Has BA Lost Trust In Our Juniors

Anyone who is a regular watcher of U20s and Wenty has been very disappointed by the extremely poor performances this year. Is this because we have poor players or poor coaches? Some of our quality players last year in U20s and Wenty have gone backwards this year.

Ryan Matterson, who was signed to a 3 year contract last year, has apparently been told to look elsewhere. He played with the junior Kangaroos last year so your in the top echelon of junior players to make that team.

Where do you sheet home the blame. In my opinion it rests with the coaches and their support team. Unfortunately the club, or BA in particular, is blaming the players. His reluctance to give these players a go in first grade, as in Alvaro and with Matterson, means BA thinks the players are to blame.

Now we cannot fill all our positions with juniors but unfortunately we seem intent on buying players, at a much higher cost, than utilising any of our juniors. Now I am sure if some of these players were promoted to first grade, with a better coach and players around them, they may reach their true potential. Sadly we may never know until these players go elsewhere to become stars.

My blog was prompted, not by cap restraint problems, but by two specific instances. One being the shabby treatment of Alvaro by BA in basically not playing him and Matterson, a top 25 contracted player I believe, been told to look elsewhere as obviously his form has dropped off. He could have been promoted in place of Kelly who we had to ask for dispensation for I gather whereas with Matterson we had no such problems.

Some of our Wenty forwards would be in top 25 yet not one of those was promoted after all our initial injury and suspension problems. BA then picking small forwards imo directly contributed to our poor early season form. It was only when larger forwards started being picked (Storm game I think) that our performance started improving.

"I get it the ref didnt help our cause pretty much two tries in the first half came from ref intervention ....but we got no one to blame but ourselves pathetic "

Replies

sixtiesboy June 20, 2015 at 11:01am

I've said this before and it needs to be repeated, you have to consider the full picture of who can be used and who deserves to be used.
For who deserves a shot at the NRL, besides the coaching staff being the obvious decision makers, I'd be seeking the opinion of blokes like Forty or Ham.
As for the other elephant in the room, the cap has had a huge say.
Wenty had used 30 different players by about round 6. We were already behind the 8 ball cap wise and the injuries throughout all grades has busted it wide open. There are even NYC players that can't be played in Wenty due to the caps on all grades (eg Davis).
You need to consider these aspects. It has zero to do with juniors not getting a go.
- Glenn Lifetime Eel > sixtiesboy June 20, 2015 at 11:22am
  
  My blog was prompted, not by cap restraint problems, but by two specific instances. One being the shabby treatment of Alvaro by BA in basically not playing him and Matterson, a top 25 contracted player I believe, been told to look elsewhere as obviously his form has dropped off. He could have been promoted in place of Kelly who we had to ask for dispensation for I gather whereas with Matterson we had no such problems.
  
  Some of our Wenty forwards would be in top 25 yet not one of those was promoted after all our initial injury and suspension problems. BA then picking small forwards imo directly contributed to our poor early season form. It was only when larger forwards started being picked (Storm game I think) that our performance started improving.
- eels93 > sixtiesboy June 20, 2015 at 12:16pm
  
  I think it's unfair to say BA has no faith in the juniors based on 2 instances. 1 form drop happens all the time in young players it could be due to his attitude, you don't know. 2 he probably should of used Alvaro more but in the two games he was picked they were very tight affairs and decided to go for experience.
  
  As I've mentioned before you always conveniently leave out all the young players BA has shown faith in.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER June 20, 2015 at 11:02am

I hope we don't let Matterson go I think he make a good playing lock one day and if he does go we have to pay some of he's contract for the next 3 years so we be mad to let him go
slip June 20, 2015 at 11:11am

The person who didn't notice Gallen at the time he was playing junior football had a complete shocker.
- sixtiesboy > slip June 20, 2015 at 11:17am
  
  Brian Smith passed on him twice. Once as a junior, and once when he signed Riddell instead. Yes, Gallen was considering an offer to return to his junior club but Smith withdrew the offer. I liked Riddell as a player but we had the chance to sign Gallen in his prime years.
- Alan Hunt > slip June 20, 2015 at 11:36am
  
  lol Gallen was about 80kgs wringing wet when he left Parra, he had a motor and big ticker but no size. He bobbed up at the Sharks 18 months later well over 100kgs. In light of recent events at Cronulla is does make you wonder, or they have a great weights programme in the Shire. And he's been great value for them of late.
- Chris > slip June 20, 2015 at 1:20pm
  
  It just goes to show how hard this junior identification and retention is to get right. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
- The Offside Eel > slip June 20, 2015 at 2:05pm
  
  Gallen was a very small junior lets say he had a growtg spurt in between seasons and ended up a shark.
  Judgment calls on juniors is tough u pick them on what they can be not what they are in some cases they have it all then the game changes tules structure etc and the junior you invested in isn't the player u need now
slip June 20, 2015 at 11:22am

It was a major blunder 60's. Gallen would of been our captain today and a great leader. But I guess the biggest stuff up of all time was the Bulldogs letting go of Thurston. Lol They would of won more premierships after 2004 if they retained him.