Our talent scouting

[Alan Shore]

By my understanding, Theo Burgess is our talent scout. This is one area where the club has to do better. We just don't identify enough young players who end up to be class players. We need to employ people that will go to far flung places like Dubbo (we got Richardson and Peachey there), country NSW, NZ, PNG and so on.

Sydney and Brisbane are the top clubs right now because they thrive off having the best scouts in the league: Beetson at the Chooks and Cyril Connell has been Bennett's man from day 1. We should especially get a QLD scout to get some top QLD Cup players and other prospects from up there. It's fairly easy to steal people from the Cowgirls and the Broncos just don't have enough room for everyone!

Tommy Raudonikis does whatever he can for a cent these days. Put him on the club payroll! He's a man who can spot a talent.

 

[ali]

By my understanding, Theo Burgess is our talent scout. This is one area where the club has to do better. We just don't identify enough young players who end up to be class players. We need to employ people that will go to far flung places like Dubbo (we got Richardson and Peachey there), country NSW, NZ, PNG and so on.

Sydney and Brisbane are the top clubs right now because they thrive off having the best scouts in the league: Beetson at the Chooks and Cyril Connell has been Bennett's man from day 1. We should especially get a QLD scout to get some top QLD Cup players and other prospects from up there. It's fairly easy to steal people from the Cowgirls and the Broncos just don't have enough room for everyone!

Tommy Raudonikis does whatever he can for a cent these days. Put him on the club payroll! He's a man who can spot a talent.

That's rubbish. I'd say he is doing a reasonable job with limited resources. As myself and NCL have mentioned before, at full strangth we would have to be close to favourites to win an under 20 comp. But let's face it, we don't have the budget of the Roosters, Dogs and Parra, or the backyard the size of Brisbane. Most scouts would know of the best young players around. Sometimes they may make a poor choice, for example Beetson knew of Wendell when he was here, but the club didn't act quick enough to go after him. But more often it comes down to dollars. 6 clubs chased Albert Hopoate 2 years a go when he was 17, and it was no surprise where he ended up. Money talks, and I doubt we have the budget of 3/4 of the clubs, when it comes to junior scholarship schemes. I don't believe we pay any under 16's, and only a few under 18's are on scholarships. Clubs like the Roosters and Dogs are far more generous.

One thing I would like to see though is Theo have a decent look at PNG. There's 5 million people up there and RL is number 1. There must be some talented kids up there. The problem with PNG is though, by the time the players get discovered, they are usually ruined through years of poor coaching and poor health / nutrition. The first team who gets up there and creates an accademy, could be onto a goldmine.

 

[JasonE]

Interesting thread this,
I sent Steve Rogers an email about 3 years telling him to have a close look at Leeds Danny McGuire.
5/8 is a position the Sharks have struggled to fill but i'm not sure how serious Steve took the email which is a shame because McGuire is a genius and i'd love to see him out here.

 

[Alan Shore]

It'd be nice to have a Sharks PNG Academy!

I wasn't saying that Theo Burgess is crap, ali. What I'm suggesting is more being put into developing the young players. That's where the future lies. And the more eyes and ears the better. You can't doubt that Raudonikis would be very good in the job.

 

[NthCronullaLocal]

I think our junior developement was one good thing to come out of the Anderson reign. We started to think abit more outside the square. We recruited Green and the Goodwin brothers from WA, Vagg from SA i think plus we have also brought down the likes of Pelo, Burns and Bobognie from Qld. We have also taken a look in NZ eg we bought over Desai Gupwell.
Everyone also knows about how we bought Ross, Bird and Franze too.
We have been fortunate enough to have a very strong group of local juniors come through at the same time.
As was mentioned we dont have the cash that the likes of the roosters and bulldogs have to buy a stack of 18 year olds. This would probably also mean we arent scouring as vigourously as other clubs for talent. Im am also assuming Burgess would have contacts in various parts of NSW and Qld as from what i hear most recruitment officers do. I think we are doing alright given our position.

 

[Booyah]

I think we do alright for talent scouting. Just the other week we signed a Kiwi from the BC comp over there, Tevita Jorgensen, and apparently he's a VERY talented player. I haven't seen him play though.

He's in the Flegg squad now anyway. Has anyone seen him?

 

[DJDL]

Tommy Raudonikis does whatever he can for a cent these days. Put him on the club payroll! He's a man who can spot a talent.

Yeah. He brought Willie Newton into grade at Wests :roll:

 

[Booyah]

Tommy Raudonikis does whatever he can for a cent these days. Put him on the club payroll! He's a man who can spot a talent.

Yeah. He brought Willie Newton into grade at Wests :roll:

And Kenny McGuinness into a Blues jersey. :lol:

 

[blacktip-reefy]

I think our junior developement was one good thing to come out of the Anderson reign. We started to think abit more outside the square. We recruited Green and the Goodwin brothers from WA, Vagg from SA i think plus we have also brought down the likes of Pelo, Burns and Bobognie from Qld. We have also taken a look in NZ eg we bought over Desai Gupwell.
Everyone also knows about how we bought Ross, Bird and Franze too.
We have been fortunate enough to have a very strong group of local juniors come through at the same time.
As was mentioned we dont have the cash that the likes of the roosters and bulldogs have to buy a stack of 18 year olds. This would probably also mean we arent scouring as vigourously as other clubs for talent. Im am also assuming Burgess would have contacts in various parts of NSW and Qld as from what i hear most recruitment officers do. I think we are doing alright given our position.

Anderson actually had very little to do with the signings.
Sludge has huge connections in QLD.
Both on the GCoast & NQLD.
I would suggest maybe Ando had Newcastle connection.
But that I would doubt too.
I am sure they worked together but recruitment is a natural progression from Richo to Sludge.
He is apparently very good at it

 

[Alan Shore]

Obviously not related to the mediocre Peter Jorgensen.

 

[NthCronullaLocal]

Fair enough Reefy. Its just my observations but we did not seem very active in the junior market until Anderson came along. It just seemed we were happy enough to rely on our own juniors with a handful of outer area players ala Firman, McGoldrick, Jared Taylor, Luke McDougall. A big portion of players in Flegg these days have been recruited where this was not the case as i remember several years ago.
Did Anderson's appointment to head coach coincide with Rogers becoming GM of the footy team?? That could explain it because like you said Sludge seems to be heavily involved in our recruitment these days.

 

[King of the Hill]

Firman, McGoldrick, Jared Taylor, Luke McDougall

NCL I would much prefer that mob than say:
Bird, Franze, J. Anderson and L. Milford!!!

 

[NthCronullaLocal]

Yeah you have a point there even though i wouldnt class Anderson and Milford as young up and commers or long to solutions.

Bird and Franze may still prove us wrong yet although it remains to be seen if its with our club.

I still maintain our recruitment in the U20's sector had improved during Andersons reign.

 

[King of the Hill]

I agree to some extent in that he got rid of all the old fargers in PL who shouldnt have been there and made it a more youth oriented squad

 

[gunnamatta bay]

It was announced today that 100 Australian police are to be sent to PNG so we should put them on the payroll. (not that payroll)

 

[ali]

Interesting thread this,
I sent Steve Rogers an email about 3 years telling him to have a close look at Leeds Danny McGuire.
5/8 is a position the Sharks have struggled to fill but i'm not sure how serious Steve took the email which is a shame because McGuire is a genius and i'd love to see him out here.

I emailed him 2 years back when McGuire was playing reserve grade and Matt Johns had just got injured. He obviously took no notice of my email as well. I don't think the majority of Aussie RL people think there are many good players outside of Aus. Hence Russia's RL captain getting signed by one of the world's best Union clubs. Why didn't a RL club go after him.

I think our junior developement was one good thing to come out of the Anderson reign. We started to think abit more outside the square. We recruited Green and the Goodwin brothers from WA, Vagg from SA i think plus we have also brought down the likes of Pelo, Burns and Bobognie from Qld. We have also taken a look in NZ eg we bought over Desai Gupwell.
Everyone also knows about how we bought Ross, Bird and Franze too.
We have been fortunate enough to have a very strong group of local juniors come through at the same time.
As was mentioned we dont have the cash that the likes of the roosters and bulldogs have to buy a stack of 18 year olds. This would probably also mean we arent scouring as vigourously as other clubs for talent. Im am also assuming Burgess would have contacts in various parts of NSW and Qld as from what i hear most recruitment officers do. I think we are doing alright given our position.

Anderson actually had very little to do with the signings.
Sludge has huge connections in QLD.
Both on the GCoast & NQLD.
I would suggest maybe Ando had Newcastle connection.
But that I would doubt too.
I am sure they worked together but recruitment is a natural progression from Richo to Sludge.
He is apparently very good at it

I think NCL is trying to say junior recruitment became a far higher priority when Anderson took over. There was a stage there from about 97 to 2001 where we hardly unearthed a good player. The only 3 that come to mind are Colin Best, Sam Isemonger and Luke Stuart, all locals. I think priorities changed a little in 2000 and 2001 when they realised we had an ageing squad. But the signing of Theo Burgess with Ando in 2002 was the catalyst for a major change in attitude towards recruitment.