Recruitment and Retention for 2026

[Kim]

Off the top of my head, non-head injuries have a few basic sources, ranked 1 - 5.
1. Poor (unprofessional) training practices. We see this very clearly in hamstring and knee injuries. Young players may train for acceleration and top speed but give little attention to deceleration and direction change. These require different training emphases. Or players may tear a pectorzl muscle bcs bad lifting practises have the muscle in bad shape.
2. Poor tackling habits. I would guess thst players are injured more when tackling than when being tackled (legally). Nerve neck and arm injuries are a bad outcome here when you get the head or shoulder in a bad position.
3. Body not yet sturdy enough. (This is not such a big issue as the preceding two points. Modern players are very sturdy.)
4. Falls. Here I am thinking about guys doing a shoulder joint dislocation when diving or shoulder charging or trying to break a fall, for example. Think of how Widdop did his shoulder.
5. Overtraining or poor recovery practises and ignoring niggles (which are realistically part of the job).

 

[Justadragon]

You are actually the first to bother to ask on this forum but that doesn't surprise me. The majority didn't want to know or cared. People like to keep their anonymity.

But to satisfy your enquiry no matter for what actual reason.

U16 - U18 Wenty magpies in late 80s, we didnt have a 1st division team during the 80s in NSWRL.

Qld Cup Burleigh Bears Ressies late 90s. Head coach you may of heard of was Rick Stone.

Work career - NSWPOL - 1981 - 1990
QLDPOL - 1990 - 2020 Retirement rank was D.S.S.

Hope this helps.

I dont think its a matter of caring or bothering JO, on a public forum asking personal details is probably seen as a no go zone. Of course if a poster wants to share their private info then its up to them and the consequences it may have. Buts its nice to see your coaching resume.

 

[Frank Facer]

Injuries are mostly due to bad luck and how much players put their body on the line, not age.

Though older players get soft tissue injuries more.

I have noticed many of them get injured by not submitting in tackles/by fighting in tackles/trying to beat the tackle/get out of the tackle. Especially knee and ankle injuries. I think Brad Clyde and Laurie Daley both got injured more than once in those circumstances. Some get injured in the process of trying to score a try and do a peck, shoulder. Mark Gasnier broke his collar bone playing for NSW, was it in the process of scoring a try?

Gasnier is the second best centre I have seen and not far behind Greg Inglis. He was amazing. He spent too much time on the sidelines, due to injuries. He then went to France to play rugby for 2 years or so. Then came back and played outside of So and So who wouldn't go to the line and draw any defenders, meaning the defence was all over Gas as soon as he got the ball. It was even the same case when he played origin in 2011. I rate Gaz and O'Conner as the 2 best centres we have had while being a Saints fan.

 

[jodragon40]

Injuries are mostly due to bad luck and how much players put their body on the line, not age.

Though older players get soft tissue injuries more.

I disagree, some injuries happen just because you have bad luck yes. However, anyone that's laced the boots on especially in my era knew once on the field the chances of picking up an injury grew exponentially. The older you got playing the game the wiser you got.

Thats the game . My POINT and it appears nobody is paying attention is that when the young adult males make it to Ressies then that's realistically when they start playing against physically grown men.

Young men continue to grow into their bodies and are not fully physically developed at least until they turn 23.

High impact contact equals injuries especially in the forward battles.

Everyone has soft tissue damage after most games trust me.

 

[jodragon40]

I dont think its a matter of caring or bothering JO, on a public forum asking personal details is probably seen as a no go zone. Of course if a poster wants to share their private info then its up to them and the consequences it may have. Buts its nice to see your coaching resume.

I agree nothing to hide surely I have some knowledge so that I may participate in constructive discussions. All good

 

[jodragon40]

I have noticed many of them get injured by not submitting in tackles/by fighting in tackles/trying to beat the tackle/get out of the tackle. Especially knee and ankle injuries. I think Brad Clyde and Laurie Daley both got injured more than once in those circumstances. Some get injured in the process of trying to score a try and do a peck, shoulder. Mark Gasnier broke his collar bone playing for NSW, was it in the process of scoring a try?

Gasnier is the second best centre I have seen and not far behind Greg Inglis. He was amazing. He spent too much time on the sidelines, due to injuries. He then went to France to play rugby for 2 years or so. Then came back and played outside of So and So who wouldn't go to the line and draw any defenders, meaning the defence was all over Gas as soon as he got the ball. It was even the same case when he played origin in 2011. I rate Gaz and O'Conner as the 2 best centres we have had while being a Saints fan.

Gaza not as good as Reg but that shimmy and step always got us up from our seats. Wasn't as effective after his rarah stint

 

[George Sancti]

I disagree, some injuries happen just because you have bad luck yes. However, anyone that's laced the boots on especially in my era knew once on the field the chances of picking up an injury grew exponentially. The older you got playing the game the wiser you got.

Thats the game . My POINT and it appears nobody is paying attention is that when the young adult males make it to Ressies then that's realistically when they start playing against physically grown men.

Young men continue to grow into their bodies and are not fully physically developed at least until they turn 23.

High impact contact equals injuries especially in the forward battles.

Everyone has soft tissue damage after most games trust me.

Apologies if this point has already been mentioned. Some players, particularly many of the Polynesian youngsters, tend to mature earlier and often have the physical build of a typical twenty‑one or twenty‑two year old player by the time they are eighteen. They can handle the physical demands of first grade at a younger age.

Others, though, don’t fully develop until their early twenties, and their bodies simply aren’t ready to absorb the collisions and workload of first grade. In those cases, I think it’s wiser to err on the side of long‑term protection and let them spend an extra year in the lower grades rather than rushing them up too soon.

 

[jodragon40]

Apologies if this point has already been mentioned. Some players, particularly many of the Polynesian youngsters, tend to mature earlier and often have the physical build of a typical twenty‑one or twenty‑two year old player by the time they are eighteen. They can handle the physical demands of first grade at a younger age.

Others, though, don’t fully develop until their early twenties, and their bodies simply aren’t ready to absorb the collisions and workload of first grade. In those cases, I think it’s wiser to err on the side of long‑term protection and let them spend an extra year in the lower grades rather than rushing them up too soon.

I agree and that has been the case here on the GC for as long as I can remember. The majority of our rep teams from U16 up are made up of Islanders who leave Caucasian males in their shadows.

 

[George Sancti]

I agree and that has been the case here on the GC for as long as I can remember. The majority of our rep teams from U16 up are made up of Islanders who leave Caucasian males in their shadows.

I recall that Penrith Junior Rugby League introduced a weight for age competition for the under‑12s a couple of years ago, which allowed smaller players to participate in the under‑11s competition. I’m not sure how successful the change was in retaining smaller players, but I thought it was a smart initiative. In my view, a similar model should be adopted across all junior rugby league competitions up to the under‑16s.

 

[Frank Facer]

Others, though, don’t fully develop until their early twenties, and their bodies simply aren’t ready to absorb the collisions and workload of first grade. In those cases, I think it’s wiser to err on the side of long‑term protection and let them spend an extra year in the lower grades rather than rushing them up too soon.

Are you able to provide any examples of players who fit the criteria or description you said, who then went onto become exceptional players and who didn't have ones who were considered better than them keeping them from playing first grade? I am having trouble thinking of any myself. There may be some props, that I can't think of off the top of my head, as they often take a bit more time to mature?

 

[Frank Facer]

I recall that Penrith Junior Rugby League introduced a weight for age competition for the under‑12s a couple of years ago, which allowed smaller players to participate in the under‑11s competition. I’m not sure how successful the change was in retaining smaller players, but I thought it was a smart initiative. In my view, a similar model should be adopted across all junior rugby league competitions up to the under‑16s.

Going back to before my time, like in the 50's or 60's, I am pretty sure junior players used to play in their weight division, instead of their age division

 

[George Sancti]

Are you able to provide any examples of players who fit the criteria or description you said, who then went onto become exceptional players and who didn't have ones who were considered better than them keeping them from playing first grade? I am having trouble thinking of any myself. There may be some props, that I can't think of off the top of my head, as they often take a bit more time to mature?

My point, Frank, isn’t about turning the smaller player into an elite player, it’s about protecting them. As an example, I don’t have to look far. You could argue that, on talent alone, Kade Reed is already ahead of several halves above him at the club. But despite his ability, I don’t believe he’s physically ready for first grade.

 

[Frank Facer]

My point, Frank, isn’t about turning the smaller player into an elite player, it’s about protecting them. As an example, I don’t have to look far. You could argue that, on talent alone, Kade Reed is already ahead of several halves above him at the club. But despite his ability, I don’t believe he’s physically ready for first grade.

I do not disagree with you regarding Reed. I hope he does become an exceptional player.

 

[Kim]

Going back to before my time, like in the 50's or 60's, I am pretty sure junior players used to play in their weight division, instead of their age division

Born 1959, I first played at age four and I think that was the first year of ages rather than weights in st george district.

 

[GCRV]

My point, Frank, isn’t about turning the smaller player into an elite player, it’s about protecting them. As an example, I don’t have to look far. You could argue that, on talent alone, Kade Reed is already ahead of several halves above him at the club. But despite his ability, I don’t believe he’s physically ready for first grade.

He's not physically ready right now but remember when Roosters debuted Walker? I'm sure they would have liked to keep him in the lower grades for another year or more but due to a crisis in the halves, had to go with him. And it has hardly adversely affected him even though I'm sure it was really hard for him at first.

 

[jodragon40]

He's not physically ready right now but remember when Roosters debuted Walker? I'm sure they would have liked to keep him in the lower grades for another year or more but due to a crisis in the halves, had to go with him. And it has hardly adversely affected him even though I'm sure it was really hard for him at first.

Sometimes situations dictate such as this, your options are limited. And that is the whole point of my argument. If you have the options available to you as a coach you can base your decisions on those options.

However if you are painted into a corner with no options and all of a sudden everyone from the club president down to the supporters are yelling at you, "give him a go", well that's a different scenario.

 

[Edward]

He's not physically ready right now but remember when Roosters debuted Walker? I'm sure they would have liked to keep him in the lower grades for another year or more but due to a crisis in the halves, had to go with him. And it has hardly adversely affected him even though I'm sure it was really hard for him at first.

I remember that. Was probably only a bit over 70kg.

Pretty sure he played the Dragons early on. In one of his first games. I remember because I was yelling at the TV for our inability to run at him in a one on one situation. Ben Hunt strikes again.

 

[redv4life]

I remember that. Was probably only a bit over 70kg.

Pretty sure he played the Dragons early on. In one of his first games. I remember because I was yelling at the TV for our inability to run at him in a one on one situation. Ben Hunt strikes again.

Only the roosters worked that out with the Dogs this year, getting Whyte 1on1 with Galvin. Run at him and you win the game.

 

[GCRV]

Sometimes situations dictate such as this, your options are limited. And that is the whole point of my argument. If you have the options available to you as a coach you can base your decisions on those options.

However if you are painted into a corner with no options and all of a sudden everyone from the club president down to the supporters are yelling at you, "give him a go", well that's a different scenario.

Analysis = true

If Atkinson isn't any good as a halfback, the need for Reed will be urgent. Though is he even on a development deal? Even if Atkinson isn't the answer at halfback it seems unlikely we'll see Reed in first grade this year. O'Neill is more likely.

 

[Frank Facer]

He's not physically ready right now but remember when Roosters debuted Walker? I'm sure they would have liked to keep him in the lower grades for another year or more but due to a crisis in the halves, had to go with him. And it has hardly adversely affected him even though I'm sure it was really hard for him at first.

Sam Walker was excellent when he debuted for Easts at 18. Anyone should have seen there and then he would be an exceptional player and possible superstar.

Luke Keary is one I can think of who would fit Sansti's description. He was/is a very small player and light framed player and didn't debut until 21. But he did have Adam Reynolds and John Sutton ahead of him in the halves at the time keeping him out.

I am seriously hoping Reed will be the best halfback Saints have produced/had in the last 45 years, but at the same time, I am not as confident as I have been about others.