It is when you are a fledgling state with a small jnr programme that is trying to improve things. Its like our SG ball, sure we tend to only win one or two games and get a couple of hammerings from the better teams but considering where the game was at in WA just 6 years ago, to even be fielding an SG ball team in a NSW comp, let alone being reasonably competitive is a massive achievement.
Like this academy team, sure they are not close to being able to beat the best in NSW but to even be touring is a massive plus for the game here and to be undefeated against reasonable opposition in comparison to the resoources and number of juniors available in WA is a big pat on the back to those lads, coaches and the WARL who had the vision to set up a SHS programme and develop an elite academy route.
Dismiss if you like, for us over here it is great to see. Last year the WA rep side became the first affiliated state side beat the powerful NSW country Bulls team and to see WA making a step up from its domination of the affiliated states to being able to compete with NSW and Qland at the next level up from us is a very positive outcome for the game here.
I understand that these are large achievements for RL in WA when considering where the game has come from in such a short time, but WA still has a huge way to go and from our perspective over here on the east coast it still seems like your a very long way from getting anywhere near being competitive with QLD and NSW.
Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to play down the WARL's achievements, I'm simply keeping things in perspective and I'm very much of the opinion that if the WARL works towards it that one day in the near future they could field the first state team outside of NSW or Queensland to win a SOO series.
We are on a growth curve for the game in WA and every step is a positvive one for the game, now we need more funding and eventually an NRL team to speed us along that curve.
An NRL team may not necessarily be a silver bullet that you seem to think it may be, the grassroots in WA wont necessarily just become healthy overnight when the Pirates are introduced, the grassroots and the NRL team/s all need to be well looked after in their own right and sometimes the acquisition of an NRL team can overshadow the importance of the local game.
My point is that just getting a team/s in the NRL won't be enough to keep the game healthy in WA, just as it hasn't been enough to keep the game healthy in Victoria.
