SG Ball and Harold Matthews results

[Joshuatheeel]

Steelers should name squads soon, players were informed a week or so ago.

 

[Rod Coil]

I note an article today on Zero Tackle about us (Stg SG Ball) signing the Manly half Charlie Boyle.

What hasn’t been noted anywhere is that the Melbourne Storm signed a local St.George District junior from the 2024 Harold Matt’s for 3 years. He was in our pathways system.

This is a team that won 2 games this year so one would think that he stood out & we would be keen to keep him. But somehow he thought his footy future as a young bloke was elsewhere.

It is mind boggling & a real concern in my view!

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

I note an article today on Zero Tackle about us (Stg SG Ball) signing the Manly half Charlie Boyle.

What hasn’t been noted anywhere is that the Melbourne Storm signed a local St.George District junior from the 2024 Harold Matt’s for 3 years. He was in our pathways system.

This is a team that won 2 games this year so one would think that he stood out & we would be keen to keep him. But somehow he thought his footy future as a young bloke was elsewhere.

It is mind boggling & a real concern in my view!

Who did they sign from our Matts team?

 

[Jubilee]

I note an article today on Zero Tackle about us (Stg SG Ball) signing the Manly half Charlie Boyle.

What hasn’t been noted anywhere is that the Melbourne Storm signed a local St.George District junior from the 2024 Harold Matt’s for 3 years. He was in our pathways system.

This is a team that won 2 games this year so one would think that he stood out & we would be keen to keep him. But somehow he thought his footy future as a young bloke was elsewhere.

It is mind boggling & a real concern in my view!

And we just signed Charlie Boyle, a standout from Manly SG Ball. This is just how it is. Everyone is poaching and taking a gamble on young talent. It is better or cheaper than waiting until they are stars. But we can't keep them all. And they won't all be stars. We just have to hope that our recruiters have a better eye for talent than the other sides.

 

[TheRev]

In terms of young halves.. LKT and Hammoud came out of last years SG system, Reed is going around again.. hopefully a breakout year.. we lost Rodwell to the roosters last year, some have him as the big prospect lost.. but he would have been competing for that #7 jersey with Reed (and LKT @6 at the time).. so you can sort of see why some of them move on.. plus not many would turn down the Roosters anyway if they came knocking.

 

[Jeremy Dragon]

In terms of young halves.. LKT and Hammoud came out of last years SG system, Reed is going around again.. hopefully a breakout year.. we lost Rodwell to the roosters last year, some have him as the big prospect lost.. but he would have been competing for that #7 jersey with Reed (and LKT @6 at the time).. so you can sort of see why some of them move on.. plus not many would turn down the Roosters anyway if they came knocking.

Rodwell has been at Roosters for 3 ys he never played for Steelers

 

[TheRev]

Rodwell has been at Roosters for 3 ys he never played for Steelers

He would have competed with Reed to progress was what I was trying to say, didnt know it had been 3yrs though.

 

[ALX25]

Who did they sign from our Matts team?

Appears to be Renown junior Riley Brannock.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

In terms of young halves.. LKT and Hammoud came out of last years SG system, Reed is going around again.. hopefully a breakout year.. we lost Rodwell to the roosters last year, some have him as the big prospect lost.. but he would have been competing for that #7 jersey with Reed (and LKT @6 at the time).. so you can sort of see why some of them move on.. plus not many would turn down the Roosters anyway if they came knocking.

Reed has been playing firsts with Wests, including starting in the halves in their GF win. Basically passing under 18's.

Pretty impressive effort for an 18 year old. It's tough footy. Not many do that. Probably the only 18 year from Steelers Ball to be playing regular firsts this year (Amone, Fitzgibbon others who got some firsts games. Then there is Kirk/Buchanan..).

It's a pretty good grounding for Reed to push into Flegg next year (after Ball)

 

[Rod Coil]

Appears to be Renown junior Riley Brannock.

Correct.

I understand that ‘we can’t keep them all’, but when a 17 year old that is in our system and jumps to the Storm it must send out alarm bells as to the attractiveness/effectiveness of our pathways set-up.

As @BLM01 has raised in other posts relating to the girls, we as a club are not matching what other clubs are offering. This is also my point.

With the NRL now totally funding the salary cap, most money spent by clubs now is on administration & pathways. The owners of our club have kept their hands in their pockets & kept the handouts. We are penny pinching to the detriment of our future. Flanno waiting for scraps to make a signing is another sign of the predicament we are in due to this faltered tight arse strategy.

 

[Wolfgang90]

Correct.

I understand that ‘we can’t keep them all’, but when a 17 year old that is in our system and jumps to the Storm it must send out alarm bells as to the attractiveness/effectiveness of our pathways set-up.

As @BLM01 has raised in other posts relating to the girls, we as a club are not matching what other clubs are offering. This is also my point.

With the NRL now totally funding the salary cap, most money spent by clubs now is on administration & pathways. The owners of our club have kept their hands in their pockets & kept the handouts. We are penny pinching to the detriment of our future. Flanno waiting for scraps to make a signing is another sign of the predicament we are in due to this faltered tight arse strategy.

We've signed plenty from our own & other systems, we didn't rate him highly enough or did rate him but he went for the Storm opportunity. It happens to every club, Panthers have lost plenty of juniors too.

Re Flanno, he's had the opportunity to sign AFB (lost to the sharks), Turuva (fumbled it), RCG (didn't want to give year), Saifiti (didn't want to give money) etc. That's on him & the recruitment team. It has nothing to do with the owners, Flanno has had opportunities but didn't take them.

 

[Rod Coil]

We've signed plenty from our own & other systems, we didn't rate him highly enough or did rate him but he went for the Storm opportunity. It happens to every club, Panthers have lost plenty of juniors too.

Re Flanno, he's had the opportunity to sign AFB (lost to the sharks), Turuva (fumbled it), RCG (didn't want to give year), Saifiti (didn't want to give money) etc. That's on him & the recruitment team. It has nothing to do with the owners, Flanno has had opportunities but didn't take them.

I like a good discussion, but are we really happy with the current set-up & strategy?

 

[saintmar]

We've signed plenty from our own & other systems, we didn't rate him highly enough or did rate him but he went for the Storm opportunity. It happens to every club, Panthers have lost plenty of juniors too.

Re Flanno, he's had the opportunity to sign AFB (lost to the sharks), Turuva (fumbled it), RCG (didn't want to give year), Saifiti (didn't want to give money) etc. That's on him & the recruitment team. It has nothing to do with the owners, Flanno has had opportunities but didn't take them.

SPOT ON 100% CORRECT

 

[ALX25]

Steelers announce 2025 junior reps train-on squads

The Illawarra Steelers have announced their men's and women's train-on squads for the 2025 junior representatives seasons.

www.dragons.com.au

 

[justadragon]

Steelers announce 2025 junior reps train-on squads

The Illawarra Steelers have announced their men's and women's train-on squads for the 2025 junior representatives seasons.

www.dragons.com.au

I like the way this is going with the Dragons team poaching Penrith heavily, Steelers locally based players mainly.

 

[hook hook]

Looks like they’ve decided to stack the Steelers this year. Saifiti and Phillips in the squad. They’ll be pushing for a premiership

 

[TheRev]

Yep the Steelers side is stacked for 2025, the backline has a heap of blokes who will be pushing for NSW Cup positions at some point during the year, and others probably see some Flegg:

1) Borg
2) Saifiti Saifiti
3) Buchanan
4) Timmins/Tomo
5) Kirk
6) Fitzgibbon
7) Reed

Throw in Mason @9, Meafou @13, Weatherall @8, 3 more guns.. the pack isnt as stacked as the Dragons 2024 squad was with Tonga/Halangahu/Latu/Stanley-Traill, Hutcho, Ackers etc.. but its still decent.. one of the Amones is back for a 2nd year also.

Doesnt mean the results follow.. there are a lot of other good squads too, but if injuries r good to us and with Reed in his 2nd year pulling the strings.. will be very enjoyable to watch, and see who stands up to push the older kids.

 

[hewi]

Halangahu, who is signed to the Dragons, was the pick of the forwards and burst over for two tries in the second half. The Patrician Brothers College, Blacktown product is a workhorse in the David Fifita mould and his post-contact work is exceptional, he could well be donning the ‘Red V’ at NRL level in the near future.
“Everything he does, if he doesn’t run over blokes he brings three or four in and then we can play off the back of it,” White said.
“He’s the captain. His leadership is really important, he doesn’t say much until it’s his turn and then his leadership comes to the fore. I was really impressed with his leadership and what he did today

https://archive.md/oiu1a

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Yep the Steelers side is stacked for 2025, the backline has a heap of blokes who will be pushing for NSW Cup positions at some point during the year, and others probably see some Flegg:

1) Borg
2) Saifiti Saifiti
3) Buchanan
4) Timmins/Tomo
5) Kirk
6) Fitzgibbon
7) Reed

Throw in Mason @9, Meafou @13, Weatherall @8, 3 more guns.. the pack isnt as stacked as the Dragons 2024 squad was with Tonga/Halangahu/Latu/Stanley-Traill, Hutcho, Ackers etc.. but its still decent.. one of the Amones is back for a 2nd year also.

Doesnt mean the results follow.. there are a lot of other good squads too, but if injuries r good to us and with Reed in his 2nd year pulling the strings.. will be very enjoyable to watch, and see who stands up to push the older kids.

Reckon Heidke will get a back spot, was starting this year in Ball before his season ending injury.

Pack might not be stacked, but there is few promising props who may surprise.

Whatman (18 next year) and Nelson (19) are my smokies to have good seasons. Both props and played a bit of firsts during the year.

reckon Buchanan/Kirk are to good for ball, and playing does nothing for their development. They should skip the season and go straight to flegg (or NSW cup). Potentially Reed too if he is training with the NRL side during the offseason again and goes ok in trials (flegg).

 

[TheRev]

Agree Joshua, I think some of those blokes although named might just start in Flegg or even NSW Cup in the case of Buchanan, given we have so few centre options.

These might be off-season decisions, I imagine some of these kids will get some time training with 1sts over the off-season, some of them for a 2nd year.. its exciting though whichever way they go.