OFFICIAL SG Ball Cup

[Bus 2 Terrigal]

I don't think anyone ever thought we'd win every game.
The youngsters are all on a developing trajectory.
A pathway is just that - a means to evolve.

Unbelievably, after one sub par weekend, many are reacting like the wheels have fallen off 🤪

Canberra are super strong in SG Ball (with the addition of the star Cronulla fullback) and the Matt’s side is also undefeated. The Raiders SG Ball team put 66 on the Storm earlier in the season and are short priced to win comp.

Lets see how the boys bounce back at Penrith this weekend.
The Magpies remain well in the mix 👍

 

[jirskyr]

I don't think anyone ever thought we'd win every game.
The youngsters are all on a developing trajectory.
A pathway is just that - a means to evolve.

These junior teams drop matches all the time... same as first-grade sides do, but however strong you think your juniors are, they are still kids and can totally lose their way on the day.

 

[rihannafan1]

Hold on. We're talking about juniors here. 16 and 17 year old kids? This is what people are getting upset about?

You only have yourself to blame if you're disappointed in the play of complete amateur school kids. After one loss.

Bring on the NRL season already ffs.

 

[tunks]

Ok. Big apology to the NBWT guy. I shouldn't have leveled all my WT frustration at him.

I've just been around roo long to see kids pumped up, then ridiculed here by the same people that pumped them up only months prior.

I wrote something months ago about kids not being developed through lower grades. Someone here took great delight in pointing out that the facts were something along the lines of : If you haven't made NRL by 20 you can't play.

Sheens is to blame for the way he has publicly talked these kids up. It does young kids no good to hear that talk in the media, I'm surprised such an experienced coach in Sheens made those comments.

 

[Tucker]

Hold on. We're talking about juniors here. 16 and 17 year old kids? This is what people are getting upset about?

You only have yourself to blame if you're disappointed in the play of complete amateur school kids. After one loss.

Bring on the NRL season already ffs.

I’m assuming this is directed at me?
I don’t live in Canberra. I was down there for work and stuck around on the Saturday to watch the junior sides that our club and supporters have spoken so highly about.
I think they are perfectly adequate for their age group. Nothing more.
I really hope we continue our recruitment drive as I suspect this particular group is not hitting first grade until the end of Benji’s contract.

 

[fibrodreaming]

I’m assuming this is directed at me?
I don’t live in Canberra. I was down there for work and stuck around on the Saturday to watch the junior sides that our club and supporters have spoken so highly about.
I think they are perfectly adequate for their age group. Nothing more.
I really hope we continue our recruitment drive as I suspect this particular group is not hitting first grade until the end of Benji’s contract.

It’s one game at their home ground get a grip.

It could be directed at me. I said I expected more from this squad and they were outplayed across the park.

The thing that amuses me is that there are a number of people who have an opinion about this game, and yet they never saw the match. What's more, they are very willing to tell people who did see the match what they should think about it.

And they roll out lots of clichés to demonstrate how unimportant the result is.

For example;

Some are acting like the wheels are falling off (whatever that means in this context). Did anyone say that?

Or,the fact that junior teams drop matches all the time. Must confess, I didn't know that. (Are they flogged all the time? Maybe the poor ones are).

Or, they are only 16 and 17 year olds. I thought SG Ball was under 19, but who cares, they were flogged whatever their ages.

Or, its only one loss away from home. True, of course, but it's not the fact that we lost, it was how we lost that is significant.

I can believe that people want to believe that these juniors are going to lead us to the promised land, and maybe they will form the nucleus of a competitive side in the future. I certainly hope so. But we need to keep an open mind on the matter.

You mentioned above that: "I think they are perfectly adequate for their age group. Nothing more." I agree. Let's not get too carried away with the hype.

 

[jojo]

Definietly need to keep a little bit of perspective. Losses happen, good teams play poorly and both of these are especially true and more common for juniors. Obviously there are comparisons with the Penrith juniors whenever anyone talks about ours coming through. The 2015 Penrith SG Ball team with Cleary, Luai, Liam Martin didn't make the Grand Final. They kept adding pieces and they won 20s a few years later. We have our talent spread across two junior teams and will no doubt add pieces the next couple of years. The sky hasnt fallen in.

 

[barnzee]

Ok. Big apology to the NBWT guy. I shouldn't have leveled all my WT frustration at him.

I've just been around roo long to see kids pumped up, then ridiculed here by the same people that pumped them up only months prior.

I wrote something months ago about kids not being developed through lower grades. Someone here took great delight in pointing out that the facts were something along the lines of : If you haven't made NRL by 20 you can't play.

Sheens is to blame for the way he has publicly talked these kids up. It does young kids no good to hear that talk in the media, I'm surprised such an experienced coach in Sheens made those comments.

Yeah Have to agree those young blokes dont need to be pumped up in the media , but I guess thats the only positive thing that was happening at the time for the club , winning the Harrold Matts comp .

 

[Tucker]

It could be directed at me. I said I expected more from this squad and they were outplayed across the park.

The thing that amuses me is that there are a number of people who have an opinion about this game, and yet they never saw the match. What's more, they are very willing to tell people who did see the match what they should think about it.

And they roll out lots of clichés to demonstrate how unimportant the result is.

For example;

Some are acting like the wheels are falling off (whatever that means in this context). Did anyone say that?

Or,the fact that junior teams drop matches all the time. Must confess, I didn't know that. (Are they flogged all the time? Maybe the poor ones are).

Or, they are only 16 and 17 year olds. I thought SG Ball was under 19, but who cares, they were flogged whatever their ages.

Or, its only one loss away from home. True, of course, but it's not the fact that we lost, it was how we lost that is significant.

I can believe that people want to believe that these juniors are going to lead us to the promised land, and maybe they will form the nucleus of a competitive side in the future. I certainly hope so. But we need to keep an open mind on the matter.

You mentioned above that: "I think they are perfectly adequate for their age group. Nothing more." I agree. Let's not get too carried away with the hype.

Well said mate. I’ll admit I got caught up in the hype.
From now on, it’ll be casual interest, congratulate them when they win and move on.

 

[Needaname]

I think everyone's been caught up in the Sheens hype.
Might have been best to keep quiet so the kids could go about their business without the unreasonable expectations of every supporter.

To be fair. After watching Wests HM last year I thought to myself we have decent prospects at 1,8,9,11(6), 13 and was pleased to hear that by the end of the year Sheens and everyone else confirmed my feelings on the players and in the end I wasn’t just a crazy fan.
Basically, the supporters could see their potential long before they were publicly given a wrap.

 

[Vicious]

Don’t forget it’s only a very small percentage that are NRL ready at 18,19 or 20.
The majority are still maturing and growing into their bodies and will not be NRL ready until they are 21 or 22, sometimes later.

 

[Tucker]

I think everyone's been caught up in the Sheens hype.
Might have been best to keep quiet so the kids could go about their business without the unreasonable expectations of every supporter.

There are members on here just as much to blame.
When a guy who doesn’t follow the juniors too much due to geography limitations hears and reads reports from those who do, including the club, that we have a crop coming through to rival Penrith, my interest is peaked. It’s only natural.
That has now been tempered back to suitable levels.
The crop coming through may well resemble Penrith mark 2…we aren’t going to know for a fair while yet though.

 

[Needaname]

There are members on here just as much to blame.
When a guy who doesn’t follow the juniors too much due to geography limitations hears and reads reports from those who do, including the club, that we have a crop coming through to rival Penrith, my interest is peaked. It’s only natural.
That has now been tempered back to suitable levels.
The crop coming through may well resemble Penrith mark 2…we aren’t going to know for a fair while yet though.

Individual talent aside, what we are starting to see is a galvanised junior base, majority of these kids have come together through the same school boy teams and are still keen to play together despite having the opportunity to segregate and try their hand at other more fancied clubs.
Young Jordan Millar knocked back possibly a development contract with the Dolphins to continue to ply his craft with his mates in Wests SGball.
There are some gems amongst the group but the part that is really important is that these boys want to stay local and play together. We will only rival Penrith when this attitude continues to foster through all the grades.
Our current Flegg team is a mish mash of players from just about everywhere.
Ultimately with 2 junior rep clubs feeding into the one side we should be able to fill that squad with all the players from these sides.
Over the past couple of years we’ve recruited Queensland, NZ school boys whom are still SG ball age, having them ingrained in the system at an earlier age will only aid in making our Flegg / back up NRL players more successful as a whole.

 

[Camel2281]

Feledy will be an interesting watch. Apparently manly believe he’s one the ‘carve up juniors but will get found out against men’ type. Could be sour grapes but I got told they weren’t fussed about him leaving (in the long term).

Manly picked up Fletcher Myers from Newcastle who is a similar age and same position who was fantastic in the first trial until he got spear tackled

 

[Tucker]

Individual talent aside, what we are starting to see is a galvanised junior base, majority of these kids have come together through the same school boy teams and are still keen to play together despite having the opportunity to segregate and try their hand at other more fancied clubs.
Young Jordan Millar knocked back possibly a development contract with the Dolphins to continue to ply his craft with his mates in Wests SGball.
There are some gems amongst the group but the part that is really important is that these boys want to stay local and play together. We will only rival Penrith when this attitude continues to foster through all the grades.
Our current Flegg team is a mish mash of players from just about everywhere.
Ultimately with 2 junior rep clubs feeding into the one side we should be able to fill that squad with all the players from these sides.
Over the past couple of years we’ve recruited Queensland, NZ school boys whom are still SG ball age, having them ingrained in the system at an earlier age will only aid in making our Flegg / back up NRL players more successful as a whole.

I’m hoping this is the case.
Depth has always been an issue here.
When these young blokes funnel into Flegg, our reserves should be strong.
I’m thinking 3 years away for this and another couple until they progress to top grade.
I suspect no quick fixes are in-coming, despite the clubs faith in “the best group of juniors I’ve ever seen”.

 

[balmain boy]

There are members on here just as much to blame.
When a guy who doesn’t follow the juniors too much due to geography limitations hears and reads reports from those who do, including the club, that we have a crop coming through to rival Penrith, my interest is peaked. It’s only natural.
That has now been tempered back to suitable levels.
The crop coming through may well resemble Penrith mark 2…we aren’t going to know for a fair while yet though.

You're a tad drammatic. It almost seems like you expected us to beat an extremely strong Canberra side 100-0. As if one off performance defines the players and club.

They're all very young, they will have good games and poorer games, they will make mistakes and poor decisions. If too many players have these on the same day then the team will struggle.

What we have in our juniors now is lightyears ahead of what we've had for the past decade. We haven't had ANY juniors of not to get excited about since the big 4. We need to get to the situation where we always have juniors to get excited about in junior reps, that all of those teams can provide first graders, the penrith type production line of talent, whereby when you lose a star you have a ready made replacement already at the club.

This is the start of that process for us.

 

[Tucker]

We haven't had ANY juniors of not to get excited about since the big 4.

Matamua?

We need to get to the situation where we always have juniors to get excited about in junior reps, that all of those teams can provide first graders, the penrith type production line of talent, whereby when you lose a star you have a ready made replacement already at the club.

I agree and that’s what I was interested in watching. I don’t care they lost, it’s the way individuals played that was concerning.

 

[ancient_magpie]

Matamua?

I agree and that’s what I was interested in watching. I don’t care they lost, it’s the way individuals played that was concerning.

Only seven of the 17 who won the matts grand final played against canberra in s g ball on sat.Idont know if that was because of injury or form or whatever.Their all very young and its a bit of a jump from matts to s g ball and i think the canberra side was a lot more experianced.

 

[jrtiger]

nothing to worry about. one bad week doesn't put a line through these juniors. while I agree that Laulili'i and Fa'agutu are still a little while away, it was their first week back after a couple weeks off from injury. plenty of factors that could be responsible for the performance, but these are important games in the development of these players.

 

[Needaname]

If you’re interested. The top of the table clash between Parra and Raiders is in NSWRL tv this week. Parra has Ethan Strange the kid that supposedly is ready to replace Brooks or Doeuihi in first grade.
So far after watching all Tv games and a bit of the SG at Camden in summary there are talented juniors everywhere one or two of ours may be top of the pot, though this stage that is an SG ball comparison only.