CONTROVERSIAL The Crux of our Development issues?

[Sproj]

He's been mixed, first game obviously the four tries stand out and he was around the ball and took advantage of the situation. Second game was a good try with strength and last game was just a game.

He's had some bad reads, against Bears bad read that he went up too far and they scored. Pride he went up passively and they scored while he was standing flat.

Still a bit of a way to go.

And how funny was his random run over the side line in round 1.

 

[Emanon]

What is the Crux?
Our shitty coaching?
Poor systems?
Misfortunes?
Wrong Tactics?
Salary cap mismanagement?

I guess to an extent you could say them all. But there is one in particular yet to be mentioned that I think is so important for not only the sufficient development of our clubs players but levelling the differences of QLD clubs and NSW clubs. The Q-cup in my mind just isn’t working and I think we need a genuine reserve grade competition.

What will this look like?
17 teams (2023)
- Broncos
- Cowboys
- Titans
- Dolphins
- Warriors
- Mounties (/Bulldogs)
- Storm
- Knights
- Bears
- Blacktown Workers (/Manly)
- Newtown (/Sharks)
- Eels
- Dragons
- Panthers

Q/NSW cup remains as is with teams and NRL clubs use relationships with feeders to develop grass roots and academy prospects properly. Will just be of a lower quality.

In the NRL reserve grade comp most likely clubs like Newtown and North Sydney will want a piece of the action and fans will want to see that but NRL clubs would love the extra broadcasting money of this comp. So will likely be all 17 NRL teams same brands.

Why change?
I know quite a few of you couldn’t care less about the current reserve grade systems in place and I guess in a way that’s the issue. Currently, the Q-cup offers up an experience to fringe and devolving players that just isn’t desirable. Playing for clubs with little to no passion or pride and playing in non-desirable environments that are reminiscent of park footy players. These players have no desire to put in effort or stick around for quite frankly a horrible product of football. To further that the clubs in QLD cup disperse their players over 2-3 clubs which means they don’t benefit from cohesion and relationships between players.

This new reserve grade will foster better players, coaches, trainers, referees, systems and structures. More likely to keep, develop and enthuse the fringe nrl players with them playing with greater exposure in better environments (training facilities, stadiums, etc).

I’ll be honest currently the Q-cup is tough to watch with low to no crowds, poor streaming, low exposure, poor playing venues, huge discrepancies between player and team qualities. If I as a big fan of reserve grade am losing interest in watching it, how can we expect these budding players have any interest in waiting 2-3 years developing in a shithouse competition when they can go make a quick buck and get fake elsewhere but take much longer to properly develop.

Someone like @1910 is big on reserve grade and I am curious what he and many of you others think about implementing such a change, sooner rather than later.

I like the thinking, and agree that the Q cup may not be working. But I don't think trying to rehash the under 20's is the way to go either.

I actually think it's as simple as bringing back a re worked BRL and the old Sydney comp as a combined 16 to 18 y.o comp, and getting more ex NRL players looking to become NRL coaches and ex NRL coaches coaching at that level, and trying to fast track the development that way.

If you use a remodeled BRL for example as a template, it could look something like this:
Wests Springfield Panthers
East Tigers
Souths Logan Magpies
Burleigh Bears
Norths Devils
Caboolture Snakes (Cowboys has a ring to it though)
Ipswich Jets
Wynnum Manly Seagulls
Redcliffe Dolphins
Aspley Broncos

 

[mrslong]

Interestingly, Wayne spoke to the North side leagues clubs earlier this year. He came in and basically said that the Dolphins would no longer be taking the best players from the Junior clubs because the best interest for the Dolphins is a strong Junior leagues competition, not one strong team in an inferior comp (which is happening now, the Dolphins rape all the local Junior leagues clubs - and I'm sure all the QCup teams do the same). The mentality is that now the Dolphins don't give a Fk about QCup, it's NRL now and playing with the big boys.

A strengthened Junior/grass roots comp has got to pay dividends for the Broncos, because that's basically what they tried to do when they disbanded the Cydesdales and spread their players around. Probably Wayne's idea in the first place.

 

[Mustafur]

There should be a national 2nd tier competition already, NSW cup is unfairly higher quality then QCup because they have way more teams to fill the Reserves with from first grade sides(meaning many of the better 2nd tier players from qld are going to be signed by nsw clubs and put in that competition rather then ours, meaning making the leap from that to first grade is much larger then it would be in NSW), that for a starter should happen.

 

[Big Pete]

I'm not sure if the issue is as pronounced as it should be Mustafur. I agree the NSW Cup has more talent but the competition is poorly run in comparison and I don't think the teams are as well run as the QCup. That's why we're seeing clubs like Melbourne and the Warriors link up with the QCup despite flirtations with the NSW Cup because there is some professionalism behind it. Whereas the NSW Cup is treated like the red headed step child and very few clubs actually put any vested interest in their clubs.

Which is crazy to me because clubs like Canterbury, St George, Parramatta etc. would pride themselves on their reserve grade results. It's actually one area the Panthers have been fantastic in and we're seeing the results of that now. We all knew how good Kikau was going to be because he was just dominating teams in NSW Cup the year before.