General Auckland Rugby League General Discussion

[playdaball]

Steve Buckingham is doing a Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and code switching, coaching Ponsonby Ladies Rugby Union. Jeez , what would Bruce have to say LOL

 

[playdaball]

I’m not involved in local Akld RL anymore but I wonder how the local game is stacking up this year?
Over the last few years a number of clubs weren’t able to field senior teams, I’d suggest that it would be the same again . I can think of clubs such as Ellerslie, Mt Wellington, New Lynn, ECB, Pukekohe, Ponsonby ( played in Otago).

Rugby Union in Akld had similar situations too .

Can anybody provide an update?

 

[ramraider78]

I’m not involved in local Akld RL anymore but I wonder how the local game is stacking up this year?
Over the last few years a number of clubs weren’t able to field senior teams, I’d suggest that it would be the same again . I can think of clubs such as Ellerslie, Mt Wellington, New Lynn, ECB, Pukekohe, Ponsonby ( played in Otago).

Rugby Union in Akld had similar situations too .

Can anybody provide an update?

The game at grassroots is in trouble; Omnicron comp is being played, in 2 sections - shortened format. Some clubs will definitely struggle with a premier team let alone a reserve team.

 

[bruce]

This used to be such a great club

Several arrested as police swarm in on 'disorder incident' at sport club rooms

A resident noticed a large presence of police who were armed with guns and dogs.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[Viking]

This used to be such a great club

Several arrested as police swarm in on 'disorder incident' at sport club rooms

A resident noticed a large presence of police who were armed with guns and dogs.

www.nzherald.co.nz

It's still a good club, not a threat to the big guns in the Fox but probably has a team in most junior grades. One young idiot with a knife doesn't change that.

 

[Viking]

Heard that Papakura still struggling despite Ackland coaching prems this year. It would be hard to get good players from other clubs to drive out there, anything extra they'd earn would disappear at the petrol pump.

 

[playdaball]

Shame to hear

 

[playdaball]

Eiden Ackland is back at Mt Albert after playing at Blacktown ( Manly reserves).
Look for him to dedicate himself to life after football - lawyer.
I didn’t realise that his Dad was now not coaching Papakura.

 

[bangbros18]

Eiden Ackland is back at Mt Albert after playing at Blacktown ( Manly reserves).
Look for him to dedicate himself to life after football - lawyer.
I didn’t realise that his Dad was now not coaching Papakura.

Get john back at junior level for the warriors!

 

[bruce]

Steve Buckingham is doing a Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and code switching, coaching Ponsonby Ladies Rugby Union. Jeez , what would Bruce have to say LOL

Bruce was mates with George Rainey if I recall, real old school.

 

[playdaball]

Bruce was mates with George Rainey if I recall, real old school.

Yep, they were both nurserymen in New Lynn.
I actually thing Steve is back with the Mt Albert ladies team?

 

[playdaball]

Junior club football in Akld not in a great state.

 

[Viking]

Junior club football in Akld not in a great state.

That's an understatement. There's 9 girls teams and 7 boys teams in the u16s and 5 of each in the u18s. That's out of 29 clubs in the greater Auckland area. No u20s or OAR left.

The game is still strong at mini and mod levels.

I'm not a fan of the premiership grading rounds either, too many hidings dealt by the handful of clubs that can still pay players. Watched Glenora destroy Papakura 88-0 on Saturday and that score flattered Kura.

 

[Viking]

Te Atatu have bought well with Pat Vaivai and Api Pewhairangi. They've got a home game against Otahuhu this weekend, should be a good indicator of where they're at.

 

[Juju]

Some really ugly scores from this round of Fox
Glenora 120 - Papatoetoe 0
Richmond 80 - Ponsonby 6
Marist 84 - Papakura 0

 

[playdaball]

That's an understatement. There's 9 girls teams and 7 boys teams in the u16s and 5 of each in the u18s. That's out of 29 clubs in the greater Auckland area. No u20s or OAR left.

The game is still strong at mini and mod levels.

I'm not a fan of the premiership grading rounds either, too many hidings dealt by the handful of clubs that can still pay players. Watched Glenora destroy Papakura 88-0 on Saturday and that score flattered Kura.

Has ARL ever been in this bad a state regarding playing numbers ?

I’m getting older but went back to my old club for a beer and asked why so few teams now? I got told things have changed and that club was in a far better state than other clubs.

A friends son plays u18 and grade sounds bad in terms of teams. I said back on the days there were restricted and open team and some clubs had up to 3 three teams per grade!

I know things have changed and RU is struggling too but this is not good.

How can they turn it around?

 

[Juju]

Has ARL ever been in this bad a state regarding playing numbers ?

I’m getting older but went back to my old club for a beer and asked why so few teams now? I got told things have changed and that club was in a far better state than other clubs.

A friends son plays u18 and grade sounds bad in terms of teams. I said back on the days there were restricted and open team and some clubs had up to 3 three teams per grade!

I know things have changed and RU is struggling too but this is not good.

How can they turn it around?

I was thinking about how dire the situation is at the moment and the implications for the Warriors.

If this was happening in Australia the NRL would be pouring money into the local game at grass roots.
We're not savvy enough as a sporting organisation to lobby to get help with resources (that and the insular one eyed Australian take on it all).

 

[playdaball]

I was thinking about how dire the situation is at the moment and the implications for the Warriors.

If this was happening in Australia the NRL would be pouring money into the local game at grass roots.
We're not savvy enough as a sporting organisation to lobby to get help with resources (that and the insular one eyed Australian take on it all).

Could be bad for the entire NRL as a Akld is a nursery for Aust RL comps.

 

[Viking]

Has ARL ever been in this bad a state regarding playing numbers ?

I’m getting older but went back to my old club for a beer and asked why so few teams now? I got told things have changed and that club was in a far better state than other clubs.

A friends son plays u18 and grade sounds bad in terms of teams. I said back on the days there were restricted and open team and some clubs had up to 3 three teams per grade!

I know things have changed and RU is struggling too but this is not good.

How can they turn it around?

There's some good people at the ARL and they've seen the writing on the wall for years but there's fk all they can do about it. The ARL plowing dead money into the Warriors again smacked of their desperation. Then COVID was the worst possible situation, outside of war and natural disaster, for a sport with so little money, Rugby is struggling to bounce back as well but they have the support and money to ride out the storm. 1A is played at a high standard and it gets the TV exposure that league no longer enjoys since the 20s folded. I watched Xavier Tito Harris in the cage at St Peters yesterday and he wasn't the massive standout that you'd expect. He was good but so was everyone else. Basketball has taken a lot of boys off the field too.

I don't know how this gets turned around. It's not even about developing talent here for the NRL because 99.9% of players never get paid to play so it's about getting participation. Most promising kids are either getting shipped off to Aus as they begin high school or get snapped up by school rugby. It's all too serious in the comp league grades, kids have stopped playing for fun with all the talent gravitating to a handful of teams. Get the participation up overall and the law of averages will determine that more players will filter through to the elite levels of the game. It starts with transitioning the mod players into the comp grades, there's no point having the ARL putting all their energy into the junior grades if you don't retain the players in the game.

I've been saying forever that the ARL should be focusing on building the school comps with the non 1A schools. Look at St Pauls, roughly 300 boys between years 7 and 13 that produce more talent to league than all the other Auckland schools combined. Unfortunately, league supporters carry a bad rep that schools don't want on their grounds. St Paul's are disciplined enough to contain any bad behavior.

One positive has been the growth of the girls games in both league and school rugby.

 

[john nick]

There's some good people at the ARL and they've seen the writing on the wall for years but there's fk all they can do about it. The ARL plowing dead money into the Warriors again smacked of their desperation. Then COVID was the worst possible situation, outside of war and natural disaster, for a sport with so little money, Rugby is struggling to bounce back as well but they have the support and money to ride out the storm. 1A is played at a high standard and it gets the TV exposure that league no longer enjoys since the 20s folded. I watched Xavier Tito Harris in the cage at St Peters yesterday and he wasn't the massive standout that you'd expect. He was good but so was everyone else. Basketball has taken a lot of boys off the field too.

I don't know how this gets turned around. It's not even about developing talent here for the NRL because 99.9% of players never get paid to play so it's about getting participation. Most promising kids are either getting shipped of to Aus as they begin high school or get snapped up by school rugby. It's all too serious in the comp league grades, kids have stopped playing for fun with all the talent gravitating to a handful of teams. Get the participation up overall and the law of averages will determine that more players will filter through to the elite levels of the game. It starts with transitioning the mod players into the comp grades, there's no point having the ARL putting all their energy into the junior grades if you don't retain the players in the game.

I've been saying forever that the ARL should be focusing on building the school comps with the non 1A schools. Look at St Pauls, roughly 300 boys between years 7 and 13 that produce more talent to league than all the other Auckland schools combined. Unfortunately, league supporters carry a bad rep that schools don't want on their grounds. St Paul's are disciplined enough to contain any bad behavior.

One positive has been the growth of the girls games in both league and school rugby.

Sounds like not much has changed over the last 50+ years.
I was forced to play rugby at my secondary school and when I got into the first 15, I decided I would rather go back and play league.
The head master was an ex all black refused to give me a leaving CV when I left school.
True fact. I was lucky to get on well with my form teacher who gave me a reference. Wasn't great but better than nothing