Poached Eggs.

[Hansie]

Seems to me that for almost every grand statement you've made from your soap box in recent weeks you've been obliged to make a "Hansie Style" retraction (everything crossed with smoke screen whilst firing aimlessly into the dark trying to create a diversion).

The old - Fuck He's right trick - let's throw the old vague accusatory line out there and then pick up my bone and leave.

AH - Brocky and K-Bomb both equally huge talents.

Your ex under 20 coach was going to be lost to Community Rugby if we did not ask him to consider joining Neddies. He was going to dip out of Community Rugby and concentrate on School - what a waste of great talent. Now I don't care if you cannot handle the truth RM, them's the facts and after you've thrown your toys out of the cot, the next trick to use is the old Tall Poppy syndrome trick or some similar insult.

Play the ball Pal - not the club or the Man - that's if you're good enough.

[RumourMonger]

"was going to be lost to Community Rugby if we did not ask him to consider joining Neddies"

You have surpassed yourself Hansie, what an absolute cracker. Neddies is now a charitable organisation saving the rugby strays from the streets.

And the Cott hooker and centre last year - did you save them from being lost to Community Rugby as well?

Gotta go, my shift starts in an hour.

Over and out.

[Hansie]

Finally you have it right. Yes, we do a fair bit of charitable work.

There you go confusing players and coaches again.

Why don't you go ask the Cott President why these two players left Cott?

We can't help it when players come to the Foreshore.

As AH says if you cannot hold onto your players it's your problem.

[Hohepa]

Rocky will never amount to anything, you'll always be "developing juniors" only to have them poached.. find a solution.. offer them something other than a maori ridden drinking culture[/B]

Do you have something against those of maori culture? While you partake of the generosity of each hosting club during the season - have a look around you - will you be verbalising your views then with all those with maori ties looking back at you?

There has been a wave of change at Rocky this year - while things may not happen overnight - they will happen

This thread began as a conversation about the different styles of recruitment that clubs have the option to implement, the pros and cons,juniors and their retainment.

[shasta]

are you related to Jeff Fenech ?

Must be. Everyone knows the plural of you is yous.

[beige]

At the risk of trolling, I wonder if this kind of thing goes on over in rugby league land, what with them breathing down the back of rugby's neck in the next few years and all...

[Rex Messup]

Peace out

Pearce off Jack, Gibbs on

[RumourMonger]

Action Hardcore, I think you might be backing a loser there.

By my calculations, Neddies ground and lovely new clubrooms will be under water by 2030, thanks to global warming.

And the local maoris would have caught up with you well before then so you won't have the pleasure of watching Neddies sink with the rest of us!


"Play the ball Pal - not the club or the Man - that's if you're good enough."

Forget the ball Hansie, get on with the game. We've never let the lack of a ball stop us having a bloody good game of rugger.

[fulvio sammut]

Children, play nice ...

[GIGS20]

Children, play nice ...

I think that was an impossibility shortly after (or maybe before) I stopped stirring Fulv

[fulvio sammut]

So every one is playing secret squirrel and revealing diddly squat about who's got what, player wise.

That leaves a seeker of truth (me) little option but to rely on spies, spivs and imagination.

NEDLANDS
Reasonable numbers at training, but nothing to get excited about. The few supporters present wave their German flags in a desultory manner but appear somewhat deflated that the nine Wellington imports and the Prussian Internationals haven't turned up yet. Several yummie Neddies mummies can be seen giving their seven year olds growth hormones in the hope they can still make it into colts by the time the season kicks off.

PALMYRA
A little more excitement here, what with the appearance (finally) of a good number of their local recruits, but it's disconcerting seeing so many Cott, Wanneroo, Uni and Wests jumpers amongst all that navy blue from across the river.

KALAMUNDA
Man, this club has money to splash around. More Kiwis than you'll find at an Americas Cup losing qualifier. Apparently their boat's come in, and they've bought THE team. Toddy is in seventh heaven, and he is instigating moves to have himself appointed senior coach, which is fair enough, seeing that he's paid for it all.

ROCKINGHAM
No imports, just their regular home grown players, all five of them, gallantly marshalled by Gus.

UNI
On a clear day, they say you can see all the way to Galway from beneath their goal posts, and, to be sure, that impression is accentuated by the lilt of Irish laughter from all their new players rhapsodising about how they'll drink their fat pay cheques in the first week, before they move on to fruit picking in the Riverina, or to Nedlands.

WESTS
This will be the first club to win a premiership relying exclusively on ex Rockingham juniors and Public School drop outs. you just mark my words.

WANNEROO
What'll they do without Elwee at the helm? Will he send them the Perth Gold side as an Easter present, or has there been a falling out? All I can tell you is that at present they appear to be in doo doo land if numbers are any indication.

ASSOCIATES
The great white hopes of the competitition are ... well, they're the great white hopes.
With all their money it appears they can't afford a non caucasian player. Sad really, they could do with some class and flair. And perhaps a little humility.

COTTESLOE
May the Force be with them, because from the look of things, local players aren't.

PERTH.
More quality coaches than you can poke a stick at, at last count two per player. Let's hope the committee can increase the ratio before the season starts.

[The Oracle]

It is my understanding that Wanneroo have invested heavily in Force players.

They are keeping it quiet but apparently a number of free rental deals going down in the northern suburbs.

The little south african is still involved.

[Rex Messup]

It's great to see some imports into the local comp. It improves the standard of the rugby and the profile of the sport in Perth.

Stop wallowing in your murky pools of hate. It's pathetic.

If you want an import, go get one. Sex with hot women beats money every time. You work it out

If you can't afford them and don't have the charisma to organise hot women, develop your own players

Neck up

[Burgs]

So allowing for the possible slight sarcasm Fulv, what does your post say about the local comp?
If ten Clubs are relying on importing and poaching to reach the standard required then is the bar too high? Do we have a Second Division filled with unrewarded, undervalued brilliant local born players being overlooked for these imports? Do we have too many teams stretching the talent too thin? Do we have too few teams to attract the critical mass of imports to ultimately saturate the local gene pool? Is it too big an ask to realistically expect RWA to be able to improve things? Why would a mid level local player persist?

[fulvio sammut]

Burgs, there is more than just a slight tinge of sarcasm there, and you should know by now that I'm stirring the slop bucket to see what comes to the top.

Actually I believe the local comp is quite healthy, and all clubs are competitively poaching and importing as they have always done.

Good young locals are starting to come through to the first grade sides due to a healthy improvement in coaching standards and the fact that the clubs are appreciating the benefits of investing in juniors. And of course the Force being here has helped lift the profile of the sport.

All players have to realize that first grade selection is for the best players available to the club for a position. That player is chosen on the basis of ability, fitness etc, not on his status as a local or an import. What coach would be idiot enough to chose a lesser player if the sole intent is to win games?

You ask what's in it for the rest of the players. Well if they have aspirations of making it to the top they work and play harder, change clubs if that is what they see as the problem, and generally persevere.

If they realise their limitations they are quite happy, as were you and I and generations of other players, to play lower grade for the joy and love of the game, the cameraderie and the rugby culture. Those that don't probably have no place in the game anyway.

There will always be problems, issues and perceptions. Unfortunately it is usually the party who is being perceived who is the last to be aware of how they are perceived.

Maybe the commentary I and others post here, containing both dross and insight, can in some small way raise awareness.