thickos said:
It's about exposure as much as it is about talent. The fact is the 'big clubs' in Sydney (Dragons, Bulldogs, Parramatta) get more than their share of TV coverage and space in the newspaper. As a result young talented kids at these clubs get more exposure and their chances of gaining rep selection increase dramatically. Look at Jarryd Hayne. Yes he is an excellent young prospect but I have no doubt his inclusion in the Kangaroo squad is partly because he has had much more media exposure than an equivalently talented player at a club that doesn't get the headlines.
Returning to the Raiders for a second, Phil Graham has the third best try-scoring strike rate in the NRL for those with more than 50 matches (behind only Tahu and Gasnier). If he was wearing a red V, he would be pumped up as the next big thing, rather than looking for his first country origin jumper.
Naturally the success of the club they play for is a massive contributor to their chances of rep selection. I've never said Reni doesn't deserve to be in the test squad. But the hype surrounding how good a player Reni Maitua is is partly because he is an established 'name' in media circles and as a result his selection odds automatically improve. The reason we (Raiders fans) pump up someone like Alan Tongue is because we know we've got a little gem of a player tucked away down in the ACT, who wouldn't let anyone down if he made the rep arena. But because the way the world works, the Raiders get nowhere near the level of exposure that the 'big clubs' do. Not conspiracy theory, fact.
You've said it's just as much about exposure as talent. The three clubs you've mentioned there - Canterbury, St George and Parramatta, have all been more successful than Canberra in the last decade.
Those great players like Laurie Daley, Brett Mullins, Ricky Stuart and Mal Meninga never played a Test did they? They were all overlooked were they? What short memories some of us have.
They prove that it doesn't matter who you play for. You can play rep footy if your side has ongoing success.
The only exception is teams like the Roosters who usually have rep coaches that pick their favourites. Other than that, it's fair game as far as I'm concerned.
You say Reni Maitua's chances of selection improve because he's an established 'name' in media circles. That's absolute bullsh*t.
The only time the media mention Maitua is when he's up on drink driving charges. As a footballer, he's always been underrated.
You see your signature? The 'Past, present, and future' one?
Keep looking at the past. Because there's no light at the end of the tunnel as far as the present and future are concerned.
