Strewthcobber
Andrew Slack (58)
Our talent ID is so good that we are suppliying 100 players to overseas leagues in addition to our own pro comp.
Compared to 10, 20, 30 years ago, there are way fewer unrecognised gems
Waratahs 2025
- Thread starter RugbyReg
- Start date
Compared to 10, 20, 30 years ago, there are way fewer unrecognised gems
Oldgoldminer
Herbert Moran (7)
Funny how that ‘second grader’ held his own against better opposition in his debut and has since gone on to be one of only 3 Aussies selected in the U20 4 Nations Team of the Tournament.
Your entire argument about the Shute Shield players went up in smoke. There is a good reason why they were never part of the Waratahs squad in the first place and that became very apparent in about 5 minutes of watching them play. They were miles out of their depth.
Excellent can’t wait to see him in Shute shield this weekend as a starter because his killing it congrats. You should be very proud against such lesser opposition. Hope he kills it at club level not just age group
eastman
Colin Windon (37)
I‘m not following?
No surprise
Not anti jack good player just needs more time to prove himself against men not kids. Not rocket science. Sorry if that offends you.
Oldgoldminer
Herbert Moran (7)
Everyone has an opinion but men stand up and admit when they were wrong. It was a rubbish argument from the go, as the young fella had a strong debut and mate what more do you expect of a 20 year old front rower to get that taste and go back and dominate in his age range?
In my opinion he is one of the shining lights for the Waratahs for 24 as we look to rebuild. He got a little taste and did well and now has gone back to his age group and dominated. Mate he is a an U20 Aussie prop getting picked in combined southern hemisphere teams. We need more of his kind coming along. There is the makings in the 19-23 year range to get us back to the top, but it won’t come with taking pot shots at them as they take each step on the path.
Sure now kill it in first grade and I’ll be the first to applaud
Thalium
Fred Wood (13)
Here’s hoping the Tahs don’t bottle it. Marley Pearce is still only 20 play in the U20 TRC last year and he is getting better every game. I hope under RA the Tahs can slowly get Jack up to speed and not get him injured
wamberal99
Syd Malcolm (24)
And you go suck a sav.
The Ghost of Raelene
Andrew Slack (58)
Me too. I think Jack has the potential to be one of the most dominant Props in the country. Bit different to Marley right now as Marley has more mass than him making it easier amongst the bigger men. He's being listed as 12kg heavier than Barrett at the moment. Let him eat and train and grow into his body.
Looking back on it he has out performed a lot of the Club Props who have been given a run. Especially around the field. Think a lot of perspective might have been put into Clubland Props.
The Ghost of Raelene
Andrew Slack (58)
Also, the best Prop in Clubland around the country is probably George Francis in QLD. Tahs have trialled him before as have other sides but there seems to be something causing them to walk away immediately. He never looks fit but if you want a few good scrums he's the guy.
Blazing Saddles
Sydney Middleton (9)
Do you know what happened to the Rats colts front row from last year Fotuaika,Fatuleai and Alatini? They were exceptional and a huge reason for the season the rats colts had? Or were they too far away from eastern sydney to be considered?
The Ghost of Raelene
Andrew Slack (58)
Is it Alatini who is now with the Brumbies?
The answer is always the Brums
The answer is always the Brums
Blazing Saddles
Sydney Middleton (9)
And we wonder why we are where we are ,sheesh
The Ghost of Raelene
Andrew Slack (58)
Pathway:
NSW U16s
NSW U18s
ACT U19s
AUS U20s
Brumbies
Wallabies
NSW U16s
NSW U18s
ACT U19s
AUS U20s
Brumbies
Wallabies
Jack Barrett's play in the under 20s this year reinforced that he is absolutely one of under 20s players who should be getting paid by the Waratahs on a Gen Blue or development contract or whatever they are called these days.
That can come later. At this point he's proven himself to be one of the best under 20s coming through that we need to retain.
The message I am conveying is that basically no one of any quality gets to age 21 or thereabouts as someone who is unknown to the system. We are not just unaware of kids who are fantastic players that suddenly become a surprise when they make it at the next level.
I am not ignoring players who don't show outstanding talent before being 21. We simply do not have the resources to provide a (semi) professional pathway for these kids in the hope that they will become outstanding in the future. We have to pick and choose which players we offer these contracts to already out of the kids who look pretty clearly like they are among the best in their cohort. If we had a lot more money to pay people then you could take a punt on more kids who have some attributes that indicate they could succeed later but perhaps have only just taken up the sport or haven't had good coaching etc.
You also need to accept the financial metrics of what teams can pay players vs what they have elsewhere in their life. If someone is 25 or older and would only warrant a contract paying them as a fringe Super Rugby player then it's almost certainly a bad option for them and the professional team. A bunch of players stick to playing club rugby only because they are trying to develop a professional career at the same time.
