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Catalan dragons

deluded pom?

Coach
Messages
10,897
Likewise. I’m done making excuses up and defending this shower of a club. It’s Toulouse all the way for me from now on.
So if and when Toulouse make SL do you really think they will stack their team with Frenchmen? Catalans are signing who they think will keep them up, same as plenty of other SL clubs. Whether that happens is a different matter. Catalans remit is not to prop up the French national team. Their remit is to be competitive in SL and that won't happen with a French heavy roster whether you like it or not. Maybe Saints should do their bit for the England team and bin Coote, Taia, Fages, etc.
 

Storm13

Juniors
Messages
1,606
So if and when Toulouse make SL do you really think they will stack their team with Frenchmen? Catalans are signing who they think will keep them up, same as plenty of other SL clubs. Whether that happens is a different matter. Catalans remit is not to prop up the French national team. Their remit is to be competitive in SL and that won't happen with a French heavy roster whether you like it or not. Maybe Saints should do their bit for the England team and bin Coote, Taia, Fages, etc.
That's not what we say we're against. We want to see a clear path from junior to senior team, just like you see with every top line Super League club. We all get the method they use but it's when you bring in useless players just to kick out a French player (even if they are just as useless).
 

Walter sobchak

First Grade
Messages
5,845
So if and when Toulouse make SL do you really think they will stack their team with Frenchmen? Catalans are signing who they think will keep them up, same as plenty of other SL clubs. Whether that happens is a different matter. Catalans remit is not to prop up the French national team. Their remit is to be competitive in SL and that won't happen with a French heavy roster whether you like it or not. Maybe Saints should do their bit for the England team and bin Coote, Taia, Fages, etc.
I thought the whole point of allowing Catalan into super league was to boost French RL??

As for saints they do plenty for the English National RL team at all levels. You should checkout the talented young English talent currently coming through the ranks with the likes of smith, welsby, simm, Dodd and lees etc.
 

Walter sobchak

First Grade
Messages
5,845
That's not what we say we're against. We want to see a clear path from junior to senior team, just like you see with every top line Super League club. We all get the method they use but it's when you bring in useless players just to kick out a French player (even if they are just as useless).
It’s even worse than that marra. We don’t even know if the French players are useless because they never hardly get to touch the ball in order for us to find out!!!

Players like Romano, seguier, Albert, goudemand and belmas etc could all surprise us if they are given a sniff.
 

deluded pom?

Coach
Messages
10,897
I thought the whole point of allowing Catalan into super league was to boost French RL??

As for saints they do plenty for the English National RL team at all levels. You should checkout the talented young English talent currently coming through the ranks with the likes of smith, welsby, simm, Dodd and lees etc.
If they want Catalans to boost French RL then they need to make them exempt from relegation but that isn’t the case. It’s easier for Saints to promote English kids as they are one of the perennial clubs at the top of SL. They still feel the need to fill their quota spots though just to ensure they stay there. Are there no decent English full backs at Saints?
 

deluded pom?

Coach
Messages
10,897
That's not what we say we're against. We want to see a clear path from junior to senior team, just like you see with every top line Super League club. We all get the method they use but it's when you bring in useless players just to kick out a French player (even if they are just as useless).
They, rightly or wrongly, feel an established British or Antipodean is less of a gamble than a French player. We’ve seen just recently how erratic the French national team is. Whether that’s chicken or egg is another argument.
 

Walter sobchak

First Grade
Messages
5,845
If they want Catalans to boost French RL then they need to make them exempt from relegation but that isn’t the case. It’s easier for Saints to promote English kids as they are one of the perennial clubs at the top of SL. They still feel the need to fill their quota spots though just to ensure they stay there. Are there no decent English full backs at Saints?
Yes. Jack welsby. Kids a star in the making but only 18.

With the dragons axing their academy side competing in the English league this will lead to even less French players getting 1st team action. The dragons are now a nothing club with little to offer other than a retirement home for faded overseas stars and overseas players that were never anything special in the first place. Really sad.
 

deluded pom?

Coach
Messages
10,897
Yes. Jack welsby. Kids a star in the making but only 18.

With the dragons axing their academy side competing in the English league this will lead to even less French players getting 1st team action. The dragons are now a nothing club with little to offer other than a retirement home for faded overseas stars and overseas players that were never anything special in the first place. Really sad.
And what dreams or fantasies do you have of Toulouse should they reach the promised land?
 

deluded pom?

Coach
Messages
10,897
To have a squad and starting 17 that is majority French otherwise what’s the point of either Toulouse or Catalan competing in super league?
What’s the point of any team being in SL? I understand what you think should be happening and to a certain degree I’m with you but what’s the point of the French team/s playing predominantly French who don’t have the heart for a battle, especially a relegation one? If Toulouse reach SL and play a majority French team for the whole season they will go straight back to the Championship. We’ve seen time and time again that the French go missing in action more often than not. The only way they can develop better players IMO is to get more French players in SL but not necessarily at Catalans or Toulouse. Fages would have gone backwards or be playing union if he’d stayed in France. Fear of relegation will always lead the French towards English or Antipodean players. Understandably so.
 

Perth Tiger

Bench
Messages
3,022
To have a squad and starting 17 that is majority French otherwise what’s the point of either Toulouse or Catalan competing in super league?
I would argue the point is to expand the commercial base of RL through viewers, commercial opportunities expanded player base etc.

Catalans are hitting some of, if not all of those. Even if there is still room for improvement
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
I dont blame them at all, with relation back it is every clubs first responsibility to stay up. They are a business not a philanthropic organisation! Bring back franchising then we can have min quota of french players for them. Until then they are just doing what every club is doing, first surviving, next competing which no one should be blaming them for. If the FRL havent got strong U16 Jnr development systems then we should be complaining about them.
 

Walter sobchak

First Grade
Messages
5,845
I dont blame them at all, with relation back it is every clubs first responsibility to stay up. They are a business not a philanthropic organisation! Bring back franchising then we can have min quota of french players for them. Until then they are just doing what every club is doing, first surviving, next competing which no one should be blaming them for. If the FRL havent got strong U16 Jnr development systems then we should be complaining about them.
That doesn’t excuse the dragons pulling their academy team from the English league.
 

NRLMad

Juniors
Messages
830
Good French players are getting exposed to other league levels. This would never happen if there was no catalans e.g. fages. Look at the nz side for this or Melbourne? If Melbourne only used Melbourne based players they wouldn’t beat any teams reserves
 

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