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League already has the best kids sewn up, our pathways are 100 years ahead of unions.
Thing is Union are just trying to sign players for one team in effect, where as we want a whole comp full of talent. We will always lose the odd individual due to that but as long as 95% of the most talented Rugby (sic) kids are choosing RL then all good.
yes - if you are a good junior player who plays both RU and RL - then your options after leaving school are either the 1 RU side in your area or multiple NRL clubs
This is happening in Victoria with the demise of the rebels. We should see nice growth outside QLD and NSW in the next few years. That won’t shut the whingers up though
Yes, good point. Rugby Australia only need 15 good players to be successful. If the wallabies are winning then all is good in Rara land. That’s why they are throwing the kitchen sink at Lemoto and will probably win the race for his signatutue.
That’s why I think another NZ team will eventually help NRL become the dominant code in the Pacific by opening up the pathways for their juniors and those from the Pacific Islands. They should offer or require all players in any future u21s either free university or a trade they can do whilst playing.
Its a shame they havent given the expansion clubs a 5 year salary cap grace for signing union players. Perth signing a load of South Africans would possibly reduce the impact on other NRL clubs and create another competitive international team eventually.
Perth and png don’t need them. Who could Perth sign from Union who would make people watch when they don’t show up for the force
I think you missed the point of his post tbh. Signing quality union players, particularly under 20s from other countries like SA expands the player pool and potential growth outside of Australia. Rugby union has quite a strong presence in WA by the way
imagine it is the opposite in NZ at the moment if you are good at both RU/RL - with the advantage of RL that players can move to Australia. For a junior RU player in Australia there is no option to go pro overseas unless you have a UK/Ireland passport
Good post. Given the brutal treatment of league by union in South Africa poaching their juniors and creating nrl pathways for them in a new club like Perth is a bloody good strategy
best thing would be to keep growing the NRL salary cap sustainably so that the gap between RU and RL is large enough for players to make the switch e.g. there is no incentive for NFL teams to recruit RL/RU players - though players will give it a go because if they make it they are so much better off financially
I imagine that there may be visa issues - but if there were NRL scouts in SA following juniors it would probably be an opportunity most would take to live in Australia for a couple of years regardless of the sport that they are playing
The roosters signed 2 South African union school boys stars, Du Plusis and Skosana. Neither cracked the nrl and I believe both are playing union some where around the world.
so those 2 South African union school boys would have made it in the NRL if there were cap incentives?
What is the value for the NRL in using money to pay top line union players rather than spend it in other ways?
I wouldnt be doing it for publicity, Id be doing it for talent and to help build three new squads without too much dilution to the other 17.
The point I was making about the Sth African union players is that’s it’s a high risk signing for nrl clubs, if there were cap incentives clubs would be more willing to take the risk. The roosters have recently signed 2 french players, 1 of them has gone back to France while the other is in their SG ball team, again another high risk signing by the roosters but other clubs could take the risk with cap incetives.
