DONT MENTION THE WAR!

[fulvio sammut]

So, three weeks in, we have an indication of where this season is going.

Sitting here at the free WiFi station of a comfortable hotel in deepest Calabria, where computer keyboards dont have apostrophies, I am able to prognosticate without having seen a single game, and with all the clarity that three Hienekens and half a bottle of excellent chianti bring to any deliberation.

As I see it, seven of the teams in first grade are competitive at this stage, Neds, Cott, Pally, Uni, Wests, Kala and Soaks. Perth is borderline, and Wanneroo is a basket case. Rockingham is of course gone.

However the true indication of where these sides will end up at the business end of the season is the progress of their respective second grades. No matter how good your first 15 are, At least half will suffer injuries, job relocations, dummy spits etc for varying periods of time.

In a normal season this is not a huge problem; most clubs have had the depth to carry things over.

But no matter how you look at it, this is far and away not a normal season. Most clubs are unable to field colts. I predict the colts will be canned this year due to insufficient numbers, thanks partly, but not entirely, to Nedlands successful efforts in poaching colts age players from several weaker clubs. I hope it cost them a fortune.

Third grade has started late due to the lack of ability of several clubs to field teams

Fourth and fifth grade had not even started, two weeks into the season, and look to be constituted mainly of a motley crew of rugby pensioners dragged out of long earned retirement. I hope their insurance premia (and surcharges) have been paid up.

Wests dont have enough players to be competitive in seconds, Uni have been unable to afford to buy enough players for thousands of secret reasons, Wanneroo are a double basket case, and the rest just do not have the quality or depth of players to be competive at anything but a level far lower than in previous years. I include Kala and Perth in that category, and even Neds, Soaks and Cott are having issues. At this stage only Palmyra appear to have at least kept abreast of last years standards, but that too is problematic due to the difficulty of assessment in a very poor standard of overall competion.

So, getting back to my initial obsevations, I predict that notwithstanding their current positions on the ladder, the final four will be Soaks, Cott, Nedlands and Palmyra, not necessarily in that order. And all because of the weakness of the second and lower grades.

What went wrong, who do we blame for the situation?

Ill let the usual apologists explain that away in the face of the bleeding obvious.

[palitu]

It is an interesting turn out this year.

I have just returned to Curtin, who have as a good a turn out as they ever have. We have almost enough to have two 3rd grades play, and a competitive 1st and 2nds (championship of course).

However it would seem that almost all other teams are struggling for numbers. not sure what the difference is...

[The InnFORCEr]

However it would seem that almost all other teams are struggling for numbers. not sure what the difference is...

The answer is bloody obvious palitu, Nedlands

[fulvio sammut]

Palitu, the difference is that the guys playing for Curtin play for the love of it, and the piss up afterwards, because that has always been the ethos of your club for the fifty years I played against it.

Curtin has kept out of the politics and responsibility of it all, and in years like this, that can be an advantage, in that your players dont really care as long as they get a social game each week without really having to work for it.

Guys that play competitively have a different view, and a great many are seriously disgusted with whats been happening.


But the reality is that your club has been continously shafted, and will continue to be shafted because Curtin as a club has no appreciation of what goes on in the real world, and couldnt care less anyway.

InnFORCer, how many supercilious turkeys can sit on the head of a pin at the one time?

[The InnFORCEr]

Is the answer one?
Attachment 2865

[BillyGOAT]

Palitu, the difference is that the guys playing for Curtin play for the love of it, and the piss up afterwards, because that has always been the ethos of your club for the fifty years I played against it.

Curtin has kept out of the politics and responsibility of it all, and in years like this, that can be an advantage, in that your players dont really care as long as they get a social game each week without really having to work for it.

Guys that play competitively have a different view, and a great many are seriously disgusted with whats been happening.


But the reality is that your club has been continously shafted, and will continue to be shafted because Curtin as a club has no appreciation of what goes on in the real world, and couldnt care less anyway

as a player at curtin, im pretty sure that alot of us train very hard to play, we dont just turn up with our boots on a saturday, not caring. this is proven by the results we have seen in the last couple of years.

do not get me wrong, to be in prems you have to be good/talented but i wouldn't say that effort was the biggest factor, is the view of some of these competitive players.....hes getting more money than i am, so i quit?

curtin has a loyal player base built from a good club atmosphere, where the prem clubs seem to buy in as many people as is to make it unsustainable. then when the money dries up, so does your player base. there are serious problems with rugby in WA, and not all of it is rubgyWA's fault.

[palitu]

Palitu, the difference is that the guys playing for Curtin play for the love of it, and the piss up afterwards, because that has always been the ethos of your club for the fifty years I played against it.

Curtin has kept out of the politics and responsibility of it all, and in years like this, that can be an advantage, in that your players dont really care as long as they get a social game each week without really having to work for it.

Guys that play competitively have a different view, and a great many are seriously disgusted with whats been happening.


But the reality is that your club has been continously shafted, and will continue to be shafted because Curtin as a club has no appreciation of what goes on in the real world, and couldnt care less anyway.

nice ramble there, though i can't really agree with a lot of those points. I'm sure that there are a number of blokes who have been there for those 50 years that would take umbrage about not caring what goes on at RWA, or trying to help.

Our top side (and second) are very competitive in the competition we are in. hence 3 GFs last year and two premierships. That is no social game there with a bunch of blokes turning up for a drink, then a run.

I definately play socially, and that is why we have the uncoachables. But lumping the entire club into social only is arrogant at least (maybe why you are low on players??)

BillyGoat has an interesting point, we dont offer cash to play, and i doubt the club ever will. Perhaps Curtin has gotten good at its niche because we have players that want to PAY to be at the club (and fees are not real cheap), we have players that want to coach, want to run the bar, run admin, organise everything and not want a 5c (couldn't bring myself to say dime).

Perhaps the players are sick of the politics that they get dragged through, sick off busting their guts for the club, just for someone to get paid to rock up for year, not contribute to the club, and take their spots on the teams. Perhaps it should be equatable, ALL paid, or NONE paid. we are an amateur competition after all................................

But fix your own problems, they have been going around for a long time, they all get talked about, but no one ever changes. (though i do recall something about one team refusing to pay any more players).

Thanks for listening....

If you want to know why people love playing for curtin, go here: www.goat-simulator.com/‎

[palitu]

Also, Fulv... 4am!?

[Pitythefool]

Is Goat... Is Good

[fulvio sammut]

Also, Fulv... 4am!?

Not where I am!

[palitu]

Not where I am!

ah, that makes sense. I thought a bit of insommnia perhaps

[Buck]

the draw this year is a absoulte shocker andr the colts comp is dead. i can see the concept with the championship but it just doesnt work and then theres joondalup who have improved a shit load but still need another year aleast same goes for rocky if they can get house in order and wanneroo also rebuilding also need another season before they can compete.
curtain arks and mandurah on rise 2015 needs to be looked at now not laterbefore

[Ralto]

the colts comp is dead

Can anyone give a correct number for colts teams, I have heard there are only 5 at this stage,
although there is a 8 team list, and 14 week season up on Rugby WA site.

[fulvio sammut]

Did anyone attend the RugbyWA meeting Wednesday night?

Did RugbyWA come out with a panacea (or even a headache pill) for all the woes facing WA club rugby?

Or did we just get more Political Bullshit?