Why dont NRL 'stars' play Ron Massey?

[GW.]

GW here,

Something ive wondered for a long time, with no explanation why.

As we all should know, Ron Massey cup is third tier professional Rugby League.

When I look through the team lists, I pretty much dont see any names i recognize.

I see Geoff Daniela who once played for the panthers, Lou Goodwin of Rookie fame, Tere Glassie is in the shield team pushing 40. I have seen Utai in the past, but thats is pretty much it.

The other 99% is literally players that are no names in the RL world, players who never made, were never stars, or also rans. Anything.

Why is that?

Why dont we see NRL stars of yesteryear playing this comp?
Like a Nathan Gardner or Anthony Cherrington type for instance?

or players that had their brief moment in the sun and would be looking to get back into it, with a bit of luck.
Daniel Holdsworth, Bronx Goodwin, Stuart Mills,Garry Warburton etc

Players that may have been talked about for a few seasons but fate wasnt kind to them?
Yes some of these players go to the bush, or if they are lucky, England.

These players get around 20gran a season and can hold FT jobs with out playing with the vigour of the NRL standard.

it seems like an attractive prospect for a 32 yr old hero of the mid 2000s. Even someone who went to England or QLD Cup for a bit but didnt last, like Garry Warburton or Joel Romelo.

I even think having a Luke Walsh or Albert Kelly type of reject will even bring in a few crowds?

 

[Captain Apollo]

Simple. A number of the teams in the Ron Massey Cup are not affiliated with an NRL club. Hence they don't have access to NRL players.

Further, when you NRL squad is a maximum of 25, once you take out the 17 players for first grade. They may leave you with 8 players, but if not all of them are fit, the Intrust Cup team which is affiliated with the NRL club will take up the balance of the 25 player NRL squad into it's side. As it says on the NSWRL website, the NSW Intrust Super Premiership "is the State's second-tier competition with clubs run as direct feeders to NRL Telstra Premiership sides."

Finally, Ron Massey Cup is closer to an "amateur" style competition talent wise, let alone payment wise, I think you will find. They are not full time players, and the money is just not there.

 

[rightleftin]

Geoff Daniela is one of 6 players in the St Marys club that have played NRL - Luke Swain and Nathan Smith being the most notable. Matt Utai is one of 8 players that have played NRL that have played for the Auburn club this season, although Utai and 4 others have mainly appeared in A Grade this season rather than RMC. Guildford have 4.

Prior to 2003 when the competition was known as the Metropolitan Cup, the big clubs such as Wenty and Ryde Eastwood would regularly have 12 or more players that had played 1st grade but the NSWRL determined that it would dumb down the comp by introducing a points system that limits the use of ex NRL players.

Anthony Cherrington plays in the Queensland Cup. Nathan Gardner was signed to play with Wenty this year but thought again and retired.

 

[rightleftin]

The NRL linkages to RMC clubs are as follows:

Raiders - Mounties
Parramatta - Wenty and Guildford
Manly - Blacktown
Penrith - St Marys and Windsor
Sharks - Newtown Jets - Cabramatta
Souths - North Sydney - Asquith, Concord Burwood, Hills District
Wests Tigers - Wests Magpies
Bulldogs - Auburn
Roosters - Kingsgrove

Thus all 13 RMC clubs are linked to NRL clubs but of course the cross over is with the NSW Cup - about 120 players play both NSW Cup and RMC in a season while a small but significant number play both SS and NSW Cup. The odd man out is Kingsgrove, who are flogged nearly every week and have no players appear for Wyong in the NSW Cup but do have about 15 players per season, also appearing in NYC.

Blacktown were also linked to Penrith before they signed the new deal with Manly a month ago. This season, so far, only one player Tautatasi Tasi, has appeared in both RMC (Asquith) and NRL (Souths).

 

[Sydney Knight]

You will probably find that the stronger country teams can offer far more in the form of money and arranging good jobs for recently retired NRL players than Ron Massey. Check the teamlists for Newcastle, Illawarra and group 10 and you will see a fair few names you will recognise.

 

[rightleftin]

OK here are the comparisons:

Group 10 - George Rose & Jason Ferris (Oberon), Jack Afaamasaga (Mudgee) - total 3

Newcastle - Brad Tighe, Jermaine Ale, Mark Taufua, Chad Redman, Steve Gordon (Wests), Ryan Walker, Terence Tse Tse (Kurri Kurri), Brendan Hlad, Laim Foran, Marvin Filipo (Cessnock), Riley Brown (central), Chris Adams (Lakes United) - Total 12

Illawarra - Beau Henry, Joel Reddy, Keith Lulia, Michael Henderson (Dapto), Bryce Gibbs, Daniel Holdsworth, Jye Mullane (Wests), Bronx Goodwin, Heath L'estrange (Collegians), Ryan Powell, Stuart Mills (Helensbugh), Damien Blanch, Trent Waterhouse (Thirroul), Taniela Lasalo (berkely), James Grehan, Russell Aitken (Corrimal) - total 16

RMC/SS - Luke Swain, Nathan Smith, Geoff Daniela, Daniel Penses, Sonny Tuigmala, Tom Eisenhuth (St Marys), Matt Utai, Heka Nanai, Junior Tia kilifi, Nesi Maitatonga, Harry Seijka (Auburn), Shane Shackelton, Matt Ryan, Jared Farlow, Peni Manumalealii (Guildford), Ben Fisher, Aaron Groom, Tautalatasi Tasi (Asquith), Hutch Maivia, Tim Robinson, Trevor Schodel (Hills District), Tere Glassie (Mounties), Yileen Gordon (wenty), Shannon Gallant (wests), Sam Latu (Concord Burwood), Stan Waqa (Blacktown), Topou Soapaga (Windsor) - Total 27

Cabramatta and Kingsgrove have none. Auburn A Grade have had Andrew Emelio, Tim Winitana and Junior Langi in addition to Utai and Nanai who have played all 3 grades.

The above have played NRL or ESL or ARL pre 2000. There are a few more players in these comps that have played in World Cups without playing 1st grade eg Josh Toole (Mounties) - Ireland, Dave Marando (Belrose) -USA, Ben Falone (Hills) - Italy, Ryan Tremonte (Windsor) - Italy, Dean Parata (Blacktown) - Italy, Joel Taafaao (Auburn A Grade) - Tonga.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Quite a few of the RMC guys have less than 20 FG games or are years out of the NRL. Trevor Schodel is 45.

Newcastle also have Chad Redman, Steve Gordon and Chris Adams until 3 Weeks ago plus a host of ex reserve grade/20s players.

 

[rightleftin]

I had a look at the all time list of Newcastle NRL players but there have been so many over the last 5 years it was hard to memorise them when comparing to Newcastle RL statistics for 2016. List updated for these 3 players who have all played 7 games or less in the NRL. Interestingly Steve Gordon has only played 2 games for Newcastle Wests this season.

Trevor Schodel was included only as an attempt to be complete. He is the coach of Hills SS and he played one game with injuries and suspensions meaning he was short. Similarly, I included Ryan Powell who is the coach of Helensburgh and he played one game in April.

I will refine the list later to limit it to players with 20 or more NRL games but I cannot do it now as I have to go and watch RMC/SS games. At first glance I think it reduces RMC/SS to 13 but Illawarra and Newcastle will also reduce.

Re reserve grade and U20's - 120 players that have played reserve grade this season will also have played RMC/SS this season. 15 players that have played NYC this season have played for Kingsgrove this season and their average result is a 50 point loss. A stack of players in the SS sides of Wests, Guildford and Auburn have played NYC this year.

 

[Sydney Knight]

That's cool I wouldn't worry to much about the updated list.

Interesting that group 10 is so low with NRL representation these days. I remember around the early 2000s there seemed to be heaps out there.

 

[GW.]

That was a great list, but it seems current more of last year? havent seen those names this year, but its not like i have my eagle eyes open.

It still seems so low to me.

Even players who have been banished to England for two years youd imagine would still want to play in their early 30s for fun.

It seems that by far the majority just vanish. Give up the game for good. It seems highly strange that even 50% of players, who've spent their entire life living and breathing rugby, just disappear. I wouldve thought id see alot more ex origin players in their late thirties playing, as an example.

Im also surprised there isnt more Shute Shield representation either from these ex stars. There definitely was in the 90s. Lenny Beckett etc

 

[rightleftin]

The Entrance had ex Origin prop in their side in 2014. He was 35 and playing his last season with his junior club and they won the comp in their final season. In the past ex Origin hooker Jamie Goddard played one season with Erina, who did not make the finals.

Ben Fisher has played for his junior club, Asquith 2014-2016. He has a british passport, left Australia at 21 and ended up playing more than 250 games in Super League. His professional career ended with injury in the 2013 World Cup.

But the prime point is the NSWRL designed the player cap so that ex professionals would be minimal. The NSWRL's favourite team is Kingsgrove who have won 1 game in 2 years.

 

[Broncos93]

I think the major drawcard for those ex players is the package deal of big match payments with a sign on bonus, doubled with a high-paying job. Illawarra comp seems to have a bit of money to throw around with jobs down there as well. A few years ago teams in regional/North Queensland were attracting plenty of ex-NRL talent with a 6-figure job in the mines to go with the football. Moranbah is a mining town of nine thousand people who play in the Mackay A grade competition; I believe they had about 3 or 4 ex-NRL players in their side when the mines were booming.

Ron Massey and Sydney Shield clubs can't really compete with that. Sure they've got leagues clubs, but you look at the strong regional competitions like Illawarra and Newcastle - they've got big money jobs to go with it. I think the fact it's in a tiered system may also put some off, who just want to play in a 'relaxed' A-grade competition while their careers wind down.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

I think the major drawcard for those ex players is the package deal of big match payments with a sign on bonus, doubled with a high-paying job. Illawarra comp seems to have a bit of money to throw around with jobs down there as well. A few years ago teams in regional/North Queensland were attracting plenty of ex-NRL talent with a 6-figure job in the mines to go with the football. Moranbah is a mining town of nine thousand people who play in the Mackay A grade competition; I believe they had about 3 or 4 ex-NRL players in their side when the mines were booming.

Ron Massey and Sydney Shield clubs can't really compete with that. Sure they've got leagues clubs, but you look at the strong regional competitions like Illawarra and Newcastle - they've got big money jobs to go with it. I think the fact it's in a tiered system may also put some off, who just want to play in a 'relaxed' A-grade competition while their careers wind down.

I think you find its not so much about jobs in the Illawarra comp, but the support the leagues clubs provide ( eg pay player contracts ). Dapto / Wests and Collies ( while thirroul also has a club. Wests actually own the Corrimal leagues club, and one of the reasons they took it over was to ensure Corrimal remained in the comp and kept at least 6 or so sides in the comp) all have massive league clubs that would have no problems providing a few hundred thousand dollars to their league sides. It's why group 7 and the Illawarra comp will never merge.