Absolutely Alison. I had a comment pulled on The Roar today for suggesting that the RA should have gone down to Melbourne to tell the MRRU to support yourselves. The Rebels won't absolve responsibility as they always can rely on their sugar daddy.
Printable View
Absolutely Alison. I had a comment pulled on The Roar today for suggesting that the RA should have gone down to Melbourne to tell the MRRU to support yourselves. The Rebels won't absolve responsibility as they always can rely on their sugar daddy.
The Blues are in dire straits? Well as long as they keep their dire straits out of WSR and stay with Super Rugby, that's fine by me.
If we make comparisons then the NZRU will axe the Hurricanes and move the majority of the players and the entire coaching staff to the Blues...,,they certainly are not that stupid.
I personally think the grassroots game has basically done everything it can for the game with very limited/if not nonexistant support from RugbyAustralia..
Quote:
Retiring Wallaby Mark Gerrard urges fractured rugby community to help revive the game
RUGBY
Christy Doran
September 1, 2018 4:00am
CHRISTY DORAN@christypdoran
Source: FOX SPORTS
Former Wallaby Mark Gerrard says Australia’s rugby community must stop complaining and start taking action into their own hands.
IT was former United States President John F. Kennedy who challenged his fellow countrymen and women to contribute in anyway, shape or form to the public good.
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy famously said.
And, as he prepares to pull on the jersey one last time, former Wallaby Mark Gerrard has channeled his inner Kennedy, issuing a call to arms for the Australian public to do everything they can to elevate the standing of rugby in the nation.
On Saturday, Gerrard will face Sydney University in the final of the Shute Shield competition at North Sydney Oval after earning a recall to the Warringah Rats’ side.
It’s a fitting finale for Gerrard, who will retire after a career spaning 17 years at the top which saw him play 24 Tests and score a hat-trick in the Brumbies’ Super Rugby 2004 title win.
All the more fitting is that his final game will be for the Rats, the northern beaches club he made his debut for as a teenager.
With North Sydney Oval once again expected to be packed to the rafters – with a crowd of more than 15,000 predicted – the revival in club rugby is running counter to the struggles in the professional game.
Sixteen years of Bledisloe disappointment, a complicated Super Rugby structure and poor results, little funding to the grassroots of the game and concerns from parents over player safety, has all contributed to a dark cloud over the game.
In 2015 Super Rugby, the average crowd size was 19,163, easily a world best for a club rugby competition.
Last year, that average had dropped to just 14,436, a 24.67 per cent drop in just two years.
BROKEN SYSTEM: The fundamental flaw Aussie rugby must fix
TOUR TALES: ‘Dunning’s in red undies practising sand wedges’
CALL UP: Good enough for the All Blacks, but not the Tahs
In Rugby Australia’s most recent annual report, the governing body revealed that just $3.7 million would be given to “Community Rugby.”
Rugby Australia has repeatedly said that one of the reasons why the Western Force was culled from Super Rugby last year was to allow for more funds to flow into the grassroots of the game
But Gerrard, who returned to Sydney’s northern beaches this year after his second stint playing in the Japanese Top League, called on the community to do all it could to help get rugby back on the right track.
“I’m sick of hearing about people talking about grassroots and not do anything,” Gerrard told foxsports.com.au.
“You always need more money.
“I need more money to renovate my house.
“But I’m not going to wait forever, I’m going to try and make it work.
“I want to get in there and do as much as I can.
“That’s the growth of the game.
“If we don’t get those players interested at that young age all the way through you lose them.”
Manly Marlins fans voice their displeasure at Rugby Australia.
In particular, Gerrard said that it was vital that better pathways were provided, which would see youngsters get involved in the game from a younger age and give clarity as to the roadmap for representative honours.
“I believe that all the Super Rugby franchises should have an academy junior program which runs from 12 years old – the start of high school – and see them until they’re 18,” Gerrard said.
“You’ve got age groups.
“You’ve got how many clubs, teams they have, there should be no GPS, CHS, you’ve got to bring these Sydney based boys together.
“What about if the Waratahs had a Sydney north, a Sydney west, a Sydney east and a Sydney south?
“Create little academy programs.
“It’s not going to be easy.
NEW PODCAST! Wallabies legend John Eales on the Bledis-woes and Mark Gerrard reflects on a wonderful career before his rugby swansong in Saturday’s Shute Shield final
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by CLICKING HERE
“West could be out of West Harbour for a month and then to TG Milner.
“North could be at North Sydney Oval and then move to Warringah or Manly Oval.
“Easts could be at Easts or Randwick or Sydney Uni.
“You’ve got to be a bit innovative in how you structure these academies.”
Gerrard was adamant that getting rugby back into the public schools was the most important step the game could make.
Get ready for cricket like never before. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment until the first 4K cricket ball as part of 3 months free on a 12 month plan. SIGN UP TODAY. T&Cs apply
Shute Shield captains from Sydney Uni and Warringah Rats
Shute Shield captains from Sydney Uni and Warringah RatsSource: Supplied
“Schools and clubs, especially from 12, 13, 14 years of age,” he said.
“This is where we need to nurture these kids and give them a pathway.
“If the end result is you want to be a Wallaby, then how do you get there?
“I asked this question to my son’s Tigers’ team and I asked these questions to their fathers as well, in separate.
“I asked them how you make the Wallabies?
“’You’ve got to be good to good enough to make the Waratahs.’
“How do you get to the Waratahs?
“’Just be really good.’
“And the parents said ‘you’ve just got to wait until they’re older to play for the Waratahs.’
“I said ‘well, there’s no pathway then obviously.
“I asked the same question to my league parents and they said ‘SG Ball, Harold Matthews, Jersey Flegg’ and it grows and grows and grows.
“There’s a clear pathway.
“Why don’t we have that?
“’Yeah, good question,’ they responded.”
And there neatly encapsulated is the retardedness of Australian rugby. Academy programs you say, maybe even more than one in a given location you say...oh, but must all be managed by Super Rugby of course, because heaven forfend they might have other conflicting priorities or agendas!!!
...:shakeshead:
Never a thought that he might in fact be talking about the NRC, which should effectively be the academy for all players across all ages as they play up through local Rugby all the way to full professionalism, with only that one focus. You know, like an actual club that is representative a whole region. And *gasp* perhaps not even a region that is necessarily attached to a SR team, so they could even find players outside just four locations...!
Morons.
You've nailed it, Andy.
Anyone who throws up the pathways in RL as an example knows SFA about the angst these programs are unintentionally causing. Things like bigger kids (some of who's parents can't or don't want to produce a birth certificate when a Stat Dec will suffice ;) ) getting most of the development spots and smaller ones giving it away. Coaches seeing these programs as their pathway as much as the kids': Coaches therefore, copying the "against the spirit of the game" tricks of the NRL coaches, wrestling in the PTB, tactical offside, etc, etc. Kids having creativity stifled in favour of structure. Clubs bringing country and NZ players as young as 14 or 15 to the cities for their Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads - to the obvious detriment of their country clubs which are shriveling on the vine. Even when these pathway competitions finish those same coaches tend to keep development players together in district competitions, flogging all the other teams to the extent that a lot of kids get disheartened and give it away.
To it's credit RL has enough people ringing alarm bells on all this that they are focusing efforts and appointing officials to try to correct the trends. A big job considering AFL has a 20 year head start and an internal fight on their hands with self interest - the NRL franchises.
Will one of the Force home NRC games have a higher attendance than the Rebels vs Jaguares game this year (which had an attendance of 5,538)?.. it would be brilliant if they could.
The parasite will be at the Final like he was last year.
Gerrardo is right that's how it was. I don't know about other states, when I was playing in the juniors (and I am around the same age as Mark) the ACT under age program started at under 12s where the boys were playing sides from Sydney. I think Sydney did theirs in regions under the guidance of the district clubs. The Irish start their under age reps for the provinces at under 16s which is a lot later than most countries. The players go in to their regional cadets in their province (divided between north, south, east, west) as a training program than the players are selected from that go on to Munster Clubs under 18s.Quote:
Never a thought that he might in fact be talking about the NRC, which should effectively be the academy for all players across all ages as they play up through local Rugby all the way to full professionalism
Interesting that somehow Slipper will fall under the RA's dodgy salary cap.. not sure how this is possible but it is so good knowing we dont have to be apart of this complete charade. Imagine being a Brumby or Reds supporter, you wouldnt be too happy with all the extra special treatment that the Rebels get from the salary cap and the waratahs seem to get with the RA player top up payments.
Quote:
Slipper's Rebels move set to raise eyebrows
By Georgina Robinson & Tom Decent
13 September 2018 — 9:00pm
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Whatsapp
Send via Email
Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size
Talk about getting the band back together. Despite speculation linking fallen Queensland hero James Slipper to the Brumbies, The Cauliflower can reveal Slipper is destined for Melbourne after all.
The 86-Test Wallaby will almost certainly join Super Rugby title-winning teammates Will Genia and Quade Cooper at the Rebels this pre-season, after falling out of favour with Reds coach Brad Thorn following two positive tests for cocaine and a secret battle with depression.
The Rebels look set to acquire the prop at a bargain price, with Queensland looking to alleviate some of the burden of his $500,000-a-year national contract and the Rebels willing buyers.
James Slipper is in advanced talks to join the Rebels after being discarded by Queensland this year.
James Slipper is in advanced talks to join the Rebels after being discarded by Queensland this year.
Photo: AAP
“James has played 80-something Test matches, he’s an experienced player, he’s had a difficult time over the past few months and, having spoken to him, he’s done a lot of soul-searching about that,” Melbourne coach Dave Wessels told us.
“He’s desperate for an opportunity to prove himself and any team would be silly not to consider him given what he’s achieved. But I do think the onus will be on James, ultimately, to prove that he’s genuine about it and he wants to make an impact.”
Advertisement
Wessels told us the Cooper deal was still on but was taking some time to finalise. It is based on a similar principle, with the Rebels to foot a fraction of Cooper’s $650,000 a year national contract. Which begs the question...
What salary cap?
The Rebels' additions to their Wallaby-rich roster will raise eyebrows in Super Rugby land, especially given Matt Toomua is also expected to link up with the side at the back end of next season. The Rebels already boast Wallabies Marika Koroibete, Reece Hodge, Dane Haylett-Petty, Jack Maddocks, Adam Coleman, Jordan Uelese.
Can the Rebels fit their incoming Test veterans under the $5.5m salary cap? We're told it's not a problem, with the club forecast to come in under the cap next year. For the second year in a row.
Feel quite sorry for Wessels. He is having his team picked for him and is expected to take them to Stupor Rugby success and fill the empty trophy cabinet at Rebels HQ. Quite a daunting task for anyone.