Nathan Sharpe: Rookies face a tough task

Nathan Sharpe: Rookies face a tough task

The West Australian February 24, 2010, 11:53 am

http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/wan/20100224...fsN5.2BSSgzw--Getty Images / Marty Melville © Enlarge photo






Milestones prompt reflection and after reaching 200 games on Saturday I found myself looking back on the game and to my early days - not just to when I had a full head of hair - and realised how dramatically this game has changed in the last 10 years.
The average age of debutants is much younger now than in the beginning of the professional era. These young men are being blooded fresh out of school and the learning curve is steep.
The three or four-year apprenticeship served under experienced players has disappeared for many and, with the speed at which games are being played, young men find themselves having to sink or swim a lot sooner than before.
Without doubt, the great majority of our young group of new players will make an extremely successful transition to the Super 14 level.
The professional nature of player contracting within the Super 14 competition has changed. Gone are the days when players went to school in their home State and went on to represent that same State for years to come.
The inauguration of the Emirates Western Force saw the beginning of a new face of rugby and added an exciting element to the dynamics of the Super 14 competition.
Teams now change dramatically from year to year and the addition of the new team in Melbourne is certain to have another impact in 2011.
Rugby enthusiasts are keen to see how the expansion of Super 14 will improve the depth of players in this country, an issue that clearly takes more than one or two years to fulfil.
Australian rugby has been in a growth phase for the last few years and will continue to do so with the expansion.
Current teams will no doubt have players making their way to Melbourne, making room for young blokes to have their opportunity and the increase in player depth will put us in a very good position for the World Cup campaign in 2011 and beyond.
Players will be chomping at the bit for a start in what is sure to be a Wallabies squad brimming with competition.
Our trip to Wellington wasn't a success in the traditional sense of the word and heading across the Tasman we knew that what lay ahead of us was going to be a challenge. We had four debutants in tow, a huge amount of potential but very limited experience at this level.
Despite the loss there was a lot gained in the way of growth and development of some of the exceptional talent coming through.
Being without six or seven of our senior key players and a specialist fly-half has changed the dynamic of our group immensely but rising above adversity is a huge challenge for a team and I'm proud of the boys for stepping up to the plate.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...-a-tough-task/

Good article and I worry a bit with the way it has gone with more and more the emphasis being on blooding the new youth rather than creating stability.
I am guessing, but I imagine that one of the most stable rosters throughout Super 12/14 would have been the Crusaders with many long term household names in their ranks. Perhaps they may have been too conservative with now a bit of a glitch in an impeccable record however the indication would be that stability buildsa success, not random super debuts.

yeah, but he has nothing else but to blood newbies and hopefully they can become good players...

We've all got to have a first match some time.

I'm guessing that Mitchell's original 5-year plan was based on the idea that he wouldn't be turning players over so regularly - 5 years would be about right to take a stable group of reasonable players to greatness.