By James Phelps | April 16, 2009 12:00am
WHAT was so wrong with the old days when you could spend an afternoon watching Presidents Cup, reserve grade and then first grade? Nothing. That's what needs to return. And in a hurry.
NSW is at risk of losing some of its most promising players to Queensland or, God forbid, rival codes, because of a gaping hole between the NYC and the NSW Cup.
The Under-20s competition is great but it should not have come at the expense of an elite competition below the NRL. League powerbrokers who pushed for the NYC will argue that is what the NSW Cup is - a competition as good as reserve grade. It is not.
It is a Metro Cup comp with a sprinkling of NRL talent. Glorified park football.
And it is embarrassing for NRL-standard players like Jarrad Hickey and Daniel Holdsworth who must play at grounds like Ringrose Park in front of a couple of hundred fans, mostly friends and family. Or not play for 20 days because of gaps in the competition.
The Bankstown Bulls, where the Bulldogs send their full-time over-age players who miss out on NRL, will play 20 games this year in the competition regular - four less than the NRL.
That means those NRL-contracted players will have nowhere to play on those weekends, losing match fitness and missing out on the opportunity to push for an NRL berth.
What a farce. That's why clubs like the Sea Eagles and the Raiders base their reserve- grade teams in Queensland.
The axing of the Premier League in 2007 was a cost-cutting exercise but it has become a major issue. NRL players who don't make the grade are now sent for a run around the park with former Metropolitan Cup teams.
It's no wonder coaches like Kevin Moore have had enough. The NRL wanted an elite under-age national competition to ward off threats from AFL and soccer.
They got it, but at the expense of a decent over-age competition and league will pay the price. Players over 20 are dropping out of the game or moving to Queensland to play in the Queensland Cup. There is no longer a genuine NRL pathway for them in NSW.
And that is bad for the NRL because most teenagers aren't ready for the NRL.
The Broncos know this - that's why they are playing their best young talents in the Queensland Cup, not in the Toyota Cup.
Sure guys like Israel Folau and Dave Taylor were born ready but most, especially forwards, need time to develop.
We need a proper, professional pathway to the NRL and we don't have it.
There is a solution.
The NSW-based NRL teams, plus the Raiders and Melbourne, could have a reserve- grade competition to be played on game day before or after the Under-20s. Travel costs would be minimal and players would not have to leave their clubs to get a game.
Of course wages would be higher, but I have been told clubs would be able to find sponsors for reserve-grade sides.
There are issues. Stadium managers don't want the wear and tear on the ground and scheduling would be a problem but we are talking about the future of the game.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,25340777-5016527,00.html
