Bears Reserve Grade & Juniors Watch

[Dragonwest]

Cummins was going to have those junior rep programs running next year. Lost opportunity. No coaching staff development in Perth either.

Just delays the likelihood of Perth kids actually making it.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Cummins was going to have those junior rep programs running next year. Lost opportunity. No coaching staff development in Perth either.

Just delays the likelihood of Perth kids actually making it.

I’d argue that it actually speeds up those kids process in making it. They’ll be playing in areas where 97.5% of scouts live (NSW & QLD). In regions where identifying and adjusting skills to further develop will have more eye balls.

I get your point, but as far as quickening up the entire process to really jump out the blocks (for this current crop) then this is the best way. The kids can only play in below tier comps and in below tier interstate carnivals for so long until there’s a big noticeable gap.

All those things like coaching, staff development etc are part of it. Very short term pain (travelling for a couple years) for massive long term gain (up-skilling). But as I said this is all in early stages, there’s time for it to evolve and adjust accordingly as more seasoned and knowledgeable people with the right resourcing jump on board.

 

[Dragonwest]

Will the QRL clubs that we are farming our talent off to be linked to Queensland NRL sides?

How do scouts help? We are here to develop kids for The Bears, not any other club.

If your a talented 16 year old I'd expect this makes a Force Contract way more appealing.

I'd thought the large WA government / NRL investment would hire development officers and junior rep coaching staff to run these programs here in WA. If flights for these competitions are the sticking point then it sounds like Rugby League development in WA is low on the priority list as it should not be a show stopper.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Will the QRL clubs that we are farming our talent off to be linked to Queensland NRL sides?

How do scouts help? We are hear to develop kids for The Bears, not any other club.

If your a talented 16 year old I'd expect this makes a Force Contract way more appealing.

I'd thought the large WA government / NRL investment would hire development officers and junior rep coaching staff to run these programs here in WA. If flights for these competitions are the sticking point then it sounds like Rugby League development in WA is low on the priority list as it should not be a show stopper.

I think you’re over thinking this and not channeling in the right avenues tbh.

The kids coming into QRL clubs currently are done so on existing programs. These have nothing to do with Bears and its been in place to help assist the development of WA RL players.

The WA side proposed to play against QRL clubs in CC and MM will directly filter to the Bears. The thought process is so that 2 clubs aren’t in the same comps (1 will be in NSW and 1 will be in QLD comp) and talent is evenly distributed amongst NS sides, WA sides and have a streamline approach to filter back into Perth Bears.

This is a shot of adrenaline straight into WARL to help this current 15-16 crop not be lost in a transitional stage of bringing Bears in and then streamlining NRLWA to feed into Bears.

Not all WA talent will play for Perth Bears just like not all QLD talent play for QLD based NRL sides. Scouts though usually clump up at carnivals and games together and there’s an inkling between them of which kids are showing biggest promise. It’s an advantage for Bears officials to be there and ensure best local talent stays in house. But they will still require skills to identify that talent.

The large WA Gov investment still requires adequate people to show the WA RL local juniors admin staff how to run the shows properly and to be trained up. Flights aren’t a sticking point, however it’s about getting it all sorted in most efficient way - short term. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you need to blow it all at once. Hence why what’s been proposed short term is the best way to go about it for long term.

Otherwise who are the local WARL people playing against? Themselves? What changes then? Nothing. Shot in the arm, put them into the premier junior comps against premier junior clubs and that’s how you’ll get the best out of it. How this all looks in 2027/28/29 will look vastly different in 2030 and beyond. Don’t stress, it’ll keep evolving between now and 2027.

 

[Dragonwest]

I think you’re over thinking this and not channeling in the right avenues tbh.

The kids coming into QRL clubs currently are done so on existing programs. These have nothing to do with Bears and its been in place to help assist the development of WA RL players.

The WA side proposed to play against QRL clubs in CC and MM will directly filter to the Bears. The thought process is so that 2 clubs aren’t in the same comps (1 will be in NSW and 1 will be in QLD comp) and talent is evenly distributed amongst NS sides, WA sides and have a streamline approach to filter back into Perth Bears.

This is a shot of adrenaline straight into WARL to help this current 15-16 crop not be lost in a transitional stage of bringing Bears in and then streamlining NRLWA to feed into Bears.

Not all WA talent will play for Perth Bears just like not all QLD talent play for QLD based NRL sides. Scouts though usually clump up at carnivals and games together and there’s an inkling between them of which kids are showing biggest promise. It’s an advantage for Bears officials to be there and ensure best local talent stays in house. But they will still require skills to identify that talent.

The large WA Gov investment still requires adequate people to show the WA RL local juniors admin staff how to run the shows properly and to be trained up. Flights aren’t a sticking point, however it’s about getting it all sorted in most efficient way - short term. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you need to blow it all at once. Hence why what’s been proposed short term is the best way to go about it for long term.

Otherwise who are the local WARL people playing against? Themselves? What changes then? Nothing. Shot in the arm, put them into the premier junior comps against premier junior clubs and that’s how you’ll get the best out of it. How this all looks in 2027/28/29 will look vastly different in 2030 and beyond. Don’t stress, it’ll keep evolving between now and 2027.

Apologies it sounded like players would be sent to be billeted, train and play in existing QRL CC and MM setups and not as Bears teams.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Apologies it sounded like players would be sent to be billeted, train and play in existing QRL CC and MM setups and not as Bears teams.

All good, I likely didn’t explain the intent in detail.

Best way to sum it up is bringing the WA RL talent on and off the field to where the best resources to learn off currently reside. This is to learn, up-skill and then take those skills back to WA and filter it through the state comp and set up.

There’s a lot of non-WA locals (like myself) who have the best interests of WA RL at mind. This is because we understand that there’s a resource pool there that is currently raw and essentially untapped. The bigger picture is to harness it for not only Perth Bears NRL but for the game overall. However for that to happen, it will require resources thrown at it now from all parts of the RL community to ensure WA RL grows, prospers and then excels.

This might all change, evolve, be adjusted or adapt into something else entirely to what the intent is now. Astute, and very knowledgeable RL minds are presently working through the rigamarole and processes (and how they look like).

 

[Perth Red]

What do you see the advantages being in qrl comps over nswrl comps? I can see the disadvantages in costs and travel impositions (presuming we dont pull our kids out of school and home to live over there ), what’s the advantages? When the wa reds looked at it they decided to pivot to nswrl comps instead of the original intended qrl comps.

 

[Nuke]

An advantage that I can see is that North Sydney, Perth's feeder team, is NSW based. Norths, being a part of this club, have NSW pathways covered. A Perth Bears setup in Qld gets Queensland covered too. Teams in both NSW and Qld, feeding into the Perth NRL squad as time goes on.

 

[Perth Red]

An advantage that I can see is that North Sydney, Perth's feeder team, is NSW based. Norths, being a part of this club, have NSW pathways covered. A Perth Bears setup in Qld gets Queensland covered too. Teams in both NSW and Qld, feeding into the Perth NRL squad as time goes on.

If they are WA kids though in the side would it matter? I thought the idea was this was for WA kids development whilst the NS pathway would be for NSW kids development?

 

[Nuke]

Realistically, the vast majority of WA kids, particularly in the first, say, 10 years, are going to struggle against eastern states kids. Having a Perth Bears in Qld age competitions will hopefully give Qld kids another pathway to the NRL and raise the standard of the Bears team and its WA players. I am 100% on board with having WA locals playing NRL for Perth, but in real terms, there won't be many WA produced players in the team for several years. Not until all the juniors groundwork and high performance development starts to pay off. That sorta thing won't happen overnight, nor in the 18 months we have before kickoff.

Having young players from both NSW and Qld funneling into Perth Bears NRL squad will only benefit Perth Bears. WA juniors will still be a part of it, and will increase in numbers as the years go on.

 

[Twizzle]

This will be a slow process as these kids have been force fed AFL all thier life. I think the double headers nd SOO will do wonders to encourage kids and they'll see that they have a choice now. Then there are those from the Eastern states that already support NRL. When I lived there I found trying to start a conversation about NRL with anyone was a waste of time.

I just hope the NRL are patient with the development of the Perth Bears.

 

[Nuke]

We're not starting off from scratch, though, as we would if we were getting a team in, say, SA, NT, Tas. We had the Reds in the mid-late 90s, which when they folded, a large number of kids then went across to union. Then Force came in, so there's been a pathways system in place for union since, what, 10-15yrs ago? It's not League, but at least there's a lot of transferable skills and body shapes in the union kids. A large portion of the kids playing union or League (or both) are just looking for an opportunity, regardless which of the two codes they can get it from and will flip and flop between them (again, noticeably when Reds came in then out, then Force in and out, WC Pirates in and out while Force came back in). Perth NRL team will swing a number of kids back our direction.

So yes, kids over here are indeed force fed aussie rules, but at the same time, there's a decent amount who, like me growing up in WA, aren't interested in it. Especially from a 'playing it' point of view.

 

[Dragonwest]

Realistically, the vast majority of WA kids, particularly in the first, say, 10 years, are going to struggle against eastern states kids. Having a Perth Bears in Qld age competitions will hopefully give Qld kids another pathway to the NRL and raise the standard of the Bears team and its WA players. I am 100% on board with having WA locals playing NRL for Perth, but in real terms, there won't be many WA produced players in the team for several years. Not until all the juniors groundwork and high performance development starts to pay off. That sorta thing won't happen overnight, nor in the 18 months we have before kickoff.

Having young players from both NSW and Qld funneling into Perth Bears NRL squad will only benefit Perth Bears. WA juniors will still be a part of it, and will increase in numbers as the years go on.

I think the results will improve a lot quicker than that. Get the right structures in place and the 12 year old today have a great chance of being highly competitive in their age groups as they come through. Pirates realistically had 6 kids capable of playing in that competition each year. Improvements in long term coaching, gym work and increasing the playing pool by taking back juniors from union will mean they'll be as competitive as the Vic Storm juniors are today quick enough.

 

[Perth Red]

The WA govt $5mill a year starts flowing from July 1st. I expect to see a speedy increase in programs, dev officers etc this year and at least a SG ball age side in next years comp, be it in NSW or Qlnd.

 

[SirPies&Beers]

The WA govt $5mill a year starts flowing from July 1st. I expect to see a speedy increase in programs, dev officers etc this year and at least a SG ball age side in next years comp, be it in NSW or Qlnd.

just because you have increase in programs it doesnt mean you'll see result in quick time.

you wont see the benefits for at least 5 years, i reckon 10 years though minimum and these kids need to be playing against the best in their age groups to keep developing otherwise these programs wont mean anything.

i like whats @Red&BlackBear is saying. have u-15, 16, 17 & 18's

nsw bears will probably be made up of 70% bears kids and 30% west aussie kids to being with. qld bears will likely be 100% west aussie kids. this way no kid is lost to the system. you'll have 30 top west aussie kids in each age group. 5-7 of them might filter into bears nsw junior team. then the rest make a full team for qld junior team.

no one loses out.

 

[Perth Red]

just because you have increase in programs it doesnt mean you'll see result in quick time.

you wont see the benefits for at least 5 years, i reckon 10 years though minimum and these kids need to be playing against the best in their age groups to keep developing otherwise these programs wont mean anything.

i like whats @Red&BlackBear is saying. have u-15, 16, 17 & 18's

nsw bears will probably be made up of 70% bears kids and 30% west aussie kids to being with. qld bears will likely be 100% west aussie kids. this way no kid is lost to the system. you'll have 30 top west aussie kids in each age group. 5-7 of them might filter into bears nsw junior team. then the rest make a full team for qld junior team.

no one loses out.

Nope but the sooner you get started the sooner you get results. Money starts flowing in 6 weeks so we should see DO's, coaches and elite units for our jnr age specialist teams employed soon after. No reason we cant have a U19's side playing next year in an east coast comp. Might take a few years as systems under it get improved to be competitive but sooner we start the better. Be interesting of we do join NSW comps what the Jnr sides are called?

Any news on if NS will run a Flegg side next year? With all the WA govt funding committed to WA spending only who is going to pick up the tab to improve the NS systems? Your jnr sides have been historically poor for a long time. Will it be NRl, Norths LC, or the Perth Bears that chips in I wonder?

 

[Dragonwest]

Nope but the sooner you get started the sooner you get results. Money starts flowing in 6 weeks so we should see DO's, coaches and elite units for our jnr age specialist teams employed soon after. No reason we cant have a U19's side playing next year in an east coast comp. Might take a few years as systems under it get improved to be competitive but sooner we start the better. Be interesting of we do join NSW comps what the Jnr sides are called?

Any news on if NS will run a Flegg side next year? With all the WA govt funding committed to WA spending only who is going to pick up the tab to improve the NS systems? Your jnr sides have been historically poor for a long time. Will it be NRl, Norths LC, or the Perth Bears that chips in I wonder?

If they only start with one junior rep side I'd say we are better off playing in the lower age group 16/17s to start with and bring those boys through adding 18/19s and above as we go?

 

[SirPies&Beers]

Nope but the sooner you get started the sooner you get results. Money starts flowing in 6 weeks so we should see DO's, coaches and elite units for our jnr age specialist teams employed soon after. No reason we cant have a U19's side playing next year in an east coast comp. Might take a few years as systems under it get improved to be competitive but sooner we start the better. Be interesting of we do join NSW comps what the Jnr sides are called?

Any news on if NS will run a Flegg side next year? With all the WA govt funding committed to WA spending only who is going to pick up the tab to improve the NS systems? Your jnr sides have been historically poor for a long time. Will it be NRl, Norths LC, or the Perth Bears that chips in I wonder?

Youre asking wrong person here I got no clue, I’ve got no idea what norths are doing. Sharkies fan through and through. I’m just fascinated at this expansions round that’s all

 

[blue bags]

Yeah mate. Joell's too long in the tooth to be considered for Perth Bears when they come around. If this happened 10yrs earlier, maybe a different story. A pillar of the Giants, no doubt, but NRL's a younger man's game. I'm gonna be nice to him as I'm probably needing some roof work done on my place soon so will be calling on him..!

You mean Greg Florimo. Mark Graham. still has a chance for a run

 

[Perth Red]

Source: Facebook page:The History of the Western Australia Rugby Football League Est. 1948