The structure of rugby league, with its national under-20s competition, might be good for the entertainment it provides, but it’s failed miserably in developing the stars of the future.
Once upon a time on match day, three grades of the same two opponents would go head-to-head. That fell to one, and was increased again to two, but it’s still the wrong two grades playing.
The introduction of the NYC Toyota Cup in 2008 boosted the code’s TV ratings, with fans able to watch and be entertained by the game’s future stars before the main NRL fixture. But the competition has failed in terms of player and people development.
It’s imperative that all 16 NRL clubs have two fully fledged grades. But the second-tier should go back to being reserve grade, rather than an under-20s competition.
In the present form, the gap between the NRL and the next tier competition is staggering. There’s also confusion about which competition is actually the number two competition – the Queensland Cup, NSW Cup or the Toyota Cup?
Players not quite good enough to play in the NRL now find themselves in limbo, with no clear development path back into the NRL because there are three competitions fighting it to be the number two competition where NRL contenders can prove their talents.
The Toyota Cup has also resulted in young players being elevated to a national level ahead of their time, before they can handle the fame, attention and hard-knocks that come with top-flight football.
When a young player is dropped from the NRL or NYC now, the first thing many do is ring their manager to seek a release, rather than fighting their way back into the top side. As a result of the national exposure of the under-20s competition, young players are pampered and pumped up by managers and groupies that have seen them once or twice on television.
The sparkling form of Ben Barba for the Bulldogs at Toyota Cup level last year, combined with a string of injuries to the NRL side, forced Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes to select the young player at NRL level.
With a more established and experienced first-grade side, this year the Bulldogs have decided it best for Barba to play NSW Cup. Having gone from playing in big stadiums and as the opener to NRL matches, Barba is understandably struggling with the knock to his ego from now playing at park venues.
Without a proper second-grade side, Broncos coach Ivan Henjak last Monday was forced to bring in virtually a new backline for the match against Cronulla, and could not properly prepare the side as a result. Young players such as fullback Dale Copley and halfback Ben Hunt were thrown to the wolves before they were ready.
The following structure will provide a better pathway for young players:
– The NRL should change the Toyota Cup to a fully fledged reserve grade competition. The NSWRL should bring back the U/20 Jersey Flegg competition, in a 12-week format similar to what it had in 2003, and the QRL should bring in the Allan Langer Cup for the U/20s.
– All NRL clubs should have an alignment with a Queensland Cup and/or NSW Bundaberg Red Cup side (Warriors excluded) for players from the under age competitions or those not wanted in reserve grade.
– At junior levels, U/16 and U/18 competitions should be restricted to eight rounds, with a merged national competition for the finals, as the ARL did this year.
– With a reserve grade competition in place the ‘fresh interchange’ players should only be two for the NRL competition with a total of six interchanges. Three players from the reserve grade can be used as replacements and whoever they come on for are subbed out of the game with the other competitions to have a 10-4 interchange setup that is currently in place at NRL level.
Thus, the pool from the bottom up would look like this:
Level 1 (8 Rounds, 4 Finals) – Harold Matthews & Cyril Connell Cups (U/16)
Level 2 (8 Rounds, 4 Finals) – SG Ball and Mal Meninga Cups (U/18)
Level 3 (12 Rounds, 4 Finals) – Jersey Flegg and Allan Langer Cups (U/20)
Level 4 (25 Rounds, 5 Finals) – Bundaberg Red and Queensland Cups (Open Age)
Level 5 (26 Rounds, 4 Finals) – Toyota Cup (Open Age)
Level 6 (26 Rounds, 4 Finals) – NRL Premiership (Open Age)
The progression from Levels 1 to 6 will be smooth and the NRL would still have viable television content to sell in the Toyota Cup, Bundaberg Red Cup and Queensland Cup competitions. In fact, the standard and toughness of the Toyota Cup – as a fully-fledged second grade competition – would be better than the current Toyota Cup, and the standard of the two “third” grade competitions the Bundaberg Red Cup and Queensland Cup would be much stronger than what it is currently.
This system means young players won’t be lost from the game, as they will benefit from a clear pathway and rugby league’s strong junior development system, perhaps the standout among all football codes. Experienced players and players over the age of 20 also won’t be lost so early.
The structure can also grow as the game does, with the option for a fully-fledged reserve grade at Bundaberg Red Cup and Queensland Cup levels as the code expands commercially.
No system is perfect, but this lower grade system is far more effective at developing the future of the code.
In Edition Eleven of Discord this week, Rleague.com weekly feature columnist Steve Mascord pays tribute to Queensland and their historic win, looks at the impact the global financial crisis is having on rugby league coverage, and wonders about the use of brown paper bags to get around the salary cap. You can read Discord by clicking here.
Rleague’s Chris Riediger also looks at whether the presence of Andrew Johns on the NSW Blues coaching staff is hindering selectors from making the right team selections.
Matthew O’Neill is a Director and Columnist with www.rleague.com.
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