I know the history of the Bred Not Bought argument but Gould has long advocated a Halves Academy so it's interesting to see this happening. If true, a good long-term development story.
Bred not bought – that is the renewed approach Canterbury are taking to developing its next crop of playmakers the club is hoping will prop up its future success in the NRL.
Quality halves a scarce commodity in rugby league, so the Bulldogs have decided to nurture their own.
Twelve months ago Canterbury supremo Phil Gould created a ‘halves academy’, to develop every playmaker at the club from Harold Matthews (under-17) through to NRL level.
Bulldogs general manager of pathways Adam Hartigan said up to 14 players receive specialist coaching through the program designed by Gould.
“It’s an extra to our Academy program. Gus (Gould) runs our halves academy,” Hartigan said. “Gus will present, they’ll talk through different scenarios. It’s something he has done before."
“Halves development is critical to future of the club and game. We want to make sure our halves know what is expected from them coming through the grades and how to handle all the pressure of getting into the NRL.
“We run it outside of their team training, some of it is theory work, some of it is on field and some of it is just spending time together, going through scenarios. It’s strengthening their understanding and cohesion. We will be making it a priority.”
The ‘bred, not bought’ philosophy is not new to Canterbury. The slogan featured on banners at games during 2004, the last time the Bulldogs won a title. From that grand final team 12 players debuted at the club.
But the Bulldogs are under no illusions at how difficult it is to repeat a similar feat.
Geographically, Canterbury is boxed in by Cronulla to the south and by junior league powerhouses Parramatta and Penrith to the west.
By comparison, Canterbury-Bankstown junior rugby league district is home to 3300 registered players, while Parramatta has 5700 participants and Penrith boasts around 9000.
So when Gould got to Belmore in late 2021, rebuilding the club’s pathways was at the top of the agenda.
As well investing heavily into the club’s Sydney nursery the club spread its footprint regionally into northern NSW in 2018.
More recently into south east Queensland and New Zealand, where Gould was a consultant at the Warriors with a focus on junior pathways before joining Canterbury.
“We’re a development club, we have some really talented local juniors. But our junior league is probably not big enough to sustain a production line of players to go through into the NRL. We’ve had to supplement around that,” Hartigan said. “We’ve got a program that runs on the north coast of NSW, a program that runs in greater northern NSW. We have an affiliation with the Western Clydesdales in Toowoomba.
“We’ve got the academy hubs in Auckland, where we have six contracted kids between the ages of 15 and 17, and Christchurch but that is in its infancy. The idea is that if we identify a player in those areas, we‘ll put time into getting the coaching they need so they don’t have to leave home until they need to for their next stages of their development.”
The 17-year-old will receive specialist hands on coaching as part of the halves academy alongside the likes of Mitchell Woods and Bronson Reuben, the local junior halves duo that led Canterbury to the title in the Harold Matthews Cup this year.
“That (halves academy) was a big sell for Alex and his manager Braith Anasta. We’ve got some very talented kids like Mitchell Woods and Bronson Reuben, who were our halves pairing in Harold Matts, both are on contract this year. They’ll be in the same squad as Alex Conti,” Hartigan said.
“We’ve got Joseph Teaupa, he’s already played more Flegg and Ron Massey Cup games in 2023 than SG Ball, yet still eligible for SG Ball in 2024. Some will go on to play NRL here at the Bulldogs, that’s great for us but the development we want to do is imperative for us and the game, long term.”
At NRL level, Canterbury’s halves problems are no secret. Last season alone, coach Cameron Ciraldo cycled through the likes of Kyle Flanagan, Karl Oloapu, Toby Sexton and Josh Reynolds.
The club’s halves academy is seen as a solution to the side’s halves woes over the long-term.
“We feel what we are doing to do well over the next few years is developing halves,” Hartigan said.
Bred not bought – that is the renewed approach Canterbury are taking to developing its next crop of playmakers the club is hoping will prop up its future success in the NRL.
Quality halves a scarce commodity in rugby league, so the Bulldogs have decided to nurture their own.
Twelve months ago Canterbury supremo Phil Gould created a ‘halves academy’, to develop every playmaker at the club from Harold Matthews (under-17) through to NRL level.
Bulldogs general manager of pathways Adam Hartigan said up to 14 players receive specialist coaching through the program designed by Gould.
“It’s an extra to our Academy program. Gus (Gould) runs our halves academy,” Hartigan said. “Gus will present, they’ll talk through different scenarios. It’s something he has done before."
“Halves development is critical to future of the club and game. We want to make sure our halves know what is expected from them coming through the grades and how to handle all the pressure of getting into the NRL.
“We run it outside of their team training, some of it is theory work, some of it is on field and some of it is just spending time together, going through scenarios. It’s strengthening their understanding and cohesion. We will be making it a priority.”
The ‘bred, not bought’ philosophy is not new to Canterbury. The slogan featured on banners at games during 2004, the last time the Bulldogs won a title. From that grand final team 12 players debuted at the club.
But the Bulldogs are under no illusions at how difficult it is to repeat a similar feat.
Geographically, Canterbury is boxed in by Cronulla to the south and by junior league powerhouses Parramatta and Penrith to the west.
By comparison, Canterbury-Bankstown junior rugby league district is home to 3300 registered players, while Parramatta has 5700 participants and Penrith boasts around 9000.
So when Gould got to Belmore in late 2021, rebuilding the club’s pathways was at the top of the agenda.
As well investing heavily into the club’s Sydney nursery the club spread its footprint regionally into northern NSW in 2018.
More recently into south east Queensland and New Zealand, where Gould was a consultant at the Warriors with a focus on junior pathways before joining Canterbury.
“We’re a development club, we have some really talented local juniors. But our junior league is probably not big enough to sustain a production line of players to go through into the NRL. We’ve had to supplement around that,” Hartigan said. “We’ve got a program that runs on the north coast of NSW, a program that runs in greater northern NSW. We have an affiliation with the Western Clydesdales in Toowoomba.
“We’ve got the academy hubs in Auckland, where we have six contracted kids between the ages of 15 and 17, and Christchurch but that is in its infancy. The idea is that if we identify a player in those areas, we‘ll put time into getting the coaching they need so they don’t have to leave home until they need to for their next stages of their development.”
HALVES ACADEMY
Just last week, Canterbury ‘supplemented’ the club’s halves stocks by luring rising halfback Alex Conti from the Wests Tigers.The 17-year-old will receive specialist hands on coaching as part of the halves academy alongside the likes of Mitchell Woods and Bronson Reuben, the local junior halves duo that led Canterbury to the title in the Harold Matthews Cup this year.
“That (halves academy) was a big sell for Alex and his manager Braith Anasta. We’ve got some very talented kids like Mitchell Woods and Bronson Reuben, who were our halves pairing in Harold Matts, both are on contract this year. They’ll be in the same squad as Alex Conti,” Hartigan said.
“We’ve got Joseph Teaupa, he’s already played more Flegg and Ron Massey Cup games in 2023 than SG Ball, yet still eligible for SG Ball in 2024. Some will go on to play NRL here at the Bulldogs, that’s great for us but the development we want to do is imperative for us and the game, long term.”
At NRL level, Canterbury’s halves problems are no secret. Last season alone, coach Cameron Ciraldo cycled through the likes of Kyle Flanagan, Karl Oloapu, Toby Sexton and Josh Reynolds.
The club’s halves academy is seen as a solution to the side’s halves woes over the long-term.
“We feel what we are doing to do well over the next few years is developing halves,” Hartigan said.
