Now Rugby League is a game of many traditions. The Dragons Red V. The JJ Giltinan Shield. The Haka before every Anzac Test. These elements of our game have stood the test of time. The Dragons have undergone major restructure with Illawarra. Yet the Red V continues to run out at Kogarah. The JJ Giltinan Shield continues to grace the foyer of the Minor Premiers, and our friends from across the ditch still dance their way into battle.
But amongst some of the steadfast traditions in our game, the winds of change have unsettled things. And the once breezy conditions are headed towards gale force, as our game continues to adapt for its own survivals sake.
One of the elements of Rugby League is the concept of the local junior. For many years the success of our game was dependant on the nurseries across the states of NSW, Queensland and New Zealand. These junior leagues were the future for their regional Senior teams. They were a production line, and with a little bit of luck could produce the next Messenger, Churchill or Beetson. Local juniors always supported their senior team. Local Juniors always aspired to one day represent their senior team. Local juniors once belonged to that senior club.
There are two schools of thought. Old and New. And you either subscribe to one or the other.
In the case of Local juniors, there are definitely two schools amongst supporters. There are the groups who take great pride in the size of their local junior clubs. Penrith, Parramatta, South Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Canberra, are either clubs that have had a large piece of the junior pie for decades, or are one team towns that bake their own.
Then there are clubs like The Roosters. The Roosters lost a large majority of their local juniors to the South Sydney Junior Competition. The reasons for this are numerous, and will be addressed another day. The point is, there are only 4 junior clubs directly linked with The Roosters as Local Juniors. St.Charles, Paddington, Clovelly and Bondi United.
For years The Roosters have had to recruit juniors from other areas. It was a necessity if they were to survive. And for years The Roosters have been the butt of many jokes on how they poach everyone elses.
But those gales of change are quickly turning into a cyclone.
Enter Expansion. Enter Senior Teams from traditionally non-League dominated regions. For example Melbourne. The expansion of League, along with the professionalism that it has developed over that past 20 years, has seen foreign recruitment become a necessity and a part of a strong business plan. Due to the lack of local junior leagues, these clubs have developed good business relationships with Feeder Clubs outside their immediate areas. Melbourne recruit from the Brisbane competition. The Roosters recently had a strong development arrangement with Redcliffe and in 2006 form an alliance with Newtown.
League has become an Elite, professional sport. And as such, clubs need to look further to fulfil their interests in the Top League. At the same time, they offer a career path and opportunities for juniors originating from areas that normally wouldnt afford them the chance of representing in the codes elite competition.
The focus has gone from Local junior development, to Professional Junior Development. It no longer matters where a junior is from. And for those that subscribe to the archaic way of thinking that some clubs buy all their juniors, then all they have to do is look at their own team sheets this weekend. They may be surprised to find how many players in their top sides are not local juniors.
Its no surprise. Its how the game has been developing for a couple of decades now. So whats to happen to the poor local kid that has played his 15 years for Wenty Magpies? Will he ever get graded at The Eels? Looking at the recruitment policy of the Eels, theres a good chance he wont.
And so we pass through the eye of the cyclone of change. And we see Local Juniors become Feeder Juniors. Possibly for the Local Senior clubs, but somewhere in Penrith, Campbelltown or The Hunter, there is a kid who could go on to play Origin, win a World Cup, or do a lap of honour at Telstra Stadium ..for the Roosters, The Warriors, or The Raiders.
The local kid hasnt died. Hes alive and well and flourishing. He just doesnt live here anymore.
Ive been following the Roosters for over 30 years. In that time Ive seen some great sides and I was also unfortunate enough to experience horrible management and a recruitment policy that saw the Eastern Suburns juniors lost to the South Sydney Junior competition.
The thing that is unfair for Easts fans, isnt the fact that we lost our juniors. Nor is it the fact South Sydney were instrumental in taking advantage of the struggling Easts and played their part ensuring junior boundaries were rezoned to suit them. Survival of teh fittest I guess. IN business anything goes could also be another worthy cliche, but at what cost?
The unfair part is the fact South Sydney and many other opposition fans, ridicule The Roosters for not having their own juniors. Luckily the game has evolved and unfortunately for some clubs and their managements, they still see the game as one for the battlers, and success having a direct correlation with local juniors. Yes it is true local juniors are an asset. No it is not true they are essential for success in the modern game. The irony is the clubs wielding the ridicule, have the largest junior bases, yet success eludes them. South Sydney being the perfect example. For all their juniors, and mine also, they have not tasted Premiership victory in over 30 years. Its been over 10 since they made a finals series and 2005 was the first time they triumphed over their junior-less neighbours in a decade also.
So why the angst Souths Fans? Why lead a chorus against my club every time we purchase a player? The irony is if these South Sydney fans, took a close look at their top 25 player Roster, they will find a large contingient of key players acquired from areas outside South Sydney, or purchased from clubs that had a large investment in the development of these players. Heggarty, McDougall, Minichiello. To name a couple off the top of my head. None are Souths juniors. All Souths First Graders and All acquired from other clubs.
But they wont look. They cant. They need the illusion like some false hope to help them cope with the ridiculous management that has seen the club with the most Premierships, not win one for 30 odd years and counting. Just last week, their Patriarch was gunning to oust one of their battlers on the board...again. This time Mr Pappas is pulling knives out of his back. Who's it going to be in 12 months time George?
Honestly, for a club that is going backwards, from its chairman to its deluded fans in denial,South Sydney should not worry about the Roosters recruitment policies. They have had a second chance at the cherry after being re-instated from being a dead club, and they havent learnt a damn thing. If they go by the way side a second time so be it.
Because its one thing to talk the talk Souths Fans, but in the end you must walk the walk. And The Roosters who were almost dead several times through the horrible late 80s and early 90's, remain the only club that has played every season since 1908. They can walk tall.
A fact that I am very proud of, and no amount of unjustified whinging from Souths Fans can ever take away from us.
But amongst some of the steadfast traditions in our game, the winds of change have unsettled things. And the once breezy conditions are headed towards gale force, as our game continues to adapt for its own survivals sake.
One of the elements of Rugby League is the concept of the local junior. For many years the success of our game was dependant on the nurseries across the states of NSW, Queensland and New Zealand. These junior leagues were the future for their regional Senior teams. They were a production line, and with a little bit of luck could produce the next Messenger, Churchill or Beetson. Local juniors always supported their senior team. Local Juniors always aspired to one day represent their senior team. Local juniors once belonged to that senior club.
There are two schools of thought. Old and New. And you either subscribe to one or the other.
In the case of Local juniors, there are definitely two schools amongst supporters. There are the groups who take great pride in the size of their local junior clubs. Penrith, Parramatta, South Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Canberra, are either clubs that have had a large piece of the junior pie for decades, or are one team towns that bake their own.
Then there are clubs like The Roosters. The Roosters lost a large majority of their local juniors to the South Sydney Junior Competition. The reasons for this are numerous, and will be addressed another day. The point is, there are only 4 junior clubs directly linked with The Roosters as Local Juniors. St.Charles, Paddington, Clovelly and Bondi United.
For years The Roosters have had to recruit juniors from other areas. It was a necessity if they were to survive. And for years The Roosters have been the butt of many jokes on how they poach everyone elses.
But those gales of change are quickly turning into a cyclone.
Enter Expansion. Enter Senior Teams from traditionally non-League dominated regions. For example Melbourne. The expansion of League, along with the professionalism that it has developed over that past 20 years, has seen foreign recruitment become a necessity and a part of a strong business plan. Due to the lack of local junior leagues, these clubs have developed good business relationships with Feeder Clubs outside their immediate areas. Melbourne recruit from the Brisbane competition. The Roosters recently had a strong development arrangement with Redcliffe and in 2006 form an alliance with Newtown.
League has become an Elite, professional sport. And as such, clubs need to look further to fulfil their interests in the Top League. At the same time, they offer a career path and opportunities for juniors originating from areas that normally wouldnt afford them the chance of representing in the codes elite competition.
The focus has gone from Local junior development, to Professional Junior Development. It no longer matters where a junior is from. And for those that subscribe to the archaic way of thinking that some clubs buy all their juniors, then all they have to do is look at their own team sheets this weekend. They may be surprised to find how many players in their top sides are not local juniors.
Its no surprise. Its how the game has been developing for a couple of decades now. So whats to happen to the poor local kid that has played his 15 years for Wenty Magpies? Will he ever get graded at The Eels? Looking at the recruitment policy of the Eels, theres a good chance he wont.
And so we pass through the eye of the cyclone of change. And we see Local Juniors become Feeder Juniors. Possibly for the Local Senior clubs, but somewhere in Penrith, Campbelltown or The Hunter, there is a kid who could go on to play Origin, win a World Cup, or do a lap of honour at Telstra Stadium ..for the Roosters, The Warriors, or The Raiders.
The local kid hasnt died. Hes alive and well and flourishing. He just doesnt live here anymore.
Ive been following the Roosters for over 30 years. In that time Ive seen some great sides and I was also unfortunate enough to experience horrible management and a recruitment policy that saw the Eastern Suburns juniors lost to the South Sydney Junior competition.
The thing that is unfair for Easts fans, isnt the fact that we lost our juniors. Nor is it the fact South Sydney were instrumental in taking advantage of the struggling Easts and played their part ensuring junior boundaries were rezoned to suit them. Survival of teh fittest I guess. IN business anything goes could also be another worthy cliche, but at what cost?
The unfair part is the fact South Sydney and many other opposition fans, ridicule The Roosters for not having their own juniors. Luckily the game has evolved and unfortunately for some clubs and their managements, they still see the game as one for the battlers, and success having a direct correlation with local juniors. Yes it is true local juniors are an asset. No it is not true they are essential for success in the modern game. The irony is the clubs wielding the ridicule, have the largest junior bases, yet success eludes them. South Sydney being the perfect example. For all their juniors, and mine also, they have not tasted Premiership victory in over 30 years. Its been over 10 since they made a finals series and 2005 was the first time they triumphed over their junior-less neighbours in a decade also.
So why the angst Souths Fans? Why lead a chorus against my club every time we purchase a player? The irony is if these South Sydney fans, took a close look at their top 25 player Roster, they will find a large contingient of key players acquired from areas outside South Sydney, or purchased from clubs that had a large investment in the development of these players. Heggarty, McDougall, Minichiello. To name a couple off the top of my head. None are Souths juniors. All Souths First Graders and All acquired from other clubs.
But they wont look. They cant. They need the illusion like some false hope to help them cope with the ridiculous management that has seen the club with the most Premierships, not win one for 30 odd years and counting. Just last week, their Patriarch was gunning to oust one of their battlers on the board...again. This time Mr Pappas is pulling knives out of his back. Who's it going to be in 12 months time George?
Honestly, for a club that is going backwards, from its chairman to its deluded fans in denial,South Sydney should not worry about the Roosters recruitment policies. They have had a second chance at the cherry after being re-instated from being a dead club, and they havent learnt a damn thing. If they go by the way side a second time so be it.
Because its one thing to talk the talk Souths Fans, but in the end you must walk the walk. And The Roosters who were almost dead several times through the horrible late 80s and early 90's, remain the only club that has played every season since 1908. They can walk tall.
A fact that I am very proud of, and no amount of unjustified whinging from Souths Fans can ever take away from us.
