During the pre-season, the focus of our attention has been the demanding preparation of the NRL squad – and rightly so. After all, few people remember which club wins lower grade and junior rep titles. However, the elite pathways developed within an NRL club are the foundation stones upon which sustained NRL success can be built. In this post, we will examine some of the work conducted behind the scenes to ensure that the Parramatta Eels can identify, develop and keep the best available talent.
Talent Identification
Forty20: I believe the first part of breaking down talent identification is understanding the primary pathway available to first grade. While most fans would be familiar with the Holden Cup as the primary development grounds for NRL talent the process actually begins a long, long way before the Under 20s. All NSW based NRL clubs participate in the District Representatives program which features the Harold Matthews (Under 16s) and SG Ball (Under 18s) while Queensland has similar age group competitions conducted North of the border. The Eels actually field two teams in these competitions, the first of course being the Parramatta Eels while a second squad competes as a joint-venture with the Penrith Panthers under the banner of the Western Sydney Academy of Sports (WSAS).
The District Representatives are largely where talent scouts earn their dollars as clubs are forced to filter down the hundreds of kids that they will trial a year to around a squad of 25. Chances are when you are culling that much talent you might lose quite a few decent players so the challenge is to nail down the best 25. That might not end up being the best 25 players at that point in time as well but players that the scout feels will kick on with time invested in them. Doing all this in a vacuum is tricky enough given how small the percentage of players that will ultimately make it to first-grade is but when there are 15 other clubs looking to do exactly the same thing it becomes a fascinating competition within a competition.
As well as maintaining our local catchment of clubs the Eels attend state and national carnivals across the Eastern seaboard (which has yielded the likes of Bevan French and Travis Turnbull in recent years) and scout country NSW and New Zealand. To add yet another layer to this all, the Eels also field Under 14 and Under 15 Development Squads as well as a newly forged program in the Northern Territory which means talent identification begins at the age of 13 and is done across the breadth of multiple states, territories and even countries in order to give us the best chance of selecting that best 25 for each District Representative squad!
The man in charge of this imposing task for the Eels is Anthony Field and his importance to the club can not be understated. Field (and going back a little bit, Peter Nolan) has overseen a comprehensive reform of our talent identification processes which has us, in my opinion, recruiting a harmonious blend of athletic prospects and ‘footballer’ talents and bringing them into a culture that will instil some of the intangible qualities needed to become a first grade rugby league player. Oft times the difference between securing a bright prospect does not come down to the difference in dollars on the table but rather what sort of environment a club can offer a young player and in this regard the Eels have made massive strides forwards. Between superior talent identification and a vastly improved support infrastructure the Eels are attempting to build towards sustained success at the highest level.
The Role of Brad Arthur
Few people would be aware of how involved Brad Arthur is with our pathways program. There are a couple of recent examples to highlight his input:
- During the pre-season, Brad Arthur, Paul Devlin and four NRL players conducted a skills and conditioning session for the under 14s Development Squad. This wasn’t a promotional exercise or a goodwill event. It provided an insight for Arthur and Devlin about the younger elite players in the system and exposed the young players to the demands of professional level training.
- Recently, Arthur addressed both the Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads. With their respective seasons soon to commence, BA outlined his expectations for these teams in their preparations and performance.
- The NYC team have participated in extended opposed work against the NRL squad. This was a daunting exercise for the young blokes and enabled the coaching staff to assess where the extended NYC group was at, both individually and as a unit.
Why Is The NRL Coach Involved?
Examining the history of our junior rep teams, we see a club which consistently pushes for honours in Flegg and Ball, yet these performances are not reflected in NYC competitions. Obviously something has gone astray in the transition from junior football into grade. Although the junior rep teams of all clubs are now littered with players identified from far and wide, there is no denying that a club blessed with a massive junior nursery should be performing far better in the NYC.
Whether he has examined talent vs physical superiority, coaching vs player psychology, or simply whether we are retaining the juniors with the greatest potential, Arthur has needed to become involved in finding the correct formula. When all is said and done, the talent that funnels through the club is a massive contributor to the core of the NRL squad. And that, fellow Eels tragics, is a key component in Arthur’s goal of sustained success.
Where Are We At Now?
Forty20: At the end of 2015 it felt like a case of three steps forwards and one solid step back as despite strong showings in the District Representatives a rather disastrous decision to appoint a part-time coach in the Holden Cup saw the Eels crash towards the bottom end of the ladder. Our phenomenal (and I do not use the word lightly) Harold Matthews squad went through the season undefeated before getting ambushed in the Grand Final by a hungry Cronulla outfit while our SG Ball had rallied late in the season to enter the finals with plenty of momentum before falling to the eventual premiers in Cronulla. Looking at the bigger picture we have three players in Bevan French, Tyrell Fuimaono and Alex Twal that are roughly 12-18 months away from a look-in at first-grade which I believe is a reasonable yield from any given Holden Cup class.
That is all very good but what has changed since then given we are about to enter the 2016 season?
Beginning with the Harold Matthews where we are at the start of a new cycle of talent which in turn makes it difficult to get a feel for the overall shape of the team but trial results have been encouraging. A stout forward pack, notably smaller but fitter than that of the Panthers and the Bulldogs, has exhibited considerable resilience in defence and it certainly feels like one of the key factors in the new era of talent identification for the Eels. The discipline in defence extends to the backline where the defensive assignment looks to be focused on a compressed line, working from inside shoulder and then making a concerted effort to push across in support on the edges. The discipline in defence shown by the entire team is definitely noteworthy because it is the second class of talent under Harold Matthews coach Scott Jones that has shown maturity beyond their years in the less glamorous side of the game.
In the SG Ball we are fielding a decidedly young team as the bulk of our 2015 Harold Matthews team filters through into the Under 18s grade. In spite of handicap they are giving away in age, this is a group of kids that commands my attention as I consider them the trailblazers under our new direction in talent identification. As with the Harold Matthews, there is a visible difference in the size of our forward pack compared to the likes of the Bulldogs but again what we give away in pure size and bulk we gain in discipline and conditioning. This speaks towards the professional set-up and approach of our club under Arthur and Field as we prioritise less on winning now at all costs (although these teams certainly do perform well) and rather on giving these kids the best chance possible at becoming first-graders.
The SG Ball class of 2016 is also indicative of our broad yet focused scouting process. Local juniors make up the bulk of the squad but prospects from Newcastle/Central Coast, Queensland and a number of other Sydney clubs augment the squad of 26.
Finally we come to our Holden Cup squad which I recently covered in some depth here. The single most important factor at play here is the appointment of Luke Burt as their full-time coach. Burt’s full-time focus on the NYC talent means that they have enjoyed not only a complete pre-season but have also begun the process of familiarising themselves with the training standards and playing structures of Brad Arthur. To pinch a term from the NFL and College Football, we are now essentially running a pro-style system in the Holden Cup which may or may not come at the expense of results at times (as the Holden Cup is skewed so heavily towards offence, much like College Football funnily enough) but will have the talent we have earmarked for first-grade, like say Bevan French, better prepared to push up into the NSW Cup or NRL.
In the end, sustained success is the entire point behind our revitalised approach to talent identification and development. It is a complex and difficult process magnified by the fact that we are competing with 15 other NRL clubs in an already crowded assortment of codes. In the past we have been guilty on focusing too much either on athletes or footballers but I believe we are now striking the sweet spot in balance between the two as well as identifying a tougher breed of talent to boot. Our improved identification processes has been complimented by a development system that has our players better equipped to deal with the responsibilities and expectations held for a professional rugby league player. The amount of time and manpower that goes into the entire system is nothing short of amazing but it is an absolutely massive component in gaining a competitive advantage in the salary cap era.
Forty and Sixties
Another great read mate. Can you fill us in abit on Anthony Fields background and also Young Travis Turnbull? I have’nt heard much about either of these guys.
I believe I have the chronological order down pat when I say that Anthony Field joined us way back when the Eels were under Kearney’s tenure as head coach. Kearney brought in recruitment guru Peter Nolan from the Broncos and Nolan in turn brought Field to us from the Brisbane franchise. Nolan has since rejoined the Broncos and Field is now our main man for talent identification and recruitment in the junior grades. Among other things Field assembled our exciting SG Ball roster.and was the one who first scouted Bevan French.
Travis Turnbull is a name all Eels fans will hopefully be hearing down the road. He is a very talented half that we recruited from QLD that possesses the holy trinity of play-making skills (run/kick/pass) and outstanding speed along with vision and maturity in decision making beyond his age. Obviously there is still a long way from first grade which means anything can happen but he has seriously impressed to date.
Thanks very much mate, I appreciate the headsup.
Well done ! Comprehensive insight into rebuilding of club at all levels not just first grade , what these new pathways bring about is the realisation that players have to show a willingnes to earn the privelege of donning blue and gold from the get go not linger in our systems for 5 years ,ohanlon ,loko,etc ,every player lingering in a system is blocking the path for someone else so the quicker the turnover the more we dont miss out on ,other clubs have plundered our juniors in the past simply because our systems have been blocked with might be’s instead of will be’s , quite simple really ,aim up or goodbye!!! Anyway well done .
40’s & 60’s thank you for such a wonderful wrap of the junior comps, also to add that having Luke Burt as coach really helps the players identify with the club through a recently retired Eels NRL player of excellent qualifications.
Looking forward to seeing the two squads play up here on the Central Coast in a weeks time.
Great write up! Out of interest, how does one become a recruitment officer? What a great gig, watching footy for a living!
You and I were both at that Dogs trial and I don’t think there was one of their starting forwards that would have been under 110kgs or at least it looked like they were that heavy. No doubt that we’ve got some big players in our squad but as Forty has said they are very drilled in both attack and defence.
Forty and I have spoken about this in length but I truly believe that we, as a club, should bring in a second team into the Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions and I’m not talking about going halves with Penrith in a team but a full on team that is 100% associated with the Eels. The cost would obviously make it not worth it but a few things to think about is: You upgrade from having 2 halves playing each week to having 4, you upgrade from at least 1 dummy half to 2 and potentially more as you can play them off the bench, you double the amount of players you have on the field each weekend surely that’s better for the players and the club who then has 34 players progressing through each year that have played the highest level rather than just 17. Take for example our SG Ball squad this year, we have Travis Turnbull who has been talk of the town but we also have Alex Seve who played for the NSW 16’s team last year and Harry Brown who was a star of the St Greg’s GIO team who could easily play this level every week. Unfortunately one of these boys, looking like it’s Brown, will miss out whilst the other 2 are uninjured. There’s enough players that are capable of playing for us to do this and it would also help the NRL on the whole.
Another thing that Nolan brought to the club was his philosophy on the junior culture and what Field has kept on is that the club won’t just make you a better player but they’ll also make you a better person.
Well thought out Ham, and yes I agree whole heartedly but that would be in the too hard basket for that lot.
Thanks for the write-up, Sixties and Forty. Talent identification is an enigma: lot’s of variables at play. It’s good to read that the club is doing its utmost to create the necessary pathways for player development and, ultimately, sustained success at the NRL level. However, it won’t be easy; not when fifteen other clubs are out to do the same! Thus, I wonder if either of you can answer two questions for me:
1) The Manly club have recruited quite a few Parra JRL players for its junior reps this season. Is the Parra club aware of this serious challenge to its talent identification programs? (Now I ask this not to condemn the Manly club: they’re just as free as us to recruit whomever they like! It is competition, after all. The main concern in asking is, that running a junior league traditionally gave ‘us’ first chance at identifying talent. This doesn’t seem to be happening any longer – or, doesn’t seem to be happening as efficiently as in the past).
2) There are several players that made last year’s SG Ball team as under-17s: Mauava, Toomata, Ulae, Fuataga… What’s happened to them? Have they moved on, or has their development regressed?
Forty has a greater handle on tracking individual players than I do, so I’ll leave this question to him. He recently spent some time speaking with Anthony Field about the talent identification process, so maybe he can shed some light on the Manly scenario.
Great read again boys. Love hearing about the juniors. I will be at the Matts game next week up here on the coast. I will be interested in the defence of the boys too along with the strength. Have heard we have a few boys from over the state and NZ. It will be good to see them. I also heard we are playing a 20’s and Reserves trial same day against Newcastle. Not sure if I can see both but will def see Matts game
Great write up gents, a lot of us don’t know how much goes into Junior identification / recruitment. What I think is a key take away from this is that the club under BA is getting these kids to play structure which intern as the kids progress through the grades means they are familiar & comfortable at each progression in not having to learn new structures with each new coach. A classic example of this theory is the QLD Origin team which from what I believe basically follows the playing structures that Wayne Bennett implemented some 12 to 15 yrs ago and is used with only a few odd tweaks here or there subject to individual team selections.
Nice analogy JJ and thanks for commenting. BA is very much a coach who believes in the development of individual skills and adopting a positive attitude about physical preparation. Not only is it important for players as they progress through the junior system, it is also important that junior rep coaches understand and implement programs that foster such development.
People like Peter Nolan who can identify talent at a young age have a special skill. Some of the difficulties that I see is that different kids have a fifferent rate of development and maturity. It was the same when I was a teenager and it is the same now. Kids who were really big at school ended up being middle of the road as adults. Also with some kids there ability to improve their skills does not move forward
Bigger kids will dominate in schoolboy football but that will not necessary translate to domination as the other kids mature. At the same time you cannot simply dismiss a kid because he is big or strong or fast and dominating the game as an age limit footballer. The skill here is in being able to identify someone who is dedicated, willing to work hard, has good football instincts not just an athlete, hand eye coordination, speed, acceleration and is truly courageous enought to play the game.
That in my opinion is how people like Peter Nolan earn their money being able to find the Tepai Meoroa or bevan French. Agree with everything written in the article above.