Get Rid of The Donkeys
Coach
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Shane Richardson said last year that the district system Sydney has used for over 100 years doesn't work. When he wrote up a plan on how to correct it the officials from the clubs went behind his back to keep the status quo.They dont. We should have state bodies ensuring the game is thriving at jnr level then at 16 we should have NRL scouting systems that are cherry picking the very best 16 year old boys and girls and offering them an elite pathway development. That is where the clubs should come in at 16 to offer those pathways, and where there arent clubs like in Perth then the state league continues to be responsible. Sure NRL players can add star value by visiting schools and jnr clubs to give some profile to the game but NRL clubs shouldnt be worrying about U12's. they have enough on their plates trying to run a viable professional sports business!
WA has set up a system over last few years where we have an elite academy for 16's this then feeds into SG Ball. From an earlier age the best kids from their Jnr clubs are picked for regular regional rep clubs who play each other at a higher standard and get access to better and more comprehensive coaching etc. Considering how few kids play the game here we have developed 4 or 5 NRL first teamers in last few years so it seems to be having some success.
Maybe I am being too pessimistic, but I think if things stay as they are in this country, then RL has the potential to end up like RU. We've just gone through a golden period where broadcasters were forced to pay us over the top for broadcast rights because they're a dying medium fighting to stay relevant in a changing landscape, but they're no longer in a position to do it and our game just pissed the large sums of money up a wall to keep unviable clubs from Sydney in the NRL. The RLPA were greedy.
We could have used the last 10 years to build a strong war chest that could fund the game from the grassroots up to seniors all over Australia. Now we're rushing through expansion in Brisbane because the greedy guts down in Sydney know it's the last hope of extorting money out of the broadcasters.
AwFuL have a revenue source outside of broadcast rights, so they'll be fine. Where we get our money from in 20 or 30 years, God knows.