Ozbash, in fairness, I do understand that the club expects (and are training them up too), the likes of Sonny Fa'i, Frank-Paul Nuuasuala, Cooper Vuna, George Tuakara, Marvin Filipo, Dean Shepherd and Sam Rapira to be in the first grade team next year. Fa'i, Vuna, Nuuasuala and Rapira are in the Junior Kiwis, Rapira is the captain, Nuuasuala is an Ali type prospect, Vuna we've seen and Sonny Fa'i is a 17 year old who bench presses 175kgs.
I know this is something Mick Watson has come out and said at various stages, the club are looking to give those blokes extended opportunities in first grade, along with Simon Mannering and Manu Vatuvei. I think thats a step in the right direction.
I know when Danny Sullivan first came over in 2003 that he spoke of how awesome the development squad was - so at that stage it must have still been active.
I believe they need to do one of two things:-
A
Create a Bartercard Franchise purely reporting to the Warriors, and contracted to the Warriors.
B
Get involved again with the NSWRL Premier League, or perhaps even the Queensland Cup with a reserve grade side, with contracted players as the core.
The problem is, as in the case recently of Sika Manu who was picked up by the Warriors at the same time as Simon Mannering (Manu is now with the Storm) is that these players are effectively not obligated to stick with the Warriors, nor are they as it appears really given any benefits of being tied to the development squad.
The only way to do that is to gel them together in a unit. We, I believe, are pretty much the only club that does not have a feeder club underneath us. All the Sydney based clubs have Premier League sides, in the case of St George-Illawarra and Wests Tigers due to their mergers they have two, Brisbane have the Toowomba Clydesdales in Queensland, Melbourne Storm have the Norths Devils, North Queensland has the young guns. We have no real team underneath us, now its well and good that we have Bartercard etc., but how many players from Bartercard go elsewhere?
Yes, the Warriors need to support Bartercard more by being more interactive and proactive with the clubs - that is, retiring the likes of Betham and sending them around to the clubs to give coaching sessions to the coaches, and players. That way the growing dissatisfaction and disillusion with the connection to the Warriors will slide away - the stories of Wellington being a Bulldogs district will disintegrate etc. The reasons these stories pop up is because the Warriors have taken players and not given much back. They feel used by the Warriors. Take the likes of Justin Morgan even, he basically retired to coach in the Northern Hemisphere, why not keep him involved with the Warriors and send him around to the various clubs. Perhaps have some old stagers - Mathew Ridge, Terry Hermannson, Justin Morgan, Monty Betham - still contracted to the Warriors as Development Officers, working in the Bartercard, give Hermannson Canterbury and Wellington, send Morgs around Waicoa Bay and the Central Falcons, and have Betham and Ridge work in the Auckland club scene. Have them report to John Ackland.
And then build a real second string side. Yes. The costs are there. Undoubtably. And no doubt culling off that has helped the Warriors make a profit - which at the end of the day they are still going to need to do to stay operational - but the only way to ensure success, and continued success is to work with, not against the clubs. Work with our youngsters, not meekly offer a token development squad incentive incase one of them turns out to be the goods.
As far as Rovelli goes, in fairness to the Warriors again, its really only been in the case of Brent Webb and this fellow that we've basically picked a kid up without him having played first grade to bring into the squad. In the case of Webb, he was one of the Queensland Cup's top try scorers - good, cheap pick up. In the case of Rovelli, he's the NSW Residents Captain, so he shows leadership, again, potentially for the long term a good pick up.
We're badly missing the boat here. Something is not right. I believe in New Zealand, and I believe in New Zealand Rugby League, we can't get them all thats a given, but we've got to ensure we've got the best. And if recent examples of are anything to go by, I'm not certain we've done. We must put in place different structures to increase that opportunity. Credit to Cullen Sports on some initiatives, such as helping to develop the NJC, now its time to expand further and become a truly representative club of not only the top liners, but the youth of this country.
