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Yeh JBs lost yesterday, shortly afterward their website went down. I rang one of their Coaches, all he could say was "losing the preliminary final took too it all out of them" they had 10 or 11 years work pinned on that one match, so they've collectively given up, and won be bothering next year. (not).
As some one who has seen the Brothers play this season from the inside I can confirm/debunk a lot of what has been said here.
They had a truly quality side this year that was as good as any other Reserve grade side in the comp. Every game was competitive and although they weren't massive try scorers they were solid in defense. You genuinely couldn't contribute this to a few select players, there has been a lot of camaraderie in the team and everyone has had the desire to win. The coaching staff has been excellent and dedicated, Galls has done a fantastic job of steering the club. Players that singularly you wouldn't class as fantastic players have been meshing into the team so well that they have looked like they could play for the Tahs.
Their has been a lot of stacking in the opponents this season, the players and coaching team almost embraced this. A lot of talk was about "If you want to play prems next year you are going to have to face 15 of them every week, let them stack 5 players, it is just practice".
There are currently roughly 5 players ready for prem grade as it stands, roughly another 5 that can be prem grade if they can improve their fitness enough before the start of the new season. If they were to attain Prem status they would certainly need to work on a combination of new recruits and improving current players for at least 10 new top graders.
Their are a few older (I use this term lightly) boys that have played a great season this year that probably don't fancy prem grade. Either due to fitness or the commitment of time. They will be a credit to the reserve grade side and with their experience will be quality cover for injuries/benching for first grade.
The lower grade have struggled massively this year, They did not have proper coaching staff until later in the season and did not have a lot of direction and felt abandoned. Their wasn't a lot of commitment from players at this level and so we very rarely played common players one week to the next, causing even more disheartening and even more players to leave/not care as much. It was a vicious cycle. A lot of focus was put on the Reserves early in the season and by the time the club attempted to remedy the A's and B's a significant amount of the damage had already been done.
All that being said - Next year, if they get into prems, I believe they will struggle in all grades, however, I don't know what RWA are thinking and I do not think their is an option of staying in Reserves only. So, if they present JB with an option to play Prems or go back to Champ A's, it would be ridiculous for them to turn it down. Not only are they beyond Champ A's, the real question is if they turned down prems, when would the offer come around again?
There is genuinely a great vibe at the club. We have a pretty big supporters base and the team is a team that are close socially as well.
Last edited by Panda; 17-08-14 at 18:06.
I think i got caught up in hype with how well our 1st XV did this year!
I think we need 1 more year in 2s with a clear pathway to Premier in 2016.
We need our own stand alone colts side.
And as a few posted on here rebuild Champ A and B's
While I appreciate your honesty there are some who consider themselves better than thou and think they know what is best for the future of our game in WA.
Watch this space and good luck in Premier Grade next year - you'll need it to field four senior teams and two age group sides
One important question to the powers that be (that's the unfortunately named CRAC to those who don't know). If you are considering an eight team Premier Grade - and don't pretend otherwise -then why expand to 10 next year.
And one other question. How many of CRAC turned up at last wek's presentation by Joondalup?
Care to add anything Fulvio. You are more connected than most.
There has been a stunning silence out there on this. Isn't anyone interested about the heart and soul of our game.
OK I'll throw this hand grenade then. One Premier club is already saying it needs another 150k from sponsors and elsewhere to survive next season (on top of their recruiting budget) and another will be lucky to survive financially next year unless things change.
Oh that's right things are changing.
The talent and money is being spread even thinner.
No Premier team in the south.
Another in the north to a club that struggles to field two competitive sides in lower grades already.
The Dockers are moving south.
League is set to expand.
What are we doing about it. Don't worry the inner city sides are doing OK. Or are they?
Come on Hans and your CRAC tell us where the future lies in the grand plan.
Wholetruth, can you please wait until mid week for some answers to your questions.
Why? So you can confirm everything already said?
Isn't the Board meeting a couple of weeks away? Does that mean decisoins will be taken before the Board meets? Why should I be so suprised about that?
Come on just tell us the truth
Last edited by wholetruth; 14-09-14 at 17:15.
Patience, Grasshopper.
I predict ten premier teams and a return to something similar to what we had prior to the season just gone.
Except that two of the ten will be basket cases, and two others extremely ill, for a variety of reasons.
I expect RugbyWA will be considering financial bailouts, on a modest scale, to some "selected" clubs to stop them from going under. A six team competition in 2016 might otherwise be a real outcome.
Two of the ten will be exempted from having to field second grade, third grade and colts a la Rockingham in 2013, and the 2015 season will limp along to its inevitable conclusion.
RugbyWA will find it too hard to prop up (or justify the propping up of) three clubs with Force players, and I think they will simply stop Force and Force associated players from playing in the local comp. to avoid the massive backlash currently brewing in the other premier clubs. That will be the simplest solution for them, and simplistic solutions are what they do best.
Less clubs will be disrupted, and less often, but there will still be premier clubs playing at different venues on the same day, and haemorrhaging revenue each time.
I'm so over it, but you asked me, Wholetruth.
The time is coming for what?
Are you practicing to be a moustache twirling clichéd bad guy?
Will Hansie also "Rue the Day"?!
You're beginning to sound like a demented neck beard, sitting in his parents garage surrounded by red bull and used tissues writing, what you perceived to be, clever insults on fan fiction web sites.
I have no idea who Hansie is and really couldn't care a bit if he is who or what you accuse him of being, but your puerile, veiled threats against him are beginning to make you look like a brainless moron.
Fulvio, I think your cystal ball may be a little clouded. Or was that the bottom of your crystal glass!
I can see your thinking but I can't see how RugbyWA can support clubs when they have trouble supporting themselves. I take it you are hearing about the financial woes of the same two clubs?
Interestingly the brothers from the north have gone very quiet on all of this. Any input from up there?