Reds bypass ARU's national academy

[The InnFORCEr]

Jim Morton,
AAP
October 26, 2012, 10:06 am

The Queensland Reds will bypass the Australian Rugby Union's national academy feeder system next year by offering more "Beau Robinson fairytale" opportunities through their own back-up program.

The Reds will next week unveil their Reds College, containing 11 players they've invited to follow in the footsteps of Robinson, when they officially start pre-season training.

The cult-hero former NSW flanker left Sydney two years ago to be an unpaid Queensland squad-member and part-time Ipswich barman before starring in their 2011 Super Rugby title charge.

With the Reds calling on 36 players in both 2011 and 2012, coach Ewen McKenzie believes its inevitable he'll need to look outside his contracted squad of 30 plus five rookies.

McKenzie borrowed heavily on the Reds Academy in 2010 and 2011 but it was dissolved with the establishment of the ARU's centralised national academy, set up as a development tool and young talent pool for all five Australian franchises to call on in times of trouble.

He now wants a strong core of more seasoned back-ups who are battle-hardened and better prepared to train with them so they can slot into his style of play at a moment's notice.

"There's no time to ease new players in - they have to be ready to play for us tomorrow," McKenzie told AAP. "We need to drop them in there and expect them to be comfortable.

"You can't just chuck a 19-year-old forward into Super Rugby."

McKenzie likened the Reds' unique 2013 draw - with all but one of their fixtures played before June 3 - to the old "Super 12 sprint" and also said it was imperative they started strongly.

"If you want to have an influence on the competition you have to go hard from the beginning," he said.

McKenzie admitted the Reds learned from this season's injury crisis that conscripted reinforcements, from both the national academy and club ranks, were not up to speed with their structure due to lack of training exposure.

Among the college group are a host of top club players hoping to get their professional break.

"Beau Robinson did the same thing," McKenzie said.

Meantime, former Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels prop Jono Owen has gained the last contract in the Reds 30-man squad as a replacement for retired tight-head Guy Shepherdson.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...ional-academy/

[Alison]

Does this help them get round the salary cap in any way??

[The InnFORCEr]

No but I guess it stops the othet 4 aussie teams from "borrowing" their academy players

[Alison]

No but I guess it stops the othet 4 aussie teams from "borrowing" their academy players

Ah ha! Sneaky, very sneaky

[palitu]

hopefully it will help the rest of the teams build there own acadamies, just like we have all be saying

[hertryk]

No but I guess it stops the othet 4 aussie teams from "borrowing" their academy players

Who will be paying for this? Weren't the Reds in "trouble" a season or so ago??

[Stone Cold]

With victory comes fair weather fans and their big dollars.

[sittingbison]

Who will be paying for this? Weren't the Reds in "trouble" a season or so ago??

until the ARU bailed them out. With a "non-refundable" loan ie cash injection

[TOCC]

until the ARU bailed them out. With a "non-refundable" loan ie cash injection

its wasn't "non-refundable"

As a result of Queensland Rugby’s continued strengthening financial position, the QRU board has been able to disband the Special Executive Committee (SEC) two years ahead of schedule after repaying its loan to the ARU.

http://www.redsrugby.com.au/NewsEven...7/Default.aspx

[shasta]

its wasn't "non-refundable"

The "Clock Brothers" alarm has gone off again by the looks.
Posted via Mobile Device

[TOCC]

heaven forbid some actual facts are injected rather then the misrepresentation of "quotation marks"


There are some very good players form the QLD Premier Grade recruited into this academy, it should bode very well for the Reds throughout the season with some physically and mentally mature players training with the squad rather then having to call on 18-20yr olds from the NTS who are unfamiliar with the teams structure.

I wouldn't be surprised to see every Aussie team implementing something similar in due course.

[palitu]

so they should Tocc

[jono]

if the ARU is going to continue the stupid national academies then they well should

[Hoolly Doolly]

Like Palitu mentioned we have been calling for something similar since forever. Maybe a good platform to inject more west australians into the organization. Theyre already living here. Why not develop our own cattle.
Very good decision by the reds imo.

[GIGS20]

heaven forbid some actual facts are injected rather then the misrepresentation of "quotation marks"


There are some very good players form the QLD Premier Grade recruited into this academy, it should bode very well for the Reds throughout the season with some physically and mentally mature players training with the squad rather then having to call on 18-20yr olds from the NTS who are unfamiliar with the teams structure.

I wouldn't be surprised to see every Aussie team implementing something similar in due course.

Which would mean that Nucifora's ridiculous academies would be the surest way of a player NEVER representing a team in SupeRugby. I wonder if that was part of the plan?

The conspiracy theorist in me looks at how JON has run things so far and says "maybe it was" put together a structure so useless and divisionism that the provinces boycott it and set up their own model, then when it's not working and costing money, cut it and make the provinces pay for academies themselves. Certainly less controversial than just making them pay!