Another thing to be pissed off about..

[Disco]

Get the best kids into your junior system full stop................................I don't see the issue here

 

[Loobs]

Get the best kids into your junior system full stop................................I don't see the issue here

Either do I. Does young Harry want a leg up for being local? If you want a spot get better.

Back in my day, league schools used to bring in kids from all over the place to win Commonwealth Bank Cups. I recall getting flogged by Barrett's St Greg's team - and I doubt Baz had any great love of Campbelltown. Nothing has changed.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If there is one place that Manly as a club has improved in recent years, it has been in all the junior competitons, so I find it hard to criticise the current strategy with the results it is bringing

Again mate that’s a far too sensible post to add on Silvertails these days!!

Oh for the good old days!!

 

[Woodsie]

Playing in the U16s this season I found it hugely discouraging to see the state of the Harold Matts and general Manly rep sides. All of them consist primarily, and in the case of the U16 Harold Matts, entirely of Islanders stolen from the Western Suburbs, ridding desire for true Manly juniors (and locals) from pursuing their attempts to one day make their way into the Manly nrl side. I myself have opted to no longer pursue this dream because of this, and have seen first hand many deserving locals held back and wasted (although I would much rather play a role in the managing/coaching of a side, but that too seems afar and unrealistic).

Moving back to Collaroy after a four year stint living in Melbourne i'd thought it'd be different to the way Victorians only cared about filling teams with the largest players available, I was wrong. These Manly sides are worse, they are setting an 'entitled' culture from the juniors up, with these players being handed everything to them on a silver plate compared to those who have to earn it against the odds. The problems at this club are ridiculous, an absolute basket case at the moment

The 2018 Grand Final U16 Harold Matts team:

1 Tolu Koula
2 Cameron Brown
3 Toni Mataele
4 Seturi Iakopo
5 Tapu Tuipulotu
6 Tony Francis
7 Kaeo Weekes
8 Tyreece Matangi
9 Gordon Chan Kum Tong
10 Israel Ahofono
11 Samuel Pinomi (C)
12 Siua Fotu
13 James Uesele
Interchange
14 Tyrone Holakeituai
15 Marley Hunter
25 Valeli Tonga
26 Jai Vakai
17 Darcy Hoy
21 Logan Fox

Harry you will find a similar situation at all clubs ... especially those like Easts and Manly with limited juniors .... but even clubs like Parramatta and Penrith have their squads full of Kids from the bush ... lured by opportunities to attend good schools like St. Pats etc .

From memory Manly brought Kosef from out Bourke way as a schoolboy ..... it has been going on for ages .... but you are correct it has become ridiculous .....

Sorry to hear you are dropping out .... but keep and work towards your dream of being involved in the footy department side .... you can do it ......

 

[midsteyne]

Your smart to get out now Harry,unless you are assured of a contract at 16 assured and with the size of the islanders,injury is a major possibility for young bloke in later life,my boy was pretty handy lock and played on for fun till he was 24,he is rooted now with a bad shoulder and bum knees.

 

[bob dylan]

Doesn’t anyone name their kids John Peter Andrew Paul or Mark anymore?

Not since the new testament was written.

 

[bob dylan]

I see kids from my town taken to the city every with the lure of big money.

100% of them in the past 10 years have not made it to NRL level.

Many come back to town with permanent limps or other injuries.

They are just "cannon fodder" and they nor their parents see it.

I remember one kids parents telling me about 10-12 years ago "you need grab my boys autograph right now, he will be an immortal". Never went close to playing NRL.

 

[bob dylan]

BTW I am sure I ordered the number 9 in Dixon Street two weeks ago, with a large fried rice.

 

[brad]

Wow - imagine being commentator when that side plays.

Imagine Johns.

 

[MadMarcus]

BTW I am sure I ordered the number 9 in Dixon Street two weeks ago, with a large fried rice.

Where is this Dixon St? A hooker and fried rice is a cracking combo.

 

[manlyfan76]

Not since the new testament was re-written.

Fixed for you.

 

[Mr Manly 007]

If there is one place that Manly as a club has improved in recent years, it has been in all the junior competitons, so I find it hard to criticise the current strategy with the results it is bringing

The Harold Matthews is the one part of the Club Manly are doing well.Recruitment at this age in securing a successful NRL Club moving forward. Imagine if Manly had a recruited Thurston , Cam Smith , Billy Slater etc at Matthews Cup age and brought them through. Weather we like it or not , Manly have one of the smallest junior league , with very few numbers to choose from. Hell even Parra and Penrith import for their Junior teams.

 

[BOZO]

Get the best kids into your junior system full stop................................I don't see the issue here

The Storm is another club that scouts juniors outside their AFL based breeding ground .
Smart people think out side their own square

 

[Woodsie]

The Harold Matthews is the one part of the Club Manly are doing well.Recruitment at this age in securing a successful NRL Club moving forward. Imagine if Manly had a recruited Thurston , Cam Smith , Billy Slater etc at Matthews Cup age and brought them through. Weather we like it or not , Manly have one of the smallest junior league , with very few numbers to choose from. Hell even Parra and Penrith import for their Junior teams.

.. I understand the logic behind your comments .... but I question the success of the whole juniors system ....

for example Penrith and Parramatta have enormous junior ranks .... Parramatta have won and still win just about every age rep comp going .. and have done for decades .... yet .... this does not see to translate into success in 1st grade ......

Is the money spent on attracting these 16 year olds to the club worth it or wasted? ....

On the other hand .... Manly with no juniors .... and almost always last in rep comps .... has excelled for decades .... take the early 70's ... I played in the then u/21 rep team (Presidents cup) .. we had no imported players and had to chose a rep team from only 7 local B-grade teams ..... Penrith in the same year had 3 divisions of B-grade to select a team from ...... we went ok, but got belted by the better sides .... also at that time the u/23's were routinely poor .... BUT ... 1st's and Reggies always excelled .....

Problem is .... you can spent years and dollars bringing these kids on with absolutely no guarantee they will play for your club ...

I often think the best thing to do is save the money .... and buy them when they are ripe ... eg Ponga

 

[Bearfax]

The vast majority of players who've been in Manly's first grade have not been local juniors. That went out in the 60s with the ending of the residential rule. Manly cant afford to just rely on local juniors. Just think of the players from elsewhere who have pbeen the stars at Manly. Fulton, Lyons, Lyon, Shearer, O'Neill, Branigan, Reilly, O'Connor, Irvine, Kennedy, DCE, Foran, Hasler, Ward, Boustead...the list just goes on and on. Would Manly have won the premierships it won, without them. We just dont have enough of them locally of quality. We still encourage the outstanding ones like the Trbojevics, but the game, just like English soccer, is no longer about local lads playing for your club. Its about getting the best talent to keep your club near the top, and therefore win the pennants and more importantly the money to keep the club solvent. I'm sorry that local kids are missing out but if they are not as good as the import, what can you do?

 

[Woodsie]

The vast majority of players who've been in Manly's first grade have not been local juniors. That went out in the 60s with the ending of the residential rule. Manly cant afford to just rely on local juniors. Just think of the players from elsewhere who have pbeen the stars at Manly. Fulton, Lyons, Lyon, Shearer, O'Neill, Branigan, Reilly, O'Connor, Irvine, Kennedy, DCE, Foran, Hasler, Ward, Boustead...the list just goes on and on. Would Manly have won the premierships it won, without them. We just dont have enough of them locally of quality. We still encourage the outstanding ones like the Trbojevics, but the game, just like English soccer, is no longer about local lads playing for your club. Its about getting the best talent to keep your club near the top, and therefore win the pennants and more importantly the money to keep the club solvent. I'm sorry that local kids are missing out but if they are not as good as the import, what can you do?

My point is ... bring them in when they are first grade ready .... not at 16 ...... a total waste of money... let the locals play their game .....

 

[Top End Eagle]

It's a two way street. You get better by playing against better players. That doesn't necessarily mean bigger. Weight for age needs to come in. Again it comes back to the games attempt to eliminate fatigue. Sad state of affairs. I'm as disheartened as you Harry but if I could lace on the boots one more time I'd give anything to do it. I'd had theee knee reconstructions by your age and still had clubs calling my parents to see what I was up to. I gave it away because I was lucky enough to be able to go to uni and get an education.

Give union a crack. A lot less physical and you will star in defence. You will also realise what a soft game it is and want to get back on a league finals asap. Best of luck.

 

[Woodsie]

Hey @Harry Smith ... read this .. not all is lost ..

New research reveals how rugby league players make it to the top
25 June 2018
Study shows there are multiple pathways to sporting success
Share Journal of Sports Sciences also identified a group of professional players who showed a delayed trajectory. This was characterised by involvement in other sports up to 12 years of age, lower levels of training in junior years, and lower levels of rugby league competition before ages 17 to 20.

Lead author Balin Cupples said contrary to popular belief there are likely multiple distinct pathways that can lead to senior elite sporting success.

“This study shows that achievement at junior and youth tiers and representative levels is not a necessity for long term success,” said Mr Cupples, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.

“Nearly 40 percent of the professional players in our study reported a less intensive and delayed investment path.”

“Their more intense training and game involvement occurred later in age and developmental terms compared to the early investment group. They also showed greater improvement over the teenage years with less intensive training.”

Rugby league is one of the most popular sports in Australia with 1.4 million participants from recreational to senior levels.

Despite age restrictions on professional contracts, players often focus on rugby league from a young age in anticipation of a highly coveted position within an academy squad or a specialised rugby league secondary school.

“Many parents and coaches think early-age specialisation, accelerated practice at a younger age and representative participation through academy squads or scholarships programs is the key to success, but this study calls for a rethink,” said senior author and sports and exercise psychologist Dr Stephen Cobley.

“The fact that a significant number of players in the representative pathways were replaced with those from a delayed trajectory also highlights the potential costs and set-backs of high levels of participation and intensive training in the early and teenage years.

“These athletes could be at greater risk of injury, mounting psychological pressure, as well as psychological and physical burnout.”

In the current system, talented youth rugby players are often identified from as early as 12 years.

They can then potentially be put on a pathway through formal representative training squads onto representative U16-18’s, national U20’s competitions, open age semi-professional, right through to professional NRL contracts.

“It is important that we keep youngsters engaged in sport for the right reasons and provide them with a positive environment to develop, which in the early participation years shouldn’t be based solely on performance,” said co-author Professor Donna O’Connor.

Eleven of the 16 NRL clubs participated in the survey data, which reflects over 50 percent of the professionally contracted NRL players at the time of collection.

The study is part of a PhD thesis by Balin Cupples under the supervision of Dr Stephen Cobley from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor Donna O’Connor from the School of Education and Social Work.

 

[Wombat64]

Hey Harry, reading comments from all us old ****ers, you should just give up. Don't do that. Don't take advice from old ****s. Keep trying. Even if you don't make it, you'll know you gave your best and in between who the fick knows, you just might get there. One of our toughest players ever was Tooves and I'm sure people told him he was too small or would never make it. (Edit by the way, don't listen to me either, I eat sausage rolls.)

 

[The Who]

What Harry says is true, but it has been coming for the last 20 years.
My observations having watched the Manly Under 16s, Under 18s, Under 20s, and Reserve grade is that we are fixated with big, Polynesian and Islanders who look impressive but rely on brute strength always, and don't have the footballing nous to search for ways through or over a defence. Yes, we need a few big bopers, but we also need 'thinking' footballers of all shapes.
Manly won the Under 16s primarily because they were bigger than opposition teams. As players age, size is less intimidating.
I think we'd have the biggest forward pack in the NRL (Kapow, AFB, Tent, Penny, Tango, Sippers, Perrett etc) but that hasn't translated into success.
Bigger isn't always better; The Titanic proved that.