thorson1987
Coach
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Back on topic, I believe the rot started when the league took up Dennis Fitzgerald's proposal to go to a two tier national comp - 1st grade & under 20s and dropped reserve grade to a state level.
I think it was 1st, reserves and U21s (or U23s) at the time.
The last of the players who came out of the old system - Thurston, Cronk, Smith etc are starting to retire & the result is a massive drop in standard.
Previously players who needed time in reserve (open age) grade to mature their skills got it but were still around 1st grade. But under the Fitzgerald plan, under prepared 20 year olds filled in the vacant first grade spots (some looked good in an age comp due to their size & maturity but once they hit an open age comp that disappeared but the NRL & clubs persisted. Players sent back to State Cup were continuosly overlooked and moved on.
So after 10 odd years we have the massive drop in skill levels in the domestic game and, I think Homo man is probably right the Poms will get us. Not due to an improvement in their game but the drop in standard of our game.
Reserve grade was at a state level long before the NYC came in.