General Secondary School Rugby League Competion

[mt.wellington]

A place for articles or little tit-bits of news, rumours or lastest results of the Secondary School competition from all round the country. Things that may not warrant their own thread. Or feel free to just rant...

Created this thread because I couldnt find a place to put the following article:

College Sport: Price to coach MAGS

By Michael Burgess
5:30 AM Sunday Jan 27, 2013

Former Warriors captain Steve Price. Photo / NZ Herald


He has always insisted he didn't want to be a coach but former Warriors captain Steve Price will make the first - albeit small - step in that direction this year.

Price, who retired from playing at the end of the 2010 season, will be in charge of the league programme at Mt Albert Grammar School, including the 1st XIII.

The 38-year-old, whose two children (including new Magic netballer Jamie-Lee) attend the school, has been a mentor for league teams at MAGS the past two years.

"Coaching has never been something I have targeted," says Price. "It wasn't a priority for me. But if I am ever going to have a try, then this is the time, as I am quite flexible at the moments in terms of my commitments."

As well as the challenge, stepping into the head coach role has eased pressure in the Price household.

"The wife and the mother-in-law have been getting into me for a while," laughs Price. "I'd come home from matches talking about what they should have done and where things could be improved. They both told me to stop whinging and just go and do it; then you will find out if you are any good."


One of Price's first initiatives will be to get some of the school's famous league alumni - which include Steve Matai, Sam McKendry, Matthew Ridge and Sonny Bill Williams - involved in the programme.

"I've been told - I'm not sure if it's true - that MAGS has produced more Kiwis than All Blacks," says Price. "There is certainly a real legacy here and it would be great to get guys like Sonny and Steve involved."

The legitimisation of league at college level - after decades where students had to play rugby and were sometimes barred from the 13-man game - means Price is involved at an opportune time.

"I don't see it as rugby versus league," says Price, "but if there are kids that have been brought up with the game and they are rugby league kids why can't they play rugby league?"

Other former students like Fred Ah Kuoi and John Ackland were unable to play league at school while the 1982 1st XV - the school's first national champions - featured league players Se'e Solomona and James Goulding who became Kiwis. McKendry also played 1st XV until he arrived at school one day and said he couldn't play any more, as he had just signed a contract with Penrith.

Price has fond recollections of his own school days, with his small Toowoomba school (Harristown State High School) progressing to the Commonwealth Bank Cup final, before losing by one point to powerful Sydney school Fairfield Patrician Brothers. He wants to run a tight ship - on and off field.

"Your standards need to be high in everything that you do," says Price. "It helps you in sport but also in life.
Success comes from the habits you get into and the opportunities you give yourself."

Aside from the 1st XIII competition, which starts in May, MAGS also plan to enter a girls' team in an under-15 competition and a boys' under-15 league nines tournament.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10861705[DOUBLEPOST=1365735051,1359831096][/DOUBLEPOST]College Rugby League launched

Richard Becht

Friday 12 April 2013 11:04 AM

Vodafone Warriors Jacob Lillyman, Elijah Taylor and Alehana Mara with players from participating schools at Thursday night's launch of the College Rugby League Premier First XIII Competition. Photo: Photosport.

A new era in Auckland secondary schools rugby league was heralded last night with the launch of the inaugural College Rugby League Premier First XIII Competition.

A joint venture between the Auckland Rugby League, the Vodafone Warriors and ASB College Sport, the competition will bring together 18 schools striving to win the Warriors Cup, the new symbol of supremacy in secondary schools rugby league.

Heading up CRL’s management team are former Vodafone Warriors and ex-Kiwi internationals Stacey Jones and Duane Mann while three other Vodafone Warriors involved as coaches are ex-captain Steve Price (Mount Albert Grammar School), Joe Vagana (St Paul’s College) and Boycie Nelson (Avondale College).

In a major breakthrough for the code, the Auckland-wide midweek competition will be played throughout the second and third terms after previously being run as a short-form contest on a regional basis.

“This is an exciting day, a huge step forward for secondary schools rugby league in Auckland,” said Mann, the ARL’s football development manager.

“With support from the Vodafone Warriors and ASB College Sport, rugby league will now be played on an equal footing with other major winter sporting codes.

“Increasing interest from students watching their peers playing for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in the National Youth Competition (NYC) has been the catalyst for College Rugby League.

“It gives us a wonderful opportunity to enable more young people to play rugby league at an elite level and creates a perfect pathway to the Vodafone Warriors’ development system.”

Jones, the Vodafone Warriors’ junior recruitment and pathways coach, said the Warriors Cup presented an unprecedented opportunity to grow rugby league.

“In the past rugby league at secondary schools level has been crammed into a short period of time but now we have a true competition, one which offers more young players the chance to develop in the game,” he said.

“Ultimately we’d like to see the competition grow to include more schools from around the region so more players are given the opportunity to play rugby league at school, something which hasn’t been made available in many schools through the years.”

The participating schools were represented at the launch at Fale Pasifika at the University of Auckland by coaches and players as well as some principals including Mount Albert Grammar School’s Dale Burden, St Paul’s College head Mark Rice and Warren Waetford (Southern Cross Campus).

Others in attendance were Vodafone Warriors Jacob Lillyman, former St Paul’s College student Elijah Taylor and Alehana Mara as well as Vodafone Warriors great Awen Guttenbeil.

Apart from Price, Vagana and Nelson, several former Auckland club players have coaching roles – among them Kyle Bos (Papatoetoe High School), Junior Fiu (St Paul’s College) and George Taunga (Mount Roskill Grammar School) – while Rod Ratu, an assistant coach in the Vodafone Warriors’ development system, is coaching Southern Cross Campus.

The trailblazing CRL competition kicks off on Wednesday, May 8, with the 18 schools split into three six-team regional pools.

The second phase of the competition begins in June. The Vodafone Warriors have not only donated the Warriors Cup for the championship competition but have also put up the Warriors Bowl and the Warriors Plate for the other two competitions.

The competing schools and pools are:

POOL A: Avondale College, Henderson High School, Kelston Boys’ High School, Rutherford College, Western Springs College, Westlake Boys’ High School
POOL B: Aorere College, Mount Albert Grammar School, Mount Roskill Grammar School, Papatoetoe High School, St Paul’s College, Tangaroa College
POOL C: James Cook High School, Kia Aroha College or Manurewa High School (to play off), Otahuhu College, Papakura High School, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate, Southern Cross Campus

Competition structure:

To be played in three pools
Six teams in each pool
In total 99 games

Preliminary round: May 8-June 5
18 schools compete in five-week round robin in their regional pool (A, B or C)
15 games in each pool

Competition round: June 12-July 10
Top two teams from each pool will make the Warriors Cup Championship Competition
The next two from each pool to play in the Warriors Plate Competition
The final two in each pool to play in the Warriors Bowl Competition
15 games in each pool

Semi-finals: July 31
1 v 4, 2 v 3 in each grade (Warriors Championship, Warriors Plate, Warriors Bowl) six games

Grand finals
Warriors Bowl & Warriors Plate: August 7 (to be confirmed)
Warriors Cup (Championship Final): August 17 or 18 (to be confirmed; possible triple header with Vodafone Warriors NRL and NYC matches against Penrith)

https://www.warriors.co.nz/news-display/College Rugby League launched/72237

Im really looking forward to this and it fulfills one of the promises from the 'big announcement' the Warriors owners made last year. At least 18 teams are competing in the new competition with a total of 99 games all together. Hopefully they release a time table because Id love to catch some of these games. Lets also hope that it spreads to the other main cities. Its only a start but it should continue to prosper from here...

 

[Paleaaesina2the20]

This is going to be good for New Zealand Rugby League, I am sure it will be a resounding success, and hopefully it continues to grow the game in New Zealand and provide avenues for more people to play.

In the South Island there are only 3 league competitions that I am aware of (someone may correct me on this) Nelson, Christchurch and Otago. I have played in two of those competitions and we had to travel for over two hours for some games (for example, Timaru had a side in the Christchurch comp). Also with over a million people living in the South Island yet only around half living in a region that had league teams, means you are seriously limiting both access to the sport, and the potential talent that could come through.

I grew up in Marlborough which has around 50,000 people but there is no competition there. You couldn't play at all until you were 18, and once you were 18 you could take a bus every weekend and play in the Nelson comp (2 hour bus ride). There are a lot of people there that would prefer to play league, but play union because they have no other choice.

I am hoping this torunament will help spread the sport across the country and get secondary school teams from all major schools involved in a seperate comp.

 

[wallacenz]

wheres all the white guys at

 

[mt.wellington]

wheres all the white guys at

Playing Rugby, soccer or indoor netball... [DOUBLEPOST=1365744599][/DOUBLEPOST]

wheres all the white guys at

Do you see him? Smack bang in the middle...

Current Warriors

Past legends...

These are the silverware the teams are playing for. The main prize is the Warriors Cup. You can work out the rest...[DOUBLEPOST=1365744709][/DOUBLEPOST]https://www.warriors.co.nz/photogallerydisplay/College-Rugby-League-launched/4865

 

[wallacenz]

Playing Rugby, soccer or indoor netball...

maybe, it is the elephant in the room. europeans are 60+ percent of nzs population. League, especially in auckland, is losing a big chunk of the potential playing population.

 

[Gizzyfan]

I have mates who go back to their old clubs after 20 years or so say when they were playing the players were a mixture of white and Maori in the main with the occasiional Islander. Now these clubs are exclusively Islander. It ust reflects the changing face of society

I have also been told that the white players are targeted and can't be bothered after a while with that shit.

 

[Sup42]

Mags are pretty lucky to have Price involved , how goods that , I wonder how many of the kids will realise what a legend they have for a Coach.

Auckland Grammar

St Kents

Kings

Dillworth

Sacred Heart

they needed some of these names to have built any kind of argument for escaping the Invisible Union Ban on league.

Westlake is important being a Nothshore based outfit, critical....i hope they employ someone like Norton.

 

[ramraider78]

Mags are pretty lucky to have Price involved , how goods that , I wonder how many of the kids will realise what a legend they have for a Coach.

Auckland Grammar

St Kents

Kings

Dillworth

Sacred Heart

they needed some of these names to have built any kind of argument for escaping the Invisible Union Ban on league.

Westlake is important being a Nothshore based outfit, critical....i hope they employ someone like Norton.

Can't see it with some of those schools you named they are division A so have some of there games televised on sky, NZRU feeds money into these schools and TBH stanch Union schools. Auckland grammar though I have heard will field a league team made up of 2nd 15 players for the annual national tournament at the end of the season.

BTW I saw Price in action as a coach not to bad for his first hit out with MAGS at a pre season game against Aorere college 2 weeks ago; they just won by a try from memory against Aorere who only had 2x training's together.

I hope westlake finds some decent sized forwards for there pack, when they play in the open, though IMO they could carve up in the 85kgs grade.

 

[mt.wellington]

Mags are pretty lucky to have Price involved , how goods that , I wonder how many of the kids will realise what a legend they have for a Coach.

Auckland Grammar

St Kents

Kings

Dillworth

Sacred Heart

they needed some of these names to have built any kind of argument for escaping the Invisible Union Ban on league.

Westlake is important being a Nothshore based outfit, critical....i hope they employ someone like Norton.

Those 5 schools you named pretty much make up the backbone of Auckland 1st XV Rugby. I went to Sacred Heart and you will have a very hard time getting a League team out of there. SHC may have Logan Swann and Carlos Tuimavave but they stand alone against Sean Fizpatrick, Keiran Crowley, Craig Innes, Pat Walsh, Xavier Rush and Isitolo Maka. The list is even more extensive with Auckland Boys. My point is, its going to take a huge momentum shift to get these schools to take Rugby League seriously. Lets just hope that these foundation teams and the Warriors work hard to make this College comp a real success. Only then will these traditional Union schools take this comp seriously.

TBH Im pretty disappointed that no East Auckland team is represented in the competition. Not even Tamaki College who have gone quite well in the last few years in the Auckland League comp for a rag tag team of predominately Union players. Even central Auckland isnt represented unless you count Western Springs who are really westside at heart.

This comp has its work cut out and so does the Warriors. Its going to take more then the Warriors and Glenn/Watsons fat wallet to make this a success. We, League nuts, are taking on almost 100 years tradition in some cases. This wont be easy nor will it be overnight. But its certainly a step in the right direction and I really do hope the Warriors and their owners are keen to see this continue in the long run because thats exactly what it'll take, a long time...[DOUBLEPOST=1366158951,1365772848][/DOUBLEPOST]Just replying to this post in the thread that it belongs in...

Not in my eyes, that's fucked- just more funding for Dorkland schoolboys and neglecting true development of the game in the rest of the country. Auckland is not the only place where Rugby League is played, and all the best players certainly don't come from there. If they carry on like this we will only get to see the likes of Matulino playing for Ozzie teams or ESL, development outside of Auckland is near non existent since 08-09. Start putting the money where there is massive potential for development and it is not Auckland.

Like Lord Gnome of Howick MBE said, It IS a good start. If you think the Warriors are first going to launch this scheme in Ngarauwhia or Lower Hutt then your crazy IMO. This comp has to start somwhere and there is no better place then Auckland. No where else in NZ can you start this up and have 18 teams running around playing a total of 99 games. Thats more teams then most other cities have in their College Union comps. Dont quote me on it but its probably more teams then their are RL clubs in Christchurch!

Its a start and will obviously have a trickle down effect eventually through the rest of the country. Maybe Im just being a biased JAFA here but Im stoked to see something happening somewhere. Wasnt that long ago that League was banned in some of these Auckland Schools...

 

[OMG]

Like Lord Gnome of Howick MBE said, It IS a good start. If you think the Warriors are first going to launch this scheme in Ngarauwhia or Lower Hutt then your crazy IMO. This comp has to start somwhere and there is no better place then Auckland. No where else in NZ can you start this up and have 18 teams running around playing a total of 99 games. Thats more teams then most other cities have in their College Union comps. Dont quote me on it but its probably more teams then their are RL clubs in Christchurch!

Its a start and will obviously have a trickle down effect eventually through the rest of the country. Maybe Im just being a biased JAFA here but Im stoked to see something happening somewhere. Wasnt that long ago that League was banned in some of these Auckland Schools...

What has happened to the national schools tourny?
There isn't 18 clubs in CHCH but that's my point, Auckland has got a very strong competition right through out the grades, do they need another competition? and who has the priority to the players, the club or the school?
Christchurch has an abundance of classy athletes and a very strong first 15s comp, the League clubs there are struggling for high school aged children, a well funded High school comp in Chch and Wellington would go along way towards true development of the game.
Are they promoting a new comp at the expense of club footy? If Auckland has the strong competitions that they have, why not develop the game where it is struggling?

 

[mt.wellington]

What has happened to the national schools tourny?
There isn't 18 clubs in CHCH but that's my point, Auckland has got a very strong competition right through out the grades, do they need another competition? and who has the priority to the players, the club or the school?
Christchurch has an abundance of classy athletes and a very strong first 15s comp, the League clubs there are struggling for high school aged children, a well funded High school comp in Chch and Wellington would go along way towards true development of the game.
Are they promoting a new comp at the expense of club footy? If Auckland has the strong competitions that they have, why not develop the game where it is struggling?

Thats incorrect and at best, a myth. There has certainly been a resurgence of interest in the youth grades but when it comes to Secondary School age groups most clubs struggle to field teams. Most of my family at school play for their club but only if it doesnt cause conflict with their School 1st XV commitments. To now have a competition right at the doorstep of schools is huge.

I completely understand where you are coming from but it makes sense to start this pilot scheme here in Auckland, close to the Warriors and NZRL HQ. Any kids in this country that show any promise are going to have to move to Auckland anyway if they want to play top grade footy. That or move to Oz. Moving to Auckland worked well for taylor who's now a 'marquee' player earning the big bucks. Moving to Oz worked well for Tohu Harris who's already 18th man for the Kiwis after only 7 First Grade games...

 

[OMG]

Thats incorrect and at best, a myth. There has certainly been a resurgence of interest in the youth grades but when it comes to Secondary School age groups most clubs struggle to field teams. Most of my family at school play for their club but only if it doesnt cause conflict with their School 1st XV commitments. To now have a competition right at the doorstep of schools is huge.

I completely understand where you are coming from but it makes sense to start this pilot scheme here in Auckland, close to the Warriors and NZRL HQ. Any kids in this country that show any promise are going to have to move to Auckland anyway if they want to play top grade footy. That or move to Oz. Moving to Auckland worked well for taylor who's now a 'marquee' player earning the big bucks. Moving to Oz worked well for Tohu Harris who's already 18th man for the Kiwis after only 7 First Grade games...

While I can see the possible benefits of a schools comp there does seem to be a lack of long time vision and what it will do to help the clubs that are struggling. Keep in mind that only 1% if that will go on to be NRL players and Club loyalty is developed during the ages they are proposing
How does this comp sit in regards to the Clubs? Do they play a schools comp only? Will they have the players for 18 teams? What about player retention for clubs?
There could be a flow on effect that is detrimental to Club football long term IMO
The schools comp in Rugby does well because they have massive playing numbers and are very very well funded.
Moving to Australia when your 15-16 isn't much of an option unless your parents are going.
I would love to see if a feasibility study was done.

 

[Paleaaesina2the20]

Its a start, and it needs to help spread Rugby League across the Country, despite the huge 1st XV Rugby hold, Christchurch is easily the second best League location in New Zealand in terms of being able to field a team of quality players. The Canterbury Bulls have consistenly beaten the Auckland Vulcans since the Bartercard cup finished, including holding the Rugby League Cup in 2009, 2010 and 2011. I went and watched the Bulls beat a Vulcans side in 2010 that had 8 contracted Warriors in it including Michael Witt, Ukuma Tai, Patrick Ah Van, Michael Crocket, Isaac John, Alehana Mara and Joel Moon from memory.

The single biggest influence on Rugby League in this country, is the success of the Vodafone New Zealand Warriors. If they can win a title in the near future you will see a huge increase in League playing across the country for sure. The success of the Kiwis at the last world cup provided a really good boost, and with the funding the Warriors have been given, an NRL title is the catalyst to making Rugby League come well and truely out of Unions shaddow.

 

[mt.wellington]

While I can see the possible benefits of a schools comp there does seem to be a lack of long time vision and what it will do to help the clubs that are struggling. Keep in mind that only 1% if that will go on to be NRL players and Club loyalty is developed during the ages they are proposing
How does this comp sit in regards to the Clubs? Do they play a schools comp only? Will they have the players for 18 teams? What about player retention for clubs?
There could be a flow on effect that is detrimental to Club football long term IMO
The schools comp in Rugby does well because they have massive playing numbers and are very very well funded.
Moving to Australia when your 15-16 isn't much of an option unless your parents are going.
I would love to see if a feasibility study was done.

TBH there was some grumblings from the clubs who are all struggling big time. I dont know the answers to your questions unfortunately. My kids are still in the under 8's and 7's. Maybe ramraider78 or Sup42 might have more inside knowledge with the club scene and the older age groups...

 

[OMG]

TBH there was some grumblings from the clubs who are all struggling big time. I dont know the answers to your questions unfortunately. My kids are still in the under 8's and 7's. Maybe ramraider78 or Sup42 might have more inside knowledge with the club scene and the older age groups...

This is what I find quite intriguing with the way that people view NZ Rugbys strengths and the reasons they perform year after year, so many put it down to the numbers game but I believe that to be false.
NZ is ranked 5th in the world by playing numbers behind England,SA,France and Ireland and ahead of Aus.
The consistency comes from the collective competitions that have long established consistent high level of play and good coaching, improving the collective from schoolboys to seniors right through the regions.
Even the worst of the worst can learn and improve when they are given the right environment.

 

[mt.wellington]

The single biggest influence on Rugby League in this country, is the success of the Vodafone New Zealand Warriors. If they can win a title in the near future you will see a huge increase in League playing across the country for sure. The success of the Kiwis at the last world cup provided a really good boost, and with the funding the Warriors have been given, an NRL title is the catalyst to making Rugby League come well and truely out of Unions shaddow.

Success breeds success. After the Kiwis recent success and the NZRL cleaning up its act through the efforts of the Government and Jim Doyle the youth numbers exploded. Before then, League was losing numbers year after year since the early 90's. One only needs to see the success NZ Soccer is enjoying with its junior numbers because of the All Whites run at the last World Cup to know the effect a winning senior team can have. Add to that the fact that Soccer NZ have invested the vast majority of its match fee prize money into development and its not hard to see why certain sports are doing better then others.

If the Warriors can overcome all the odds and finally lift the NRL trophy then League in this nation will reach fever pitch. Just like the All Whites, everybody loves an underdog...

This is what I find quite intriguing with the way that people view NZ Rugbys strengths and the reasons they perform year after year, so many put it down to the numbers game but I believe that to be false.
NZ is ranked 5th in the world by playing numbers behind England,SA,France and Ireland and ahead of Aus.
The consistency comes from the collective competitions that have long established consistent high level of play and good coaching, improving the collective from schoolboys to seniors right through the regions.
Even the worst of the worst can learn and improve when they are given the right environment.

But at the end of the day Rugby is the number 1 sport here in NZ by a long shot. As you point out, its also been very well administered for over a century. League on the other hand has a long history of incompetence, ineptitude, corruption and nepotism. Believe it or not, they only started to clear out the rot 2-3 years ago after the sport was almost bankrupted and needed Government bailout money.

We have a very very long way to go in terms of bringing professionalism back to the sport on the club level. Rugby Union has a good 50 years on League. If we're lucky we may see League on a level footing or better during our lifetime. It wont happen overnight.

Once the Auckland Secondary School comp gains momentum and succeeds then you'll start seeing more and more local comps sprout up. This is going to take a huge investment and its one that even Watson/Glenn dont have the pockets to support. Whats needed is the continued support of the Government, NZRL, regional League clubs like the ARL and especially corporate sponsorship. None of those entities will bother with the rest of NZ if the formula doesnt even work in Auckland...

 

[OMG]

Success breeds success. After the Kiwis recent success and the NZRL cleaning up its act through the efforts of the Government and Jim Doyle the youth numbers exploded. Before then, League was losing numbers year after year since the early 90's. One only needs to see the success NZ Soccer is enjoying with its junior numbers because of the All Whites run at the last World Cup to know the effect a winning senior team can have. Add to that the fact that Soccer NZ have invested the vast majority of its match fee prize money into development and its not hard to see why certain sports are doing better then others.

If the Warriors can overcome all the odds and finally lift the NRL trophy then League in this nation will reach fever pitch. Just like the All Whites, everybody loves an underdog...

But at the end of the day Rugby is the number 1 sport here in NZ by a long shot. As you point out, its also been very well administered for over a century. League on the other hand has a long history of incompetence, ineptitude, corruption and nepotism. Believe it or not, they only started to clear out the rot 2-3 years ago after the sport was almost bankrupted and needed Government bailout money.

We have a very very long way to go in terms of bringing professionalism back to the sport on the club level. Rugby Union has a good 50 years on League. If we're lucky we may see League on a level footing or better during our lifetime. It wont happen overnight.

Once the Auckland Secondary School comp gains momentum and succeeds then you'll start seeing more and more local comps sprout up. This is going to take a huge investment and its one that even Watson/Glenn dont have the pockets to support. Whats needed is the continued support of the Government, NZRL, regional League clubs like the ARL and especially corporate sponsorship. None of those entities will bother with the rest of NZ if the formula doesnt even work in Auckland...

In theory the Auckland schools comp should need very little in the way of funding, unless they are paying everybody.

The Aranui academy was set up on a similar principle, most of the Elite kids wanted to go there so all their teams suffered as a collective, while one team prospered.
It's a shame the schools aren't affiliated to the clubs and they should have agreements in place so that any player is still registered with a club. The players basically look like free agents unattached to any club.

 

[ramraider78]

In theory the Auckland schools comp should need very little in the way of funding, unless they are paying everybody.

The Aranui academy was set up on a similar principle, most of the Elite kids wanted to go there so all their teams suffered as a collective, while one team prospered.
It's a shame the schools aren't affiliated to the clubs and they should have agreements in place so that any player is still registered with a club. The players basically look like free agents unattached to any club.

The Auckland schools comp does need funding IMO to compete with union in certain areas of Auckland. The schools are the new battle ground to get kids into clubs, well that's our vision at my club. We have aligned with local secondary schools to facilitate rugby league for the national comp coming up and the new Auckland 1st 13 comp - I've seen the Aranui academy play up here an TBH they got schooled by the Auckland teams; A Canterbury regional team goes well but the schools individually are off the pace, sorry but IMO that area is still a Union stronghold.

What has happened to the national schools tourny?
There isn't 18 clubs in CHCH but that's my point, Auckland has got a very strong competition right through out the grades, do they need another competition? and who has the priority to the players, the club or the school?
Christchurch has an abundance of classy athletes and a very strong first 15s comp, the League clubs there are struggling for high school aged children, a well funded High school comp in Chch and Wellington would go along way towards true development of the game.
Are they promoting a new comp at the expense of club footy? If Auckland has the strong competitions that they have, why not develop the game where it is struggling?

Akarana has 8000 registered league players spread out across 20 clubs ( some of which are not constitutional to vote at ARL agm's)
Counties Manukau - 7000 registered league players spread out across 12 clubs ( some of which are not constitutional to vote at ARL agm's)
A lot of players to pick from.

Club footy if the administrators are smart will thrive if they jump on board with this concept,strengthens there age group grades; though TBH some auckland clubs are thick as shit and would rather pay premier players who don't give the club long term value in development.

 

[Mt Albert Lions]

About time the Auckland RL clubs and ARL gets behind school rugby league. They were the main reason why RL wasn't in schools in the first place their lack of vision and creed got better of them.

 

[mt.wellington]

Auckland Rugby League
Primary Schools Champions of Champions Tournament today at Avondale Racecourse. Congratulations to all schools that qualified
U/45kg Grade, 14 schools, Open Grade, 14 schools means over 300 students enjoying our great gamem, being active & having fun!

Auckland Rugby LeagueCongratulations Papatoetoe North Primary, Open Champions 2013 & Finlayson Primary U/45kg Champions.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...9005125359.316087.132389760359&type=1&theater
Also theres the Secondary schools final at Mt. Smart tomorrow night. Going to go support my mates Tamaki College team...