brendothejet
First Grade
- Messages
- 7,998
Howdy Folks. I know it has been some time since I posted but over the past couple of months incidents have transpired which have made me think enough is enough.
I know I've gone on rants before, but please stay with me if you care for the Newtown Junior Jets, the future of Rugby League in the Newtown area.
Through the hard work and amazing efforts of a select few people NJJs has become one of the biggest clubs in the souths juniors comp in the last 7 years. I am currently in my 6th year at the club and have met many life long friends through my association with the team. ive seen a few wins, a few too many losses, but every year we come back for the pride of playing for Newtown, for our mates, and for the chance to turn it around.
last season was a debacle. We had a coach who was arrogant, abusive, unable to communicate with people, and worst of all, a thief. To this day 6 jerseys from last years side remain 'missing', the product of our coach inviting several of his friends to play in the last game. These people then walked away at the end of the game with the gear. On a personal note one of these jerseys was mine, my 5 year jersey, featuring the centennary of RL badging and the original Newtown strip. It was my favourite of my Newtown jerseys and now it is gone.
nevertheless, we persisted and arrived at training to start this season with an old friend, player, coach and parent of the Junior Jets coming in to take charge of the side. We looked to the season with great optimism, yet it wouldn't be long till the same old same old started coming out.
Newtown Juniors has tried to compete in the A Grade & A reserve competitions on one occasion. It was a resounding failure with both teams folding before the seasons end, despite a roster of over 40 players.
The souths comp is a grueling one filled with hard matches against NRL experienced players, large Islander filled teams, and sides who pay players more than most Jim Beam Cup sides. Newtown is completely amateur and the players are there for the fun of it, not to make money, not to win the NRL, but to play football with their mates and for the big Blue 'N'
It took the first traingin session for ideas to start sprouting about hosting two teams again. The idiocy of it cannot fully be comprehended without knowing the history of some past attempts:
2004: A Reserve: Winless - Best result, 2 point loss Alexandria Rovers
2005: A Reserve: Semi Finals - Beaten by Matraville Tigers
2006: A Reserve: Wooden Spoon - 1 win (from memory)
2007: A Grade & A Reserve: Both teams forfeited before week 10. A Grade with 1 win, Reserve grade with none.
2008: A Reserve: Second last - 2 wins, both against Botany, wooden spooners.
Some scores from last year included:*where score is 50 or more Souths don't list it to save embarassment (and calculator repairs)KENSINGTON40VNEWTOWN JNR JETS
COOGEE RANDWICK50VNEWTOWN JNR JETS0
LA PEROUSE38VNEWTOWN JNR JETS4
COOGEE RANDWICK46VNEWTOWN JNR JETS12
COOGEE DOLPHINS50VNEWTOWN JNR JETS10
COOGEE RANDWICK46VNEWTOWN JNR JETS12
The rest aren't much better, with games such as 42-24 being a good day at the office.
If i could call up results for prior years you would see more of the same.
Not the most amazing resume. The sides above have included former Premier League/Metro Cup players, JBC players, 4 Fijian internationals along with a host of other Harold Matts, Sg Ball representitives. Still they have fallen short of the demanding nature of the comp.
This years side is no better than any of them. We have a great collection of blokes, with some very talented footballers scattered amongst a collection of young players learning the game, old players continuing their passion for the sport, and social players looking to stay fit, have some fun and be amongst their mates.
To even suggest that this side is A Grade material is stupid. Plain and simple. I mean this as no slight to my team mates, but after we have been flogged by more than 50 points in each game surely the writing is on the wall that we need to play in a division suited to us?
To make matters worse the club in its infinate wisdom has tried to start a 2nd division team in the newly formed souths comp. At the first training session their were 17 players for the 1sts and 11 for the 2nds. Does this sound like adequate numbers to last a season? On matchday not all players turned up and due to the seconds being at a different ground, the firsts were left short.
To add literal injury to insult, 3 players suffered near season ending injuries, breaking legs, ribs and dislocating shoulders. The toll that this season takes on players physically is too great to be burdened by a skeleton crew. We are talking about young men with jobs, families, and injuries that at some point or another will not be able to play. By running two teams we are asking for trouble.
I should point out that every time you forfeit a game you are fined by souths juniors, and more so if you forfeit a season. The money that we waste on forfeits could be better spent on the younger kids, getting them more equipment and helping grow the club. Do we really want to squander that for the sake of massaging a few egos?
I know that my online persona has been built around cocky retelling of my on and off fields exploits, but im pretty sure all of you know whilst i joke around, I love Newtown and only want the best for them.
I believe that if people could get past the fact that this is not the NRL we are playing in, but a local, amateur comp, we could band togetehr and form an A Reserve team that would hold its own and last the season. I know people want to win the comp, heck i want to win the comp, but sometimes survival is your goal.
Finishing a season of football is tough. How many NRL players breakdown before seasons end? These are professional athletes with access to the best medical treatment in the country. We are a bunch of blokes who get up monday morning and go to work laying concrete, building fences, fixing broken cars, working on computer systems and picking up dead people (yes we have a morgue driver) We dont have the luxury of hyperbaric chambers, physios, recovery sessions or the week off. Heck sometimes we don't even have strapping tape!
I question the motives behind the clubs push for 2 teams and I deem it bordeline irresponsible to put their players at risk of serious injury by spreading what little butter we have over too much toast.
I know this will probably fall on deaf ears and that the powers that be will push on with their decisions. Whatever happens on Sunday afternoon this week, 1.30, Heffron park I will be there pulling a tattered old blue jersey over my head. For the next 80 minutes myself and a bunch of blokes like me will be giving their all for Newtown.
Hopefully those at the top of the food chain will see this and realise that club football is about more than having your name printed on a business card that says "A Grade". Club football is about more than how many teams you have, across how many divisions. Club football is about standing next to your mates, covered in sweat, aching, sore, tired and trampled and thinking "Theres nowhere else i'd rather be"
If you stayed till the end thank you, and maybe your knowledge of the goings on will help steer the ship towards the lighthouse again.
Cheers,
Brendan "BrendotheJet" Smith
I know I've gone on rants before, but please stay with me if you care for the Newtown Junior Jets, the future of Rugby League in the Newtown area.
Through the hard work and amazing efforts of a select few people NJJs has become one of the biggest clubs in the souths juniors comp in the last 7 years. I am currently in my 6th year at the club and have met many life long friends through my association with the team. ive seen a few wins, a few too many losses, but every year we come back for the pride of playing for Newtown, for our mates, and for the chance to turn it around.
last season was a debacle. We had a coach who was arrogant, abusive, unable to communicate with people, and worst of all, a thief. To this day 6 jerseys from last years side remain 'missing', the product of our coach inviting several of his friends to play in the last game. These people then walked away at the end of the game with the gear. On a personal note one of these jerseys was mine, my 5 year jersey, featuring the centennary of RL badging and the original Newtown strip. It was my favourite of my Newtown jerseys and now it is gone.
nevertheless, we persisted and arrived at training to start this season with an old friend, player, coach and parent of the Junior Jets coming in to take charge of the side. We looked to the season with great optimism, yet it wouldn't be long till the same old same old started coming out.
Newtown Juniors has tried to compete in the A Grade & A reserve competitions on one occasion. It was a resounding failure with both teams folding before the seasons end, despite a roster of over 40 players.
The souths comp is a grueling one filled with hard matches against NRL experienced players, large Islander filled teams, and sides who pay players more than most Jim Beam Cup sides. Newtown is completely amateur and the players are there for the fun of it, not to make money, not to win the NRL, but to play football with their mates and for the big Blue 'N'
It took the first traingin session for ideas to start sprouting about hosting two teams again. The idiocy of it cannot fully be comprehended without knowing the history of some past attempts:
2004: A Reserve: Winless - Best result, 2 point loss Alexandria Rovers
2005: A Reserve: Semi Finals - Beaten by Matraville Tigers
2006: A Reserve: Wooden Spoon - 1 win (from memory)
2007: A Grade & A Reserve: Both teams forfeited before week 10. A Grade with 1 win, Reserve grade with none.
2008: A Reserve: Second last - 2 wins, both against Botany, wooden spooners.
Some scores from last year included:*where score is 50 or more Souths don't list it to save embarassment (and calculator repairs)KENSINGTON40VNEWTOWN JNR JETS
COOGEE RANDWICK50VNEWTOWN JNR JETS0
LA PEROUSE38VNEWTOWN JNR JETS4
COOGEE RANDWICK46VNEWTOWN JNR JETS12
COOGEE DOLPHINS50VNEWTOWN JNR JETS10
COOGEE RANDWICK46VNEWTOWN JNR JETS12
The rest aren't much better, with games such as 42-24 being a good day at the office.
If i could call up results for prior years you would see more of the same.
Not the most amazing resume. The sides above have included former Premier League/Metro Cup players, JBC players, 4 Fijian internationals along with a host of other Harold Matts, Sg Ball representitives. Still they have fallen short of the demanding nature of the comp.
This years side is no better than any of them. We have a great collection of blokes, with some very talented footballers scattered amongst a collection of young players learning the game, old players continuing their passion for the sport, and social players looking to stay fit, have some fun and be amongst their mates.
To even suggest that this side is A Grade material is stupid. Plain and simple. I mean this as no slight to my team mates, but after we have been flogged by more than 50 points in each game surely the writing is on the wall that we need to play in a division suited to us?
To make matters worse the club in its infinate wisdom has tried to start a 2nd division team in the newly formed souths comp. At the first training session their were 17 players for the 1sts and 11 for the 2nds. Does this sound like adequate numbers to last a season? On matchday not all players turned up and due to the seconds being at a different ground, the firsts were left short.
To add literal injury to insult, 3 players suffered near season ending injuries, breaking legs, ribs and dislocating shoulders. The toll that this season takes on players physically is too great to be burdened by a skeleton crew. We are talking about young men with jobs, families, and injuries that at some point or another will not be able to play. By running two teams we are asking for trouble.
I should point out that every time you forfeit a game you are fined by souths juniors, and more so if you forfeit a season. The money that we waste on forfeits could be better spent on the younger kids, getting them more equipment and helping grow the club. Do we really want to squander that for the sake of massaging a few egos?
I know that my online persona has been built around cocky retelling of my on and off fields exploits, but im pretty sure all of you know whilst i joke around, I love Newtown and only want the best for them.
I believe that if people could get past the fact that this is not the NRL we are playing in, but a local, amateur comp, we could band togetehr and form an A Reserve team that would hold its own and last the season. I know people want to win the comp, heck i want to win the comp, but sometimes survival is your goal.
Finishing a season of football is tough. How many NRL players breakdown before seasons end? These are professional athletes with access to the best medical treatment in the country. We are a bunch of blokes who get up monday morning and go to work laying concrete, building fences, fixing broken cars, working on computer systems and picking up dead people (yes we have a morgue driver) We dont have the luxury of hyperbaric chambers, physios, recovery sessions or the week off. Heck sometimes we don't even have strapping tape!
I question the motives behind the clubs push for 2 teams and I deem it bordeline irresponsible to put their players at risk of serious injury by spreading what little butter we have over too much toast.
I know this will probably fall on deaf ears and that the powers that be will push on with their decisions. Whatever happens on Sunday afternoon this week, 1.30, Heffron park I will be there pulling a tattered old blue jersey over my head. For the next 80 minutes myself and a bunch of blokes like me will be giving their all for Newtown.
Hopefully those at the top of the food chain will see this and realise that club football is about more than having your name printed on a business card that says "A Grade". Club football is about more than how many teams you have, across how many divisions. Club football is about standing next to your mates, covered in sweat, aching, sore, tired and trampled and thinking "Theres nowhere else i'd rather be"
If you stayed till the end thank you, and maybe your knowledge of the goings on will help steer the ship towards the lighthouse again.
Cheers,
Brendan "BrendotheJet" Smith
, but to persue this nonsensical idea of playing As, at the expense of both the A players, and ultimately the demise of the "seconds" side, is just .... nuts.
