Lussick To Eels

[SingleSpeed73]

SEA Eagles recruitment guru Noel Cleal has accused rivals Parramatta of seeking revenge on the club by throwing big bucks at the 16-year-old captain of Manly’s Harold Matthews team.

Halfback Joey Lussick, a Beacon Hill junior and younger brother of rising Manly forward Darcy, received a massive deal from the Eels that was just too good to refuse.

“I think it is an attempt to try and get something back at us,” Cleal said.

“They are responding to the success we have had with Parramatta juniors.”

What do you think about the Eels picking up Joey Lussick ? Have your say below.

Six players who were in the Eels’ nursery are now members of Manly’s NRL squad after seeing an opportunity on the peninsula - Jamie Buhrer, Tim Robinson, Tony Williams, David Williams, Jamie Lyon and Joe Galuvao.

“At least I wait until they have turned 20, now they are poaching them at 16,” Cleal said.

At the same time Parramatta, who have the second biggest nursery in the NRL behind Penrith, have come under heavy fire for their recruitment policy.

“Joey is a good young player and we just got beaten by the size of the offer,” Cleal said.

“They threw five times the money that we had and they have five times the amount to spend on their second-tier budget than we do. “So we weren’t even in a bull’s roar of matching their offer.”

Cleal said the same thing happened when the Sea Eagles lost forwards Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Lama Tasi to the Roosters.

“That is the nature of the beast, we have a limited budget that we have to stick to.”

While the Sea Eagles have lost Joey, his 22-year-old brother will be at the club for the next couple of years and is one of a number of rising stars who will take the club into the future.

The forward made his NRL debut on Saturday night in the impressive 24-4 win over the Cowboys at Brookvale Oval. “He was always going to be a late developer because of where he plays,” Cleal said.

Lussick is another of the players to have graduated from the Sea Eagles under-20 Toyota Cup side along with the likes of Kieran Foran, Jamie Buhrer, Daly Cherry-Evans, Will Hopoate and Michael Oldfield.





Nice to know it took a shed load to poach him,

 

[boxhead]

Without trying to sound too harsh, as I do like you guys and your club, Noel Cleal sounds like a hypocrite here; how many juniors of ours have Manly poached over the years?
And even if we are getting it back on you guys, so what? Does that completely void how Manly have acted in regards to other clubs' juniors over the years?

That's just my view though, and I am sure you guys have a vastly different opinion to me.

 

[MSIH]

Nah, you make a valid point.

 

[zombie jesus]

I think Cleal made his point, we generally poach guys looking for an opportunity, T-Rex is probably the only one we genuinely poached of that group named in the article, we don't have the resources to be pinching 16 year olds for overs like this.

If all goes to plan and we hold onto guys we have our halves for the better part of the next decade pretty settled anyway.

 

[Twizzle]

rather ironic considering where you guys poached Cleal from

 

[CC_Eagle]

How many players from other clubs aren't also from 'Parramatta'?

Considering the club has the second largest junior base in NSW, it's inevitable and statistically likely that a fair amount of players at any club will have played their junior footy in Parra.

All this proves is that the fabled Parramatta nursery isn't as great as it once was.

 

[boxhead]

I think Cleal made his point, we generally poach guys looking for an opportunity, T-Rex is probably the only one we genuinely poached of that group named in the article, we don't have the resources to be pinching 16 year olds for overs like this.

If all goes to plan and we hold onto guys we have our halves for the better part of the next decade pretty settled anyway.

You guys poached Buhrer when he was a kid.

 

[Warrior@Heart]

It's just the nature of the game, Auckland based players get poached as teenagers all the time, SBW, K-Hunt, Greg Eastwood, Steve Matai, Bronson Harrison to name a few. It's up to the club to retain it's jrs. With the talent available to the warriors they should have had a couple of titles by now, but management is only now starting to retain it's talent thanks to the NYC. But of all clubs the last to complain should be the Sea Eagles, how many Manly jrs. are at other clubs? Manly have tonnes of loyalty.

 

[MSIH]

You guys poached Buhrer when he was a kid.

I thought I read somewhere that Parra told him he didn't have the body type to be a success.

He was also a Manly fan as a kid. He was always destined to play for Manly.

Hardly poaching.

If this young guy's any good we'll get him back in a few years (he'll have to unlearn everything he's taught over at Parra though).

 

[Garts]

This is part of the game. No issue with Parra pinching him.

 

[zombie jesus]

You guys poached Buhrer when he was a kid.

“I was at a bit of a crossroads at Parramatta,” Buhrer, who has re-signed with the Sea Eagles until the end of 2011, said.

“I’d been playing some good footy but they didn’t give me many reasons to stay.

“Manly showed me enough interest and I was more than happy to come over here.”

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/eagles-gain-after-buhrer-slipped-away-from-eels/

Like I said, we provide opportunity, the only real young player we've ever really thrown bags of cash at is young Hoppa, and that was just to retain him.

 

[Dutchy]

Single, chuck the link in for us mate.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Don't forget that Robson was 'poached' from Manly;-).

 

[Nice Beaver]

Don't forget that Robson was 'poached' from Manly;-).

Hey hey, lets not forget that juggernaut Aaron Cannings.
Damn you Parramatta, you take all the good ones!!!

 

[sami12]

watched alot of junior rep games and lussick didnt look that crash hot with no disrespect meant, but i cant see why parra with the abundance of players they have would need to pay too much. Maybe manly offer for him wasnt what he was expecting

 

[mean_maori_mean]

haha what a joke he included galuvao from the eels nursery??

This is the bloke who made his debut for the warriors - fell from grace was picked up by panthers playing club footy in auckland .
Once a championship - then went to Souths for bigg money.

Extended his playing career with eels then eagles offered him a bit more money.

 

[winnyason]

Wow they get one back on us.............Was worried for a second thought it was Darcy how impressive was he in his debut where will fit all these kids.
The one we have to keep from HM is Jamil Hopoate however i hear union has a eye on him as well.

 

[Bazal]

All this proves is that the fabled Parramatta nursery isn't as great as it once was.

Actually I think it just proves that we aren't an attractive club to kids, and fair enough. Board infighting and incompetence, regular coaching changes, a crap playing roster, a history of losing or not picking talented juniors and Rod fking Reddy (among many other things) mean we have to pay a shedload for young talent because we lose all our own. Hopefully the addition of Peter Nolan will start to fix that, the man is very good at his job.

Anyway, mostly popped in to ask if the kid is any good? Seems a big gamble to poach one so young unless there's something special about him

 

[SingleSpeed73]

Single, chuck the link in for us mate.

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.a...ain-picked-off-by-parramatta-in-massive-deal/

Here ya go mate, Tbf i got grips with players getting poached its part of the game, he would prob strugle to get into the team in a few years unless he changes position( fills out etc for lock maybe or centre ?)

 

[CC_Eagle]

Actually I think it just proves that we aren't an attractive club to kids, and fair enough. Board infighting and incompetence, regular coaching changes, a crap playing roster, a history of losing or not picking talented juniors and Rod fking Reddy (among many other things) mean we have to pay a shedload for young talent because we lose all our own. Hopefully the addition of Peter Nolan will start to fix that, the man is very good at his job.

Anyway, mostly popped in to ask if the kid is any good? Seems a big gamble to poach one so young unless there's something special about him

Kids and not established first graders? ;-)

Banter aside, I hope the investment in Parramatta juniors pays off. The league needs more 'sustainable' clubs.