forty20 have you changed your opinion of our under 20s team yet? I have stated all year that they are garbage and have seen nothing to change my mind.
But have you considered why they're suddenly garbage? Half these guys were regulars in last year's top four side. I think the performance of this year's team has been insightful about the gulf between some NYC players and others, and how it is the worst members of the NYC team ('jersey fillers') that are just as important to the team's results as the best members ('academy' prospects).
In order to fit a handful of potential NRL players (on anything up to $30k or more) into the cap ($200k for the top 20) you need a dozen or more jersey fillers on a couple of grand sign on. Those dozen players could vary wildly in ability, depending on where they're from, and how much it costs to get them to move away from their families.
A decent NYC player from North Queensland (say, a high quality jersey filler, with no realistic chance of playing NRL) might get offered $5k by the Cowboys to play for their team. How much would he need from a club in Sydney or even Brisbane to move down there? I reckon it would be at least $10k, and why would a club want to spend that much on a player who won't ever make first grade, just because he is good in the under 20s? That extra five grand could be the difference between keeping or losing a genuine NRL prospect who just wants you to get close to his $25k offer from the Bulldogs.
