NRL Holden Cup under-20s competition to end in season 2017

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Bad Billy

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THE NRL’s under-20s competition will be scrapped at the end of next year, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant has confirmed.

The youth competition has been on borrowed time since former NRL head of strategy Shane Richardson’s whole-of-game review last year but there was speculation it may continue beyond 2017 in some capacity.

Instead, statewide under-20s competitions will be rolled out in NSW and Queensland, while the NSW and Queensland Cups will be expanded to take on an “elevated” role in rugby league’s development pathway, Grant said.

“They’ll be more on television, there’s going to be more clubs in the competition and there’s going to be stronger connections through to the NRL clubs to make sure we get players from the NRL who aren’t playing for their team each weekend to come back into the tier two competition,” Grant told reporters in Brisbane on Friday.

The national under-20s competition has been plagued by concerns it is not an adequate finishing school and puts undue pressure on young players.

Grant defended the ARL Commission’s attempts to limit the earning capacity of NRL rookies as negotiations continue over a new collective bargaining agreement.

The Rugby League Players’ Association is philosophically opposed to capping salaries but Grant said it was a sensible way to fix to a clear problem.

“The fact is we take young men in our game away from their homes too early, we put them into intensive competitions, we ask too much of them and quite frankly we’ve had some disastrous outcomes,” he said.

“That’s all about giving them expectations beyond what is reasonable at the time and frankly paying them too much money will do that.

“We understand the RLPA’s situation and we’ve got an obligation to negotiate with the RLPA around these sort of things. But by the same token, we’re really trying to respond to the issues we’ve got.”

Meanwhile, Grant indicated a name change may be on the cards for the NSW and Queensland Cups as their current monikers don’t “ring true” given the level of current and future international involvement.

The Papua New Guinea Hunters have played in the Queensland Cup since 2014 while the entry of a Fijian team into the NSW Cup is expected to be approved in the coming weeks.

“What it does for PNG is fantastic, rugby league is their national sport and it really means something to them. It’s the same with Fiji,” Grant said.

“We have players in our NRL competition that come from all of those places and we’ve got to make sure they’ve got local rugby league that they can see that’s at the elite level.”



Good move in my opinion.
U20's is a bullshit comp and nowhere near the level of NRL.
 

Freakzilla

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They need to have no under 18's signed to any club and have an annual draft like in the AFL
 

Mr Invisible

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Shane Richardson - got employed by NRL, made tihs one stupid decision, then fucked off back to Souths.
John Grant - needs to fuck off out of the game and leave it alone. He's killing it..

This is a stupid idea. A perfect way to lose young talent to opposing codes.

NSW and QLD Championships aren't run by the ARL, but different bodies (QLDRL and NSW RL), who operate independant to the NRL and ARL.

Are the ARL going to kill off NSWRL and QLDRL and take control of Statewide comp themselves (like Reserve Grade used to be)?
 

Bad Billy

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This is a stupid idea. A perfect way to lose young talent to opposing codes
Disagree.
Currently, young players feel like there is a time limit on their progression - if they don't make the top grade by the time they're 21, they'll drop off the radar. Now they'll be able to play reserves until they fulfill their potential.
Hopefully this means we'll be able to keep young talent in the game until they're ready.
 

CrittaMagic69

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Just go back to...

Jersey Flegg (Under 23's)
Reserves
First Grade

Make it a whole day out again you *****.

Plus you won't lose players in between Under 20's and reserves.
I wouldn't mind a mid week comp tbh.
 

Freakzilla

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You can't have a midweek comp in rugby league. What they should do is have Origin on Sunday night and on the Friday and Saturday have a knock out comp with NRL teams without their Origin Players. That way Origin doesn't effect the NRL comp and you still get games on the other days.
 

EXPLORER

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Should have happened long ago...

The best system was in the days of Reserve Grade and Presidents Cup
I totally agree, NSW cup should be reserve grade, where the players go if out of for. From NRL and players from reserve grade can put preasure on NRL players for spots,
The salary cap should be NRL and reserve grade players,
 

Mr Invisible

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Just go back to...

Jersey Flegg (Under 23's)
Reserves
First Grade

Make it a whole day out again you *****.

Plus you won't lose players in between Under 20's and reserves.
A trillion times yes...

Keep it simple, and have a whole day out at the footy... AND I reckon memberships would soar as a result due to value for money.
 
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