0
![Not allowed!](images/buttons/down_dis.png)
![Not allowed!](images/buttons/up_dis.png)
Hmm, the competing demands of a desire to help and an extremely busy life!
C'mon the![]()
![]()
I am hugely impressed with the way Rocky are getting up off the canvas and positively encouraging their membership to move forward. Full credit to you at Rocky.
Agreed and maybe the kick in the bum that Rocky needed.
Very dedicated bunch of people racing against time and the odds to maintain their Premier Grade status.
Re the Colts Grades Hansie, is the CRAC working on a solution to the lop sided competition?
Rumour has it that St John Ambulances have made frequent trips to Colts games this season and some of the injuries sustained have been pretty gruesome.
Colts is a huge issue and being grappled with. All sorts of possibilities being discussed. We need to look at a band aid for this season and at the same time are working on something long term.
I am keen to get down to Rocky after the meeting to see what resources can be provided. So, make sure the folk who put their hand up to help in the various areas feel free to ask for help. Imperative for Rugby in WA to have a Premier Club in Rocky.
I have seen a few 20s and 18s this season where a mercy rule should have been applied both on the scoreboard, and to some of the contestants. I saw two ambulances the whole of last season, and so far this season I've seen at least four, maybe it's just bad timing.
I'm sure everything's kosher in the books, but, I've seen some very small 18's this year.
Wests Scarborough 1st Grade juggernaut has played finals rugby each and every year since its inception and continues this remarkable feat yet again this season and unbelievably it's still rolling on and as an added little circle jerk for the masses Wests actually hold the record for the current longest unbroken finals record.
Some years ago was present at a meeting regarding changing colts u19,s I think it was to 18s. And 20s so we fell in line with eastern states.a lot of clubs were against this back then because they thought it would be even harder to fill to teams around this difficult age. Would going back to u19s be an option?
Personally I believe that has to be a serious consideration. From next year, the change in school entry age made by the WA govt some 10 years ago will begin to kick in and colts playing u/18 will still be at school. In developing a pathway for Colts to aspire to Force I think we need a season for School leavers to taste senior club rugby before heading into open grades. Frankly the skill set these days of players in S15 leads to the fact that, unless our boys are playing PremierGrade Rugby before they turn 20, the odds of them playing S15 drops significantly.
Should we be obliged to follow the lead from over East and persist with U/18's and U/20's? I don't know the short answer to that one.
Being passionately parochial about us in the West, I think we need to create something that suits us and our development rather than follow IRB age rules. It does not mean we still cannot select State U/18 and U/20 teams to compete in National competitions, the boys will just be playing Schoolboy for U/18 or a mix of club U/19 and Premiergrade for U/20. That's if we look at U/19 as the way to go.
I am also a huge advocate of having our Schoolboys team compete at Craven Week ( if that could be arranged) as well as Australian Schoolboys championships. I think it would be cheaper to send our Schools team to SA than to Sydney or Geelong.
Look these are pie in the sky ideas at this point in time, but we have to address Colts issue. I know all sports are suffering a huge drop off in numbers between juniors and seniors and somehow we need to formulate a plan to bring these talented kids to club rugby.
From my experience kids who play PSA on Saturday find it difficult to play 18's as well. Transport is an issue, and also the fact that PSA schools take it so seriously now, there is no way they'll chance it playing the two matches, or part matches. Most guys who wanted to play club rugby on Saturday asked for a dispensation, and played a half up in '20s.
Ask the schools to play 1st 15 matches on Friday afternoon - good luck.
Go to a colts format, and play it at 12.35.
Go to a colts format and play it as a curtain raiser to the 1st grade, put the seconds and thirds on the far oval.
PSA will never schedule matches on Friday afternoon for the Senior years.
Rugby is one of six sports, all of which are played concurrently, so the fixture is already difficult to move, but more importantly, Year 12 students will be exempted from participating to focus on their studies, effectively destroying the competition. Give up on that change.
If PSA boys are. going to have any chance of playing in both comps, an alternate timing needs to be arrived at by the clubs.
I'm not close enough to clubland to be able to make the same assessment, but I think it unlikely clubs will want to run their Colts on Monday or Wednesday (giving kids the opportunity to recover from a Saturday game for school) Sunday rugby was suggested, but it appears rugbyWA would rather compete directly with the PSA than with League.....and I can understand that, PSA are the small fish in that pond!
C'mon the![]()
![]()
I am all for swapping U/20 matches with Reserve grade - I think for our pathway to develope we need our under 20's to be next most important grade to Premier Rugby.
Eons ago back in my day ....ho hum.... Under 19's were "curtain raiser" to 1st grade matches
So bring back U19s get them to play before prems win win now just get rugby WA to see that.