AyiosYiorgos
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No heart no soul full of mercenaries
Big-spenders at Belmore prefer imports to home bred players
WHEN the Roosters were hen-pecking Bulldogs stars one-by-one a few years back, the blue and white army retaliated with a clever slogan.
Bred Not Bought.
The anger of watching representative quartet Braith Anasta, Nate Myles, Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley leave for latte land was soothed by the fact their club had achieved a more authentic brand of success. One that only comes with developing young men into premiership-winning footballers from within.
We wonder what Roosters fans might be saying now. In the past three years, no club in the NRL has recruited as aggressively as the Bulldogs. Wealthy and extremely well run, they've charged the market like cashed-up stock traders and hit just about every target.
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The spending spree has been so prolific that it's seen Canterbury overhaul their roster twice in three years. A disastrous 2008 saw four Broncos - Ben Hannant, David Stagg, Michael Ennis and Greg Eastwood - arrive, along with Brett Kimmorley, Josh Morris and Bryson Goodwin.
Less than two years later another change of the guard was on the horizon; with Frank Pritchard, Aiden Tolman, Kris Keating and Trent Hodkinson all snapped up.
The purchases left Bulldogs fans excited, yet club stalwarts were scratching their heads. Of their current best 17, only one player Corey Payne is a local junior; and he returned to the club via the Dragons and Tigers. Only three - Jake Foster, Jamal Idris and Ben Barba - have been truly graded through the club's development system.
Now we have mail that coach Kevin Moore - son of late and great Bulldogs godfather Peter Moore - is on his way out. The next month will be crucial. Should Moore not raise a dividend to match the board's investment in player recruitment, he will soon be gone as well.And if that happens, Canterbury will lose perhaps the last and strongest link to their once famous breeding.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...rts-to-home-bred/story-e6frexnr-1226070573526
Big-spenders at Belmore prefer imports to home bred players
WHEN the Roosters were hen-pecking Bulldogs stars one-by-one a few years back, the blue and white army retaliated with a clever slogan.
Bred Not Bought.
The anger of watching representative quartet Braith Anasta, Nate Myles, Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley leave for latte land was soothed by the fact their club had achieved a more authentic brand of success. One that only comes with developing young men into premiership-winning footballers from within.
We wonder what Roosters fans might be saying now. In the past three years, no club in the NRL has recruited as aggressively as the Bulldogs. Wealthy and extremely well run, they've charged the market like cashed-up stock traders and hit just about every target.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
The spending spree has been so prolific that it's seen Canterbury overhaul their roster twice in three years. A disastrous 2008 saw four Broncos - Ben Hannant, David Stagg, Michael Ennis and Greg Eastwood - arrive, along with Brett Kimmorley, Josh Morris and Bryson Goodwin.
Less than two years later another change of the guard was on the horizon; with Frank Pritchard, Aiden Tolman, Kris Keating and Trent Hodkinson all snapped up.
The purchases left Bulldogs fans excited, yet club stalwarts were scratching their heads. Of their current best 17, only one player Corey Payne is a local junior; and he returned to the club via the Dragons and Tigers. Only three - Jake Foster, Jamal Idris and Ben Barba - have been truly graded through the club's development system.
Now we have mail that coach Kevin Moore - son of late and great Bulldogs godfather Peter Moore - is on his way out. The next month will be crucial. Should Moore not raise a dividend to match the board's investment in player recruitment, he will soon be gone as well.And if that happens, Canterbury will lose perhaps the last and strongest link to their once famous breeding.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...rts-to-home-bred/story-e6frexnr-1226070573526
