f**k you Fox for dragging this up, but looking at that side, even taking into account the overall careers of the likes of Maloney, Gallen, Klemmer, that isn't a great side. Certainly not as good as ones they've dredged up in years past
And that is the real story. Other then Klemmer, there are no real star players in the list that have come out of Parra in the last 10 years or so, when you compare it to the calibre of talent that used to come through the junior system. That's the real story.
We aren't spotting the best kids anymore and so they move on to other sports or drop right out of sport altogether and pursue other interests(which isn't hard to do now a days when you are a teenager) and therefore 18's upwards are ultimately producing less and less quality first graders. So here we are, who was the last real quality kid to come out of our junior system in the last 10 years? Junior Paulo maybe, but after him you scratch your head and realise there are none that really fit star(representative) quality status.
I think that that is what will come out of the review. The lack of identification at the younger ages, just like Klemmer for example who was running around in the 15's 3rd grade side not being given a go at the higher grades and the Canterbury scouts spotted him playing there and approached him and ask asked why was he there and he said that they won't pick him in the higher grades. So they told him if he wants to get a run in the top grades to come over to them and they will. So he did and look who he is playing for and will be a passionate firebrand enforcer for 10+ years now. He is the kind of player that the Eels have NOT produced for more then 30 years. That is a monumental cockup.
Players of his calibre are so rare that we should never over look them when they are coming through our system. He will be the power house of their engine room for the next 7 or so years on top of the 4 or 5 years of rep quality that he has already given them. Gallen as difficult as it is to watch him play at such a high level now for what, more then 15 years? It can be argued that he was not a standout and very small, but Klemmer was always an obvious standout when people talk about him at the junior level. We as a club just don't have the right people and systems in place to capitalise on even some of the lowest of low fruit in our own garden.
Lets hope that this review will FINALLY fix the missing ingredients that have eluded us for so long. We wait and see with who they fire and who they hire in the coming months. But at this point after sooooo many false starts, I won't be holding my breath that they get it completely right, after all, didn't our current coach say when he started that he wants to make sure that our juniors were sorted and that there would be an emphasis placed on junior development? Still waiting see, but I can't say that I am filled with great confidence so far.
