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January inexorably rolls around again and the club rugby aficionados start to wander down to their home paddocks to observe with trepidation the depleted stock of prospective first team starters amongst the great unwashed lumbering about the hallowed grounds.
"Can't see much here" grumbles Toddy at Hartfield.
"Piss poor we don't have our star recruits here before the first round starts" mutters Bradbury at the foreshore.
"Is this what I paid for?" bellows Leon at Kingsway.
"Thank God for the Force to fall back on" says a stressed Denny Bennetts at Soaks.
"Thank God for rubber rules" says a gloomy Milton at Harvey Field.
"Do we even have a recruiting officer this year?" splutters a despondent Siddons at Tompkins.
And so it goes on, at every club in the competition.
But these are perceptions. What is the reality?
I hear recruiting is going slowly this season, especially from overseas, and that local cannibalism is re-emerging as the means of survival at some clubs. What is the true story behind the defection to Wanneroo of Kala's wunderkind new fullback, after he travelled to the Singapore Sevens at Cottesloe's expense? Is KK turning from dark green to sea blue this year? Time will no doubt reveal all.
It's surprising, really, if overseas recruiting is as meagre as it appears, as the rest of the world's (and Australia's) economy is going down the gurgler. I would have thought underpaid stars from all the rugby nations would be lining up for the largess the local clubs appear able to dispense. You just never can tell.
Anyway, within the next few weeks most of the secrets, rumours and innuendos will be public knowledge, and we shall wonder no more.
Of course, if those truly in the know were to spill the beans here earlier, I for one would be very interested and grateful.
You could even use a pseudonym, Hansie.