Mostly all of want to see our young guys debut and excite us mate.
I most certainly do!
BUT?
Are WE going to pay the price if one of these possibly very good young guys cost us 2 points in what is a very professional comp these days?
Of course not.
The ones who would cop the blunt end of the stick think these guys are not good enough to risk the house on. And realistically, together with our proud heritage, that's what is at stake.
Sorry for those that disagree with this approach but they are not the ones putting their careers and their families future's on the line by selecting these ROOKIES.
I most certainly would not!
There are no Phil Blake's amongst them and the backup we have WILL be a far better option to do the job we need done under the circumstances.
The odds of any of these guys being match-winners early on are only for longshot gamblers, not for professional people doing their job and feeding their families.
IMHO, NONE of these guys mentioned are even close to good enough to make a debut for us right now. There are 20 or so guys like them in the whole system, they are junior grade standouts, good ones, but nothing more.
I am certainly not willing to put my heart in the hands of untried maybees when we are under such constriction from the NRL and a ferociously vindictive media..
FG stars rarely come from being a hands-down reggies standout, they are bred. AFB and Api for current examples.
Phil Blake was 36 years ago. Yes, that long, I was there watching.
Regardless of our passion and desires, right now, more than most times in the past, we need to consolidate and show everyone we can do it tough and smart.
Rally behind or team...the players, the club and the ones who make the decisions we don't have to pay for.
Like we always have.