Eels Blogs

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  ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER September 16, 2016 at 8:47pm

  you are right Ross but when I was just a young kid my coach said to us the bigger they are the harder they fall and he said knot there legs out from them because they cant run with legs and it work because we were a small team but a good team and we won the grand final 3 years in a row from 12 years to 15 years
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  Ghost Fromdapast September 16, 2016 at 8:54pm

  Bring back the 4 stone 11s !
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  1ee September 16, 2016 at 8:57pm

  As soon as the little fellas get a growth Spurt the gap lessens. If the fat kid doesn't keep his fitness he will just be a big fat kid.
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  El patrón MDV September 16, 2016 at 9:00pm

  YES
  
  
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  1Eyed Eel September 17, 2016 at 1:43am

  So I coach Division 1 Under 9s and at this stage, I can tell you from my point of view size isn't a huge issue. My boy would be one of the smaller boys in the division and he was one of my top couple of defenders in our side. At this age, the boys with the better technique have it all over the kids with size because if you're able to tackle low with good technique, size is pretty much irrelevant. In fact, in terms of force in a tackle, the quicker kids are much harder to tackle than the big lumbering boys.

  All that said, the District is running a Restricted Weight competition at the moment so they are looking at it. I can see the value of each age group having a Restricted Weight division. In Parramatta you generally have four divisions. Keep the top two divisions open slather, and then split the bottom two divisions into an overs and unders on size.

  Size starts to become an issue once you have to switch to the kids tackling high because that becomes a battle of strength rather than technique. I've always said that the biggest thing that Rugby League could do to bring smaller players back into the game is to reward the traditional grass cutter tackle, by letting the tackler get back into a marker position so they are rewarded with a slow play the ball, rather than giving away a quick play the ball as they do now.
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  Mathew Clarke September 17, 2016 at 3:52pm

  Some kids are just naturally big when they are young, it doesn't always carry on to when they are older. Same goes as some kids are small when they are young but grow when they get older. The game is only getting faster and super huge guys will be left behind unless they possess stamina as well. Talent will always surpass size as long as they stick with it. Alfie Langer, Preston Campbell, and a list that goes on. Those who are talented and determined will make the best players, regardless of size.
• Michael Ryan September 17, 2016 at 5:26pm

  Funny story I will relate to you. Back in 2006 I was coaching the Tumbarumba under 7's and we played in the Wagga Wagga competition. One day we played the Wagga Kangaroos who had this massive kid called Eddie who use to run amok. Eddie use to put his hip into players as he ran and left many kids on the ground crying and hurt much to the delight of his toothless dole budging father. I had a tiny 5 year old player called Aiden who was playing his first game and made his first run and Eddie absolutely smashed him and flopped on him. Aiden much too Eddie and his father's disgust got up smiling and laughing. As the game went on Eddie gouged kicked and threatened my players and they all laughed at him, near the end of the game Eddie made a run and the whole team made a beeline for him and absolutely smashed him as he laid on the ground crying Aiden came from off the field and flopped on him and stood over him with the biggest grin.Eddies father went ballistic and threatened Aiden with retribution. Aiden's father went over and quietly spoke to this bloke and he left in a hurry.