When do clubs need to develop?

[Scorchie]

In the Phins thread there was a lot of talk about feeder clubs (Falcons etc) and it got me wondering about development.

At what stage should a club need to stand on its own two feet in terms of development and not pilfer from other areas where there are established clubs?

Sydney largely has development areas and 1-2 clubs pilfer but it’s not like the Roosters go play weekends out at Penrith. Yet we have the Storm’s “system” being the Falcons, a mere 2.5 hour flight plus cars away from their home base.

Given the Storm are entering their now 24th season, is 24 seasons enough to have built your own in-state pathways? Should Canberra, 34 years on, have strongly built their own and not relied on Queensland feeders?

 

[Wolfie]

In the Phins thread there was a lot of talk about feeder clubs (Falcons etc) and it got me wondering about development.

At what stage should a club need to stand on its own two feet in terms of development and not pilfer from other areas where there are established clubs?

Sydney largely has development areas and 1-2 clubs pilfer but it’s not like the Roosters go play weekends out at Penrith. Yet we have the Storm’s “system” being the Falcons, a mere 2.5 hour flight plus cars away from their home base.

Given the Storm are entering their now 24th season, is 24 seasons enough to have built your own in-state pathways? Should Canberra, 34 years on, have strongly built their own and not relied on Queensland feeders?

Storm tbf have no problem developing their players. They are excellent at it really. I think like you said after so many years now they should really have more local players breaking through. Saying that, i dont have a clue if its even pheasable for them to produce Victorian players on a large scale as i dont know the quality of the competitions down there.

 

[Scorchie]

24 seasons and <10 locally developed (successful) players, give or take?

 

[Allo]

Who have the Storm had as legitimate Vic players? Young Onomatopoeia and Richie Kennar.

Clearly have done a great job down there

 

[Big Pete]

Fonua and Ieremia as well.

I just look at the AFL and while they're having more success with the Lions developing their own talent, the truth of the matter is they're still heavily relying on Victorian clubs to produce their talent for them despite all their success. It's just the nature of the divide of the two footy codes that the most athletically gifted kids are going to go to AFL and ignore Rugby League unless they have some sort of family link to it. Is it any shock that the Victorian players that have come through all happen to be polynesian?

I think it's the reality of an expansion team that they're going to have to rely on heartlands for talent. The other issue is that the NRL has to get more involved and it can't just be up to the Melbourne Storm to win competitions AND prop up a small Victorian Ruby League system. Especially at a time where it's getting harder and harder to convince parents to let their kids play and risk brain injuries.

I mean we could just go the other way, call a spade a spade and just call them the Sunshine Coast Storm. Does that really fix anything?

 

[BroncosFever]

Melbourne should have set up something up locally by now, they very well may have, just haven't quite seen it in the NRL yet.

If not they are setting themselves up for failure, sustained success is generated through development, they won't always have a Craig Bellamy.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

In the Phins thread there was a lot of talk about feeder clubs (Falcons etc) and it got me wondering about development.

At what stage should a club need to stand on its own two feet in terms of development and not pilfer from other areas where there are established clubs?

Sydney largely has development areas and 1-2 clubs pilfer but it’s not like the Roosters go play weekends out at Penrith. Yet we have the Storm’s “system” being the Falcons, a mere 2.5 hour flight plus cars away from their home base.

Given the Storm are entering their now 24th season, is 24 seasons enough to have built your own in-state pathways? Should Canberra, 34 years on, have strongly built their own and not relied on Queensland feeders?

The storm section I MASSIVELY agree with, however, harsh on the raiders.

They have a good history of developing local players. Yes they sprinkle it with queesnlanders, but no more then any other club.


The storm on the other hand haha... they're indefensible, it's a joke any time someone even tries to argue they have done the right thing by the game in general and in Victoria. It's downright disgusting what they have done for the game. Any team with even 1/10th of the success (which they also cheated to obtain) they have had would have provided more growth of the game in the region over a quarter of a fucking century!
The nrl and its clubs are there for one reason. To grow the fucking game of rugby league! The storm would sooner be the biggest fish in a tiny puddle them live in the pacific ocean if it meant their success being taken away. EXPANSION. THATS WHY THEY WERE BROUGHT IN!!!...
I don't want the dolphins to be more successful then us, but **** it, if it means the storms false/bs "development" skills get shown up when the already established qld pathways and ingrained appetite for the game gets torn away from them then I will very happily stomach it.

If the storm are soooo fucking great at development. Then fucking develop some out of Victoria you flogs! They are even developing nfl players out of there!!!!! The BS excuses are over!

 

[Big Pete]

The Raiders already had a strong junior base to work off of, Melbourne are clearly disadvantaged by comparison.

Again, if they had have called them the Norths Brisbane Storm, would that make things any better? Would they still attract a Melbourne audience for the big finals game? No and that's where their value is.

Melbourne do their part in Victoria with the Thunderbolts, if the NRL wants to get serious about developing Victorian talent they have to come up with a program like Auskick just like the AFL did with Brisbane.

Even so, it's not like the majority of the Lions line-up is made up of Brisbane talent either. That's just the way expansion clubs are and they've existed since what? 1986 with the Bears?

 

[Wolfie]

Having plenty of people in Victoria doesnt necessarily equate to them being able to have any quality players. If the kids down there dont play the game in enough numbers to get quality footballers it wont ever matter how good their development process is. Thats not really something they can control. They can certainly help by promoting the game, but maybe AFL is just way too dominant down there.

 

[Xzei]

Does western australia have a local comp?

 

[Big Pete]

Does western australia have a local comp?

Every state and territory has a local competition, I will say that the WA comp is typically the strongest outside of Queensland and New South Wales but even then the gulf between them and those two states is night and day.

 

[Scorchie]

Agree that players come from everywhere but maybe the difference is the $ clubs put back into their local area to develop league further?

 

[Big Pete]

There's certainly some clubs that invest more in player development than others but there are others that are profiteering from pathway systems that existed well before they came into existence.

 

[Wolfie]

Agree that players come from everywhere but maybe the difference is the $ clubs put back into their local area to develop league further?

They should put money back into their local areas imo. The Storms problem is i think no matter how much money they throw at it i doubt they will ever be about to produce even 30 percent of their squad as locals.

 

[Sproj]

Qld has produced:

Jason Akermanis
Aliir Aliir
Harris Andrews
Marcus Ashcroft
Dayne Beams
Charlie Cameron
Charlie Dixon
Jason Dunstall
Eric Hipwood
Mal Michael
Nick Reiwoldt
Kurt Tippett
Michael Voss
Lachie Weller
Dayne Zorko

Among MANY, MANY others. These guys are all greats / upper echelon of the game.

Compare that to the what 4 Victorians in league?

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Qld has produced:

Jason Akermanis
Aliir Aliir
Harris Andrews
Marcus Ashcroft
Dayne Beams
Charlie Cameron
Charlie Dixon
Jason Dunstall
Eric Hipwood
Mal Michael
Nick Reiwoldt
Kurt Tippett
Michael Voss
Lachie Weller
Dayne Zorko

Among MANY, MANY others. These guys are all greats / upper echelon of the game.

Compare that to the what 4 Victorians in league?

I can't believe people are actually using the "afl is too dominant" argument STILL. 24 years, origins, premierships, the 2nd richest club in the nrl from all reports. There's a Victorian who just signed an nfl contract ffs. I can't believe these excuses for the storm are still getting trotted out.
Sure, use qld completely for a few years whole you build some pathways, but 25 bloody years! Hahaha it's joke people actually defend them here...

 

[Big Pete]

Qld has produced:

Jason Akermanis
Aliir Aliir
Harris Andrews
Marcus Ashcroft
Dayne Beams
Charlie Cameron
Charlie Dixon
Jason Dunstall
Eric Hipwood
Mal Michael
Nick Reiwoldt
Kurt Tippett
Michael Voss
Lachie Weller
Dayne Zorko

Among MANY, MANY others. These guys are all greats / upper echelon of the game.

Compare that to the what 4 Victorians in league?

Thanks for that and yet you'll still find that the majority of players, especially key figures in the team aren't from Brisbane. That's despite the AFL doing everything they can to break into the Brisbane market over a decade before Melbourne.

If the NRL supported their expansion clubs as well as the AFL have supported theirs we would see similar results.

 

[Scorchie]

Thanks for that and yet you'll still find that the majority of players, especially key figures in the team aren't from Brisbane. That's despite the AFL doing everything they can to break into the Brisbane market over a decade before Melbourne.

If the NRL supported their expansion clubs as well as the AFL have supported theirs we would see similar results.

Maybe with our billion dollar deal (same press release as last time we got a deal it felt like!) we can!