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Are the Waratahs recruiting from the wrong places?

Roar Rookie
7th May, 2017
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The Waratahs have reached rock bottom. Can they try and rebound? Friday, April 21, 2017. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
Roar Rookie
7th May, 2017
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1763 Reads

Watching the NSW Waratahs this year has created a few long moments for reflection on the team’s obvious troubles.

As the Aucklanders continually bent the line at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, it seemed that the Blues were simply bigger and more determined than the locals. The question seemed to be whether the core problem was the capacity of the players or the depth of their motivation.

So who are these players and where do they come from?

One group of the current crop are players who haven’t come through the AAGPS system, and they include Israel Folau (Marsden State High School, QLD), Jake Gordon (Blackwattle Bay School, NSW), Michael Hooper (St Pius X College, NSW), Rob Horne (Georges River College, NSW), Sekope Kepu (Wesley College, New Zealand), Tolu Latu (South Sydney High School, NSW), Reece Robinson (Randwick Boys High School, NSW) and Will Skelton (Hills Sports High School, NSW).

Of this group, all bar one are Wallabies of distinction, while Jake Gordon certainly has the potential to join them.

The second group comprises GPS players, and at least 13 of the current squad have played for the Joeys, Iggies, Scots, Kings, Newington, Knox and Aloys. Of those players, only three are Wallabies of distinction.

This leads to the question of whether NSW recruits badly, too often sourcing talent from traditional sources for a professional franchise with title aspirations.

This is a franchise, don’t forget, that has won just one title in the 21 years since the competition began in 1996.

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It may be noteworthy that in the year of victory then coach Michael Cheika was reported to have taken charge of recruiting and brought Kurtley Beale, Folau, Wycliff Palu and Jacques Potgieter from non-traditional sources – though, yes, I acknowledge Beale played for the Joeys on a scholarship; the point is that he was recruited from the Rebels in 2014.

Since that time, recruitment has returned to standard, with at least ten of this year’s newbies coming from traditional sources.

I have always considered NSW as a much better side when Lote Tuqiri and Matt Rogers were on the field, the two being recruitments from the top draw of the NRL, and I vividly remember Rogers being injured for some weeks and NSW being belted all over the field until his return brought the team back to its winning ways.

The traditional sources of recruitment comprise only small pools of players, and I think NSW needs to decide whether to continue on its well-trodden and unsuccessful path or to become a professionally recruiting franchise.

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