I dont disagree with what you have said.
I was just pointing out that the concept of "investing in potential" is a waste of time if we never see the return on investment.
Who in our current squad have we invested in that we have actually seen a return from? I actually don't think there is a single player. Everyone of note has been bought from other sides. The ones we invest in always seem to leave.
I trust that we will be turning that corner soon (how long is a piece of string) - especially if Shaun delivers on his goal of having the best NRL pathways system in the world. There is a lot to be done but there are indicators that we are on the improve. I also think that our external investment strategy is improving.
If we put Galvin aside, as he is a special case that never wanted to be here, and use TDS as a case study we see a glimpse of a maturing programme. TDS was the next big thing and we gave him an opportunity to learn under the mentorship of Api. Behind him we had Haywood as depth. TDS pushes for a starting spot and $ that would bend the cap and was not yet ready to take more minutes from Api. Haywood was identified in the pathways as having a higher ceiling than TDS. So instead of holding TDS back we let him go and prioritsed Haywood. TDS, has an opportunity to be exposed to other systems and could well find his way back (if needed) but the key is that we didn't let him go without a backup plan. Luke L on the wing is another junior that now has Makasini blocking his path, so again allowed to move on with the focus shifting to someone deeper in that pathway
I get the feeling that Benji and Co have a good feel for Bula's ceiling and have identifed Attard as a better long term option. He has been recruited from outside of our system in front of Brooks as someone identified the need for a short to medium term option. I expect, based on Bula's performance and probably the "vibe" around the upcoming contract negotiation. Good insurance in my book.
I don't look at being a "Pathways" club as necessarily being totally focussed on being a "junior development club" per se. When we have juniors in our system we nurture them, but when we identify potential shortfalls we recruit them into the pathway as early as possible and develop our needs.
25 odd years on, and due to lack of foresight and investment, it is still very early in the development of the pathways system. We still have a long way to go. Add to that our junior base being pilfered by recruitment based clubs due to our lack of on field performance and investment, and the picture is a little bleak. With the "largest recruitment pool" in the NRL our Wests and Balmain junior reps are performing below par; however, are still throwing up developement prospects like Brooks, Godinet, Havea Jnr and CTM.
Our historic lack of investment in grass roots footy is showing - if we are serious about developing our pathways Shaun needs to convince HBG to invest in the future by spending now on our junior and coaching development. We concurrently need to identify outside talent and bring them into our system early.
Until we have that level of investment, depth will remain hit and miss and I think we will continue to see a bit of a turnstyle in the pathways system.
