DRAGONZ
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It was in 1985, buddy. And like the Roosters of '05, Canterbury spoiled the party.Suney_J said:I was going to say the exact same thing. All you have to do is look at the Grand Finals in all 3 grades last year. Roosters had teams in Jersey Flegg, Premier League and First Grade GFs. Now the the last team to do that was St. George in the 80s (I think). This was an indication of how strong St. Georges juniors were back then. You would think that the Roosters making all 3 GFs last year is an indication of how strong their juniors are, its not, its an indication of how rich they are.
As I was watching the Jersey Flegg GF last year, I saw some familiar faces, the most familiar was Moke. He was a Canterbury junior, and I remember seeing him play a few times. This guy didnt need developing, he just had natural talent. He was always a strong player.
I gotta say I dont blame the Roosters for poaching players coz they have a shit junior base. The fact that Ricketson is the only Roosters junior in FG is an indication of how crap it is
We won U/23s and Reserve Grade, and lost the First Grade GF to the Dogs 7 - 6.
The juniors at the Dragons have always been strong. They have regularly had a team in the Grand Final for either Reggies (now PL) or U/23s (JF). And with the merger back in 99, the junior base was only strengthened that much more. It's a major reason as to why the Dragons never announce any "big name signings" from other clubs.
You can't blame a club for trying to do as well as it can. Whether it's ethical or there is a certain amount of moral ambiguity attached to their actions is another issue. The only viable solution, considering that the Roosters always cite their actions are due to a poor junior base, would be for their club to relocate to the Central Coast. That would give them the juniors that they crave. On the flipside, though, it would destroy 98 years of history.