Parramatta Eels U18 vye for national title

Parramatta Eels U18 team vye for national titleMay 12, 2017 1:29pmMelissa YeoParramatta AdvertiserPARRAMATTA’S juniors cemented their status as the most successful club in the under-18 competition this weekend, taking out the SG Ball Cup with a win over the Cronulla Sharks.It is the 12th time the blue and gold have taken home the silverware in the junior league and a sign of things to come for the club in the future.“There’s so much talent in our squad here – every kid has the potential, it’s just a matter of whether they have the drive to see it through,” coach Scott Jones said.“Our job as coaches is not just to win competitions but to develop players and these boys have really made it happen.”Quietly confident from the get-go, they came out all guns blazing for the final at Leichhart Oval, taking the lead by 12 points in the first 15 minutes.Left winger Ethan Parry was a standout early on, scoring two tries and snagging a hat-trick in the final moments but the Sharks’ attack had the boys on guard for the rest of the game.“At halftime I had to remind the boys that we couldn’t crack under pressure,” Jones said.“We focused on our completion rate and pulled through to come out on top.”It’s a familiar story for the team, most of whom are only 17 and going up against bigger counterparts.“We lacked a bit of size but we worked really well with what we had,” Jones said.“A lot of our best 18- year-olds were accelerated to the under-20s this year so we had to work to get our 17s up to scratch.”The training paid off for the juniors, just one game off a clean sweep.“A lot of the boys came through from our championship under- 16s and they hadn’t had a loss for a whole season – that was their first real flogging and it did well to motivate us for the rest of the season.”Jones is confident there are big things ahead for the juniors.“Our number one goal is getting these players through the pathway of the under- 20s then onto the NRL,” he said. “It’s good for the fans to see the club is moving forward.”

"We might well take a step back In 2027. I expect in any given year that up to half of all clubs will perform worse than the year before and up to half will perform better. Every club has a long term average for performance that correlates to their…"

"Yes we are building, that is my point, we are building but potentially we could take a step back in 2027 if our solution at 6 is a rookie with no first grade experience or very little. "

"Gus has been sorting his spine since 21'. Five years. We've almost sorted ours in a year or so. JR isn't blind: he's looking for a long-term six. Right now.
Who? Lorenzo, Pap, Risati, a recruit. Not sure. I love Paps. Hope he stays. But Risati seems…"

Replies

Putty May 12, 2017 at 5:49pm

It's not that they don't pay attention to their juniors they simply don't have many - the game is regressing rapidly in most areas of Sydney. Most Sydney NRL clubs are relying on juniors from Parra, Penrith and Campbelltown area's.

This SG ball squad is a special talent but Parra won't be able to keep them all - hopfully they'll at least get the pick of the bunch though! There are 7 parra players in Freddie's under 18 origin squad that will play before SOO 2 as well
- Thooper Dooper Maltese Sparrow > Putty May 12, 2017 at 6:52pm
  
  Go GWS!
  
  (I'm being sarcastic and realistic).
Longfin Eel May 12, 2017 at 6:07pm

These kids going through the Parra system with BA as head coach should ensure that the ones with the drive to succeed will prosper. The commitment and attitude from the NRL team will filter down. Looks like there is a lot of talent coming through and we should be able to retain the best. Other clubs who don't put in with juniors can fight over what's left.
Tin Tim May 12, 2017 at 11:44pm

Watch the other teams sign them up, happens all the time! Sucks!
- Poupou Escobar > Tin Tim May 13, 2017 at 12:03am
  
  That's because NYC has a salary cap. And next year there isn't even an NYC in which to stockpile players. SG Ball graduates will need to be signed into the top 30 (full time squad) or into one of only six 'development list' spots.

This reply was deleted.

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