Parramatta Eels Holden Cup

[Poupou Escobar]

Good point. I reckon the NYC spine will look like this next year:

1. Makelim
6. French
7. Daoud
9. Dockar-Clay

I forgot about Matterson, who has bulked up massively since last season. He is also only 19 this year, although like Daoud, if he was any good he would be a regular starter already.

 

[I bleed blue & gold]

I don't rate Daoud. Hopefully he can improve though.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Hey what the f**k!!?!?!

Connor Broadhurst isn't injured; he's been dropped. He's playing fullback for the Owls this weekend: http://www.leagueunlimited.com/news/show/nswrl-ron-massey-cup-teams-2013-round-17/

 

[jason taylor]

He's getting the Chris Sandow treatment?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Working on his game?

 

[oldmancraigy]

However we do struggle to beat the stronger clubs to signing up the most talented halves.

ALTHOUGH

didn't we get Bevan French this year (highly touted half)
And Lussick last year (highly touted half)

So it might have been more to do with the talent identification than a recruitment problem... Seems that a certain appointment has seen a strengthening of our junior stocks!

 

[Chipmunk]

Hey what the f**k!!?!?!

Connor Broadhurst isn't injured; he's been dropped. He's playing fullback for the Owls this weekend: http://www.leagueunlimited.com/news/show/nswrl-ron-massey-cup-teams-2013-round-17/

Perhaps he is a guildford owls junior and cannot play for Wenty?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

ALTHOUGH

didn't we get Bevan French this year (highly touted half)
And Lussick last year (highly touted half)

I'd call French a fullback and Lussick a hooker. But hopefully French can learn to play in the halves. If Lussick was a halfback he would be playing there. Maybe.

So it might have been more to do with the talent identification than a recruitment problem... Seems that a certain appointment has seen a strengthening of our junior stocks!

I'd say Nolan is super supreme at identification of talent, and the host of quality forwards coming through the 'academy' (at a time when we are weak in that area) is testament to that. But Sticky said a week or two ago that we don't have any quality halves in the lower grades. I believe there has been no problem identifying them; but rather beating other clubs to their signatures.

I also reckon the conversion of junior halfbacks Dockar-Clay and Lussick to hookers probably shows they've been tested for their likelihood of making it as halves and come up short. So we are definitely trying.

Who knows, next year's NYC might have the next 200 game NRL halfback in it. I reckon it would be the hardest position to identify for NRL potential at a young age, and there must be some that appear from nowhere.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Perhaps he is a guildford owls junior and cannot play for Wenty?

I thought he was a Queenslander.

 

[Stagger eel]

Perhaps he is a guildford owls junior and cannot play for Wenty?

No, all the NYC off cuts are playing for guildfords Ron Massey cup side..

Pou, Connor has been ordinary for a number of weeks, ill be surprised if he finds himself back in the NYC line up anytime soon..

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Mate that can't be right. This is Connor 'Robert Mathews' Broadhurst we're talking about.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Connor is a future star. Just ask Gronk.

 

[oldmancraigy]

I'd say Nolan is super supreme at identification of talent, and the host of quality forwards coming through the 'academy' (at a time when we are weak in that area) is testament to that. But Sticky said a week or two ago that we don't have any quality halves in the lower grades. I believe there has been no problem identifying them; but rather beating other clubs to their signatures.

I also reckon the conversion of junior halfbacks Dockar-Clay and Lussick to hookers probably shows they've been tested for their likelihood of making it as halves and come up short. So we are definitely trying.

Who knows, next year's NYC might have the next 200 game NRL halfback in it. I reckon it would be the hardest position to identify for NRL potential at a young age, and there must be some that appear from nowhere.

All good points - worth noting Joey Lussick is only just 18 though. I might be wrong, but he's got 2 MORE years of NYC eligibility ahead of him.

And fair enough - now that we've put him through his paces we might not see him as a halfback, but as a hooker (or maybe he's playing hooker now to get his D up to speed so he can handle half up a grade?) - but we did sign him as a half and he was highly touted!

But I'm with you - I trust Nolan's talent identification and recruitment ability. The change from Reddy to Nolan has been massive for us already - can't wait to see how it's paying off over the next few years.

 

[Gronk]

Connor is a future star. Just ask Gronk.

I'm furious mate.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

All good points - worth noting Joey Lussick is only just 18 though. I might be wrong, but he's got 2 MORE years of NYC eligibility ahead of him.

ZDC is also born in '95, and he has played nearly every game this year, and made his NYC debut last year.

Although Lussick might have played NYC this year if not for GPS rugby commitments.

And fair enough - now that we've put him through his paces we might not see him as a halfback, but as a hooker (or maybe he's playing hooker now to get his D up to speed so he can handle half up a grade?) - but we did sign him as a half and he was highly touted!

Could also be that hooker is seen as the more important position, or just the position where we are most deficient in first grade.

But I'm with you - I trust Nolan's talent identification and recruitment ability. The change from Reddy to Nolan has been massive for us already - can't wait to see how it's paying off over the next few years.

Yeah I haven't been this excited about our junior development since Brian Smith left the club. But it does take time for the production line to hit full speed.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

It's all very exciting. Good times.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Maybe the club is making the decision not to spend to much on trying to get the better junior half backs - really half back is the hardest to play and when they finally make it in the nrl they can take several years to develop and pay their way - if they even come a nrl player.

Better to save the time, effort and money in developing a half and just poach them from other clubs (once you can judge them) when we need one.

But then if all clubs thought like this there would be no halves.

 

[TheRam]

Maybe the club is making the decision not to spend to much on trying to get the better junior half backs - really half back is the hardest to play and when they finally make it in the nrl they can take several years to develop and pay their way - if they even come a nrl player.

Better to save the time, effort and money in developing a half and just poach them from other clubs (once you can judge them) when we need one.

But then if all clubs thought like this there would be no halves.

Yeah sure, why don't you try and poach Dale Cherry Evans or Mitchell Pearce or Shaun Jonson. Like hell you can, unless they are unhappy for some reason or you basically throw a ridiculous amount of your salary cap their way.

Great halves or even good halves are very hard to entice to a club once they have proved themselves and everyone can see their talent. Hell try even getting someone like Jarrod Mullen to Parra and see if you can for anything under 700-800k, which he would probably not really be worth it and if he were the Knights would probably offer somewhere around the same and keep him.

You need to get great or good halves to your club early or just forget about it!

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Yeah sure, why don't you try and poach Dale Cherry Evans or Mitchell Pearce or Shaun Jonson. Like hell you can, unless they are unhappy for some reason or you basically throw a ridiculous amount of your salary cap their way.

Great halves or even good halves are very hard to entice to a club once they have proved themselves and everyone can see their talent. Hell try even getting someone like Jarrod Mullen to Parra and see if you can for anything under 700-800k, which he would probably not really be worth it and if he were the Knights would probably offer somewhere around the same and keep him.

You need to get great or good halves to your club early or just forget about it!

Na I don't mean full established halves but ones that have experienced first grade and look to have potential, eg players like Sam Williams, Luke Keary Aiden seazer.

 

[Utey]

I don't disagree with Joshua, it's one thing to produce them, but difficult to keep them.