The player pool depth debate

[Perth Red]

Agreed, they add nothing to the game and just slow it down and create more time with the ball out of play. It also distances ourselves further from Rugby Union, which can only be a good thing in countries where League has to fight to prove its a different sport.

 

[Stallion]

Why?

If we aren't actually having real scrums anyway what's the point of having them at all, we may as well get rid of them because they're just a massive waste of time. I mean when was the last time you saw a proper scrum in a RL game, because I can't remember the last time a saw a real seriously contested scrum in a RL game.

I would love to see a club get taught by a Union team how to pack a scrum properly, then show up to a game and pack one properly just to see how the other team and the refs react, because I reckon that they wouldn't know how to react and you'd end up with the team that actually tried to do it properly being penalised like when a few years back we were seeing teams penalised for pushing in scrums.

Scrums should have some more tactics 'allowed' such as screwing etc for positional advantage. The 7 on 7 scenario is a good point of variance and tactical play. That's why.

 

[flippikat]

Why?

If we aren't actually having real scrums anyway what's the point of having them at all, we may as well get rid of them because they're just a massive waste of time. I mean when was the last time you saw a proper scrum in a RL game, because I can't remember the last time a saw a real seriously contested scrum in a RL game.

I would love to see a club get taught by a Union team how to pack a scrum properly, then show up to a game and pack one properly just to see how the other team and the refs react, because I reckon that they wouldn't know how to react and you'd end up with the team that actually tried to do it properly being penalised like when a few years back we were seeing teams penalised for pushing in scrums.

At about 1:36 into this highlights package, the warriors get away with a decent push.

 

[The Great Dane]

Scrums should have some more tactics 'allowed' such as screwing etc for positional advantage.

It's very hard to get wheeling scrums if your scrums aren't even contested, and scrums haven't been seriously contested in RL for generations.

The 7 on 7 scenario is a good point of variance and tactical play. That's why.

Pfft, there's very rarely, if ever, any real tactical plays from a scrum anymore.

Without properly contested scrums you don't really get 7 on 7, you just get half the team being allowed to be offside for that play because they are taking a moment to have a big group hug.

 

[The Great Dane]

At about 1:36 into this highlights package, the warriors get away with a decent push.

Firstly, both sides have to be pushing for it to be contested.

Secondly, the one in a million scrum where one side catches the other off guard by pushing isn't a contested scrum, it's just a further embarrassment to the sport that that is even possible and that we still persist with scrums.

 

[Springs09]

Why?

If we aren't actually having real scrums anyway what's the point of having them at all, we may as well get rid of them because they're just a massive waste of time. I mean when was the last time you saw a proper scrum in a RL game, because I can't remember the last time a saw a real seriously contested scrum in a RL game.

I would love to see a club get taught by a Union team how to pack a scrum properly, then show up to a game and pack one properly just to see how the other team and the refs react, because I reckon that they wouldn't know how to react and you'd end up with the team that actually tried to do it properly being penalised like when a few years back we were seeing teams penalised for pushing in scrums.

In rugby league that’s not the bloody NRL. As a player who doesn’t have all damn week to train and maintain fitness I can say that scrums are definitely not a waste of time.

 

[The Great Dane]

In rugby league that’s not the bloody NRL. As a player who doesn’t have all damn week to train and maintain fitness I can say that scrums are definitely not a waste of time.

As a person who played both RL and RU for a very long time, and didn't have all week to train either, scrums in RL are a deeply embarrassing waste of time.

 

[siv]

The player debth debate

We have larger numbers playing U20s

Most people expect a boom 18 year old to rush up to FG

But we also see lots and lots of examples of players debuting when 23 to 24 or older

But in many cases players who are good enough or late bloomers are being pushed out of the game for players with potential

I believe we should do more for 21-22 year old players

I believe we should re-introduce a U22 or U23 fulltime professional layer

I don't believe trying to push these players into a RM Cup or Sydney Shield part-time layer is working

 

[VictoryFC]

Two easy ways to get around depth concerns....

1. Reduce squad sizes

2. Marquee/franchise player contracts

 

[Walter sobchak]

Two easy ways to get around depth concerns....

1. Reduce squad sizes

2. Marquee/franchise player contracts

Or better still expand the player pathways development pool in countries like PNG and Fiji that has literally tens of thousands of athletes.

Invest money into NZRL in places like wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton. Raid more union schoolboy union talent as well in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

There’s zero problem with the depth of talent or the player pool from my point of view

The issue is the dumbos in control of it have zero imagination and vision

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

NRL teams from PNG and Fiji would not create a player pool problem. On the contrary, they would expand the player pool.

 

[JokerEel]

Or better still expand the player pathways development pool in countries like PNG and Fiji that has literally tens of thousands of athletes.

Invest money into NZRL in places like wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton. Raid more union schoolboy union talent as well in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

How is there not more players from NZ coming through???

 

[tri_colours]

How is there not more players from NZ coming through???

Most of the good ones, I think go to Union.

 

[reanimate]

How is there not more players from NZ coming through???

There’s a stack of NZ players in the NRL.

The talent pool argument doesn’t hold much weight until NRL clubs have exhausted raiding Union in NZ, the Pacific Islands and South Africa. We’ve been picking up some decent Union players from NZ and the Pacific Islands already, but there’d also be a stack of Union players in SA playing lower grades who would make decent RL players for relatively cheap. Some would jump at the chance to leave too.

Same goes for Europe, you could pick up some decent backs out of the lower grades there who’d like the chance to get noticed in first grade in either code. If they leave later, so what, replace them with another.

 

[Walter sobchak]

There’s a stack of NZ players in the NRL.

The talent pool argument doesn’t hold much weight until NRL clubs have exhausted raiding Union in NZ, the Pacific Islands and South Africa. We’ve been picking up some decent Union players from NZ and the Pacific Islands already, but there’d also be a stack of Union players in SA playing lower grades who would make decent RL players for relatively cheap. Some would jump at the chance to leave too.

Same goes for Europe, you could pick up some decent backs out of the lower grades there who’d like the chance to get noticed in first grade in either code. If they leave later, so what, replace them with another.

I thought a few NRL clubs experimented with signing some South African Union players for the then Toyota cup?

Seem to recall the roosters signing up at least 2-3??

 

[jim_57]

There’s a stack of NZ players in the NRL.

The talent pool argument doesn’t hold much weight until NRL clubs have exhausted raiding Union in NZ, the Pacific Islands and South Africa. We’ve been picking up some decent Union players from NZ and the Pacific Islands already, but there’d also be a stack of Union players in SA playing lower grades who would make decent RL players for relatively cheap. Some would jump at the chance to leave too.

Same goes for Europe, you could pick up some decent backs out of the lower grades there who’d like the chance to get noticed in first grade in either code. If they leave later, so what, replace them with another.

South Africa would be an interesting target, as with any country where Union is strong there'd be bound to be some players with skills better suited to League languishing in the lower leagues. I remember the Roosters signed a couple of youngsters years back that went back to Union within a year or two, doesn't mean it shouldn't be looked at again.

PNG & Fiji with the right pathways in place could both produce a steady supply of NRL level players. NSW & QLD Cup teams are great but for the best results there'd be some sort of junior program for these countries as well to get the best young players in front of NRL scouts.

 

[reanimate]

I thought a few NRL clubs experimented with signing some South African Union players for the then Toyota cup?

Seem to recall the roosters signing up at least 2-3??

Not sure what happened to them, but it should be pursued again. All it will take is a handful of them to make it big in the NRL for news to get back home that it’s a viable path for them.

 

[Walter sobchak]

Not sure what happened to them, but it should be pursued again. All it will take is a handful of them to make it big in the NRL for news to get back home that it’s a viable path for them.

This. I also remember a few South African Union players signing for either winfield cup or ARL teams which must have been around the time of the super league wars or just after but they where huge flops. Could even haven been after the 95’ RUWC in South Africa but I’m not quite certain.

The key is to target them as young as possible around the ages of 18-21 or even 16-17 would be even better allowing them to spend and exposing them to 3-4 years playing youth team level RL and lower grade RL like the Canterbury cup and Queensland cup before unleashing them in the NRL if good enough.

Maybe potential South African schoolboy union talent could spend 1-2 years studying in Australia whilst playing youth level RL just to test the water. I’d also even target French union talent too in the same way. Could give a huge boost to both South African and French National RL team if a few make it in the NRL or even make their way to super league in the U.K. as long as they stay in RL.

 

[tri_colours]

Cant think of to many in recent years other than Fiji wingers.