will be interesting to see how subbies reacts to Beecroft who are now forefeiting 3 grades a week in 1st Div. I recall Newport was put on a $2.5k bond this year after being honest with subbies around player numbers and forefeiting 4th grade last year.
If I was subbies I would be nervously watching the future viability of at least 6 clubs across Div 1,2 & 3 clubs.
 

Pfitzy

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Goes back to the point I guess I've been trying to make:

Having more clubs makes competition stronger. Forcing more grades does not.
 

Spieber

Bob Loudon (25)
I'd like to hear from those defending player payments on this is good for subbies rugby? Hunters Hill has recruited players from St pats 1st grade for money. If they have secured others it will be interesting to see how they go against undefeated (and amateur) Newport this weekend. Imagine Hunters win 9 on the trot and make semis and then win comp (a massive massive stretch but it could happen). Depends on how far the recruitment campaign goes and how deep the pockets are. Anything is possible!

Huge turnaround at the HH club based on results versus Newport (who were leading club championship until Sat)
1sts 15-10 after losing 0-61 in round 2
2nds 20-19 after losing 0-45 in round 2
Colts 38-12 after winning 17-7 in round 2 (no real change)
3rds 27-0 after losing 3-17 in round 2
4ths 7-5 after drawing 3-3 (probably same old hard heads running around)
 

Rugby Central

Charlie Fox (21)
I think Subbies mentioned that they will have someone enforcing it. A commissioner so to speak. Brave club who continuities to pay players next year in spite of the new rules. I think it will work and we'll see the changes/

I admire your faith and optimism. Unfortunately some clubs have outright told Subbies, "we will continue doing what we are and try your hardest". Or more colourful words to that effect.

Rather than try and knock Clubs (The money) down a peg, why not create a semi/professional division. The mercenaries will be attracted like flies to turds while everyone else can go back to having fun.

It will then force the Shute Shield to get it's house in order or it will lose players hand over fist. Maybe it could be like a Sydney Division 2.......wouldn't that be an original thought....by golly that sounds familiar:confused:
 

Heavyd

Arch Winning (36)
My mate at Newport said HH 1st grade was the biggest pack he'd seen running around subbies in 25 years. 11 new players from the first round clash.... but still says Breakers had their opportunities to win and didn't capitlise. Apparently some HH players were calling each other by jersey numbers as they didnt know each others name!! there was at least 3 former islander internationals in the forward pack. Breakers 2nds beaten on bell by last minute penalty but apparently played like shite. It was 2nd vs 10th so a huge upset effort from HH and it would appear they are now out of relegation danger and it appears Oatley, Blue mountains or Forest are now in the frame to join St Ives should there still be 2 teams to be relegated.

Will be interesting to see how HH go as they can still easily make the semis and maybe win the comp.
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
The reason a pro division wouldn't work is the same reason why a drug-legal olympics wouldn't work.

You just assume that clubs would divide into 'pay' and 'amateur' comps and then conduct themselves honestly from that point onwards. The truth would be the 'amateur' comp would have far more value, and thus many clubs would stay their and move their payments to under the table.
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