It is not simpy the spoon but year upon year of failure. No clear plan on how or why the team will improve and the continued instability of the club. Recruiting established stars has absolutely nothing to do with how our junior systems are run or named. The would be recruit is already beyond that level and most likely has no ties to our junior system. Why would they care about any of it?
(Admittedly i don't truly know the set up, but) I can see more arguments against merging our junior sides than for it.
The arguments for is one club with clear pathways and a style of football to be played the whole way through. It has some merit but, in my opinion very little. It would ease players moving through the different grades mid-season. I certainly believe that the structures in place in first grade should be replicated in reserve grade (i dont care what name the reserve grade plays under) but below that i don't see the need to make it club wide.
The arguments against merging juniors is that it keeps the pre-merger identities. By this i dont simply mean as Balmain Tigers and Wests Magpies but i mean as a sense of our club being a part to each community. This is needed to ensure the next generation in these areas grow up to be Wests Tigers fans. More importantly, this also allows us to continue to draw talent from two areas instead of limiting it to just the one. Quite simply we would have a difficult time convincing any Balmain kids to travel to Campbelltown 2 or 3 times a week to train or vice versa. Worse still would be trying to convince them all to go to Concord and losing our identity and attachment to both areas.
