Official Blayke Brailey

Wiz

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When he signed in 2019 Riccio said his deal was 400k per year. Might be incentive based but Roosters and a few clubs were after him then.

His next deal will be more than that I assume
That's a crazy amount of money for a rookie in his first 3 years.

If we were negotiating his contract now he shouldn't get more then 450/500, his output for us thus far doesn't warrant more then that
 
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That's a crazy amount of money for a rookie in his first 3 years.

If we were negotiating his contract now he shouldn't get more then 450/500, his output for us thus far doesn't warrant more then that

Yeah I remember when that figure was mentioned in 2019 and thought it was high but there was alot of interest and we'd just let his brother go I think so we needed to dig deep.

Also we weren't exactly the smartest cap wise back then were we. Morris was coach and think we were about to Phil Moss in as head of football. Name escapes me on who was there before hand.

Ideally the teams who need a hooker are focusing on others and he's pretty keen to stay so hopefully won't take much more to keep him.
 

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I feel like Mahoney might be able to get more than that. If the two backrowers they just lost are getting that surely he can get more.


Along with halfbacks I think
Who are also having an identity crisis... maybe the game just doesn't need them to do as much as they were in the past. 7's traditionally ran everything and managed the kicking game and maybe that's changing too. Burgo might have some stats to share to support a view, but it feels like (especially with the six again rule) that responsibilities are spread out more across the spine/team
 

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If we were negotiating his contract now he shouldn't get more then 450/500, his output for us thus far doesn't warrant more then that
I think that’s probably the price range

I do agree much more and you’d be better going for Reed
BUT
a bunch of teams are and if we missed out and it pissed off Blayke or he left in the meantime we could be in the ****
 

Wiz

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I think that’s probably the price range

I do agree much more and you’d be better going for Reed
BUT
a bunch of teams are and if we missed out and it pissed off Blayke or he left in the meantime we could be in the ****
I see what you are trying to say .. but at this point in time if he was to leave, what Blake offers it wouldn't take much for someone to come in and fill that current role.

It might take him longer then we think to even kick on or fingers crossed it happens much sooner and he proves he is better then Reed or proves he's worth what he's been paid
 

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Who are also having an identity crisis... maybe the game just doesn't need them to do as much as they were in the past. 7's traditionally ran everything and managed the kicking game and maybe that's changing too. Burgo might have some stats to share to support a view, but it feels like (especially with the six again rule) that responsibilities are spread out more across the spine/team
Spreading the ball-playing around is not new. It just went away for a while. Statistically we see less passes per game under the new rules, but that doesn't mean the players aren't a threat to pass. A hit-up with a genuine support runner on your hip counts the same in the stats column as a hit up where your teammates are standing around scratching their balls. In general though, you can't have 2 bosses on a footy field. You can have players organising their own edges, but one of those blokes is the boss.

As for the lack of playmakers, how about NRL Player Development Framework?
Furthermore, other extreme examples of the bias these effects create in the game can be found in the junior representative programs. Quarter 1, Quarter 2 representation in these selection-based teams can exceed 90% in the younger age groups, and remains heavily biased towards participants born between January and June in the 16-18 year old programs.
Or how about this from a scientific journal article on the Pygmalion effect?
Results demonstrated that whereas high expectancy children received more reinforcement, low expectancy children experienced fewer incidences of nonreinforcement and received more general technical instruction. Findings were discussed from both a theoretical and practical perspective.
RL junior rep teams in the last 20 years are comprised mostly of early bloomers (not necessarily the best players) AND when players are identified early, coaches provide those players with more specialised training. The system actively discriminates against younger and/or smaller kids who may actually be better players.

Another way to think about this is that that if you take two kids born in March and September playing in the same team. The kids are equally competent/skilled, but the older one is a little taller, a little faster, and a little heavier. Who is more likely to be a good footballer 3 years from now? It should be the younger player. He is holding his own playing in a league where almost everyone is older than him - and when his growth spurt arrives he's going to overtake the other kid.

Rep coaches don't think like this though. They pick the more developed kid, he gets picked in every team for the next 3 years and when he turns out to be really good everyone says "see - I told you he was better than that other kid", without taking in to consideration that you just gave him 3 years of specialised coaching that the other boy didn't get. Where could he have been with the extra effort put in to him?

If you do this often enough and for long enough you end up with a generation of footballers who were picked because they were bigger and faster than their peers and not because they understood the game.

*

For me personally, the unicorn in junior RL is 7 who can lead his team around the park and talk to a referee. To date I've found those two things mutually exclusive. 7 steering the ship, 9 talking the ref seems to be healthy compromise - but only if your 9 plays a full game.
 
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Sparkles

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Spreading the ball-playing around is not new. It just went away for a while. Statistically we see less passes per game under the new rules, but that doesn't mean the players aren't a threat to pass. A hit-up with a genuine support runner on your hip counts the same in the stats column as a hit up where your teammates are standing around scratching their balls. In general though, you can't have 2 bosses on a footy field. You can have players organising their own edges, but one of those blokes is the boss.

As for the lack of playmakers, how about NRL Player Development Framework?

Or how about this from a scientific journal article on the Pygmalion effect?

RL junior rep teams in the last 20 years are comprised mostly of early bloomers (not necessarily the best players) AND when players are identified early, coaches provide those players with more specialised training. The system actively discriminates against younger and/or smaller kids who may actually be better players.

Another way to think about this is that that if you take two kids born in March and September playing in the same team. The kids are equally competent/skilled, but the older one is a little taller, a little faster, and a little heavier. Who is more likely to be a good footballer 3 years from now? It should be the younger player. He is holding his own playing in a league where almost everyone is older than him - and when his growth spurt arrives he's going to overtake the other kid.

Rep coaches don't think like this though. They pick the more developed kid, he gets picked in every team for the next 3 years and when he turns out to be really good everyone says "see - I told you he was better than that other kid", without taking in to consideration that you just gave him 3 years of specialised coaching that the other boy didn't get. Where could he have been with the extra effort put in to him?

If you do this often enough and for long enough you end up with a generation of footballers who were picked because they were bigger and faster than their peers and not because they understood the game.

*

For me personally, the unicorn in junior RL is 7 who can lead his team around the park and talk to a referee. To date I've found those two things mutually exclusive. 7 steering the ship, 9 talking the ref seems to be healthy compromise - but only if your 9 plays a full game.
Remind me not to ask if I should get the meat pie or hotdog at the ground... 😉

Any stats on if the average age of NRL debutants is getting younger or older? Feels like it's getting younger.

Blayke's a bit of an anomaly all round really. Tough little bugger. Has played a lot of footy in the middle for his age. Well under weight for the role. Has handled it very well. You feel there had to be something a bit special about the kid.
 

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I see what you are trying to say .. but at this point in time if he was to leave, what Blake offers it wouldn't take much for someone to come in and fill that current role.

It might take him longer then we think to even kick on or fingers crossed it happens much sooner and he proves he is better then Reed or proves he's worth what he's been paid
I see what you’re trying to say too, but I don’t think the hardest worker (arguably) (with some of the best handling) in the NRL is actually that east to replace.
I think some in here are undervaluing some of the less obvious positive traits he has
 

Sparkles

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I see what you’re trying to say too, but I don’t think the hardest worker (arguably) (with some of the best handling) in the NRL is actually that east to replace.
I think some in here are undervaluing some of the less obvious positive traits he has
Freudian slip?
 

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Remind me not to ask if I should get the meat pie or hotdog at the ground... 😉

Any stats on if the average age of NRL debutants is getting younger or older? Feels like it's getting younger.

Blayke's a bit of an anomaly all round really. Tough little bugger. Has played a lot of footy in the middle for his age. Well under weight for the role. Has handled it very well. You feel there had to be something a bit special about the kid.
Dagwood dog.

I don’t know about debut age. I reckon for every 19yo there is a Toby, Nicho, Gamble etc. though, so it probably balances out.

Managers are probably another factor. E.g. Brisbane didn’t want to debut Walsh because they thought he would benefit from more Q Cup. His manager found someone who promised him NRL.
 
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Coaching Coaching, what feeder/Club system/programme yr in, and sliding door moments, per Hynes' comments, but yep some anomalies.Beats me why the Goons are so ****, they would at a guess, have double the combined programmes than most.
 

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I think part of the challenge though is that Rep coaches want to win rep games even at a junior level and this is across all sports not just league.

Hard to blame them for not picking the smaller less developed kid that MIGHT turn out to be better and actually play NRL 5 or 6 years down the road when by that point that coach likely has nothing to do with them anymore

Not sure in junior league but I know from other sports that who the selectors are and what club you play for can also be an influence on selection - it's bs but it can be a factor in quality young players missing out
 

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I think part of the challenge though is that Rep coaches want to win rep games even at a junior level and this is across all sports not just league.

Hard to blame them for not picking the smaller less developed kid that MIGHT turn out to be better and actually play NRL 5 or 6 years down the road when by that point that coach likely has nothing to do with them anymore
Yep. This is another reason why the whole system needs a re-think. Junior rep for younger kids should be camp/clinic/development and not just a race for the round-robin trophy. NRL is changing this for 13's-15's. Schools are still stuck in the past though.

In reality my example is a rare one though. What is more common is they just pick the bigger, faster kid over the kid who has better fundamentals, or pick the kid who has one big hit over the one who makes 10x as many tackles and doesn't miss any.

Not sure in junior league but I know from other sports that who the selectors are and what club you play for can also be an influence on selection - it's bs but it can be a factor in quality young players missing out
You mean like if there is a school rep team and the selector happens to be the coach of one of the local schools, and the rep team ends up being half made up from that school (including picking a 7 who can't pass so nobody other than the middle 6 players touch the ball the whole game)? Nah - that never happens ;)

From what I understand, the selectors are typically given a list of kids by the club/coach/league/school to watch in any rep trial. If you are the best on the park and not on that list you have 0% chance of being picked (unless they already know you).

They are also RIDICULOUSLY rigid with positions. I've seen very good players turned away from even trialling because "we've already got someone for that spot".

Having an NRL/QRL/NSWRL dad certainly doesn't hurt either. Cam Smith's son was selected for a state u12 rep carnival this year. He'd never even played a game of Rugby League before the trials - and he isn't very good.
 
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Yep. This is another reason why the whole system needs a re-think. Junior rep for younger kids should be camp/clinic/development and not just a race for the round-robin trophy. NRL is changing this for 13's-15's. Schools are still stuck in the past though.

In reality my example is a rare one though. What is more common is they just pick the bigger, faster kid over the kid who has better fundamentals, or pick the kid who has one big hit over the one who makes 10x as many tackles and doesn't miss any.


You mean like if there is a school rep team and the selector happens to be the coach of one of the local schools, and the rep team ends up being half made up from that school (including picking a 7 who can't pass so nobody other than the middle 6 players touch the ball the whole game)? Nah - that never happens ;)

From what I understand, the selectors are typically given a list of kids by the club/coach/league/school to watch in any rep trial. If you are the best on the park and not on that list you have 0% chance of being picked (unless they already know you).

They are also RIDICULOUSLY rigid with positions. I've seen very good players turned away from even trialling because "we've already got someone for that spot".

Having an NRL/QRL/NSWRL dad certainly doesn't hurt either. Cam Smith's son was selected for a state u12 rep carnival this year. He'd never even played a game of Rugby League before the trials - and he isn't very good.
All this talk about coaching and selection making me try and remember...

I coached half the WA U15s in a squad trial match one year and I knew the 7 I had was already gunna make the team but I had another kid I wanted to do more ball playing and got told to give someone else a run at fullback so I think I made my 7 go and play fullback and moved some other kid into the halves. Pretty sure the 7 was Josh Rogers actually, and he said he doesn't play fullback but I said they already know what you can do in the halves so give this a try to show your skills in other ways too.

Although he's not listed as making the team, so I may have ****ed him over... or more likely he got injured between trial and games.

I also had Kurt De Luis who debuted for Manly this year and he was unstoppable and I got told to take him off too I'm pretty sure.
And I am also pretty sure he was only even in the squad because of his performance at an interschool comp where nobody on his team (including him) had any league experience and they didn't have a coach so I coached them for the day. They did well from memory and he was a beast that day too and I told Kim Williams (do you know who he is Burgess?) I had a prop he needed to go talk to about becoming a league player.
Not to take credit, he was a prop who hadn't played before so the coaching I gave him in 20 minutes before our first game wouldn't have been anything revolutionary.
 

bort

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The bloke who used to coach Mackay? Is he Guy’s brother?
Not sure about siblings but yeah he has been tied in with Mackay and I think maybe some other Qld Cup sides, and other roles in League (interstate and internationally)
 

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Not sure about siblings but yeah he has been tied in with Mackay and I think maybe some other Qld Cup sides, and other roles in League (interstate and internationally)
Guy was a long time player for the Rocky/Mackay teams. Has done some coaching post-career too.
 

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You mean like if there is a school rep team and the selector happens to be the coach of one of the local schools, and the rep team ends up being half made up from that school (including picking a 7 who can't pass so nobody other than the middle 6 players touch the ball the whole game)? Nah - that never happens ;)

From what I understand, the selectors are typically given a list of kids by the club/coach/league/school to watch in any rep trial. If you are the best on the park and not on that list you have 0% chance of being picked (unless they already know you).
Heh sounds obvious I know but I can't speak from experience on the league front as I only played at school boys level and never trialed for reps or anything. It sounds like this happened to you or a son ..... or Chad (same thing??) though!!! haha ;)

Hockey was my main competitive club sport through my teenage and early 20's years.

I was a very good young goal keeper at this point (eventually climbing up into the higher mens grades alongside my regular club side duties over the seasons. Even played some premier league which was essentially the 1st & 2nd grade comps (there were multiple layers of leagues with grade tiers within them) and some quasi international games.

As a teenager they used to run these big weekend carnivals out Sutho way and other places where your club would play multiple games over the course of a weekend sometimes against teams in a older age group as well.

I carved that carnival weekend up, dunno if I had more than a goal put on me even against better or older teams and made some pretty ludicrous saves in a particular game.

A man walks up to me post game who I know was a State selector and asked me why I'm not playing reps and my reply to him was "Because I don't play for Glebe" The blokes face said it all.

He didn't appreciate my reply but the selection panels and coaches were stacked with Glebe & Sutho staff (2 of the strongest and most influential clubs in Sydney) and you were given no favours as an outsider and it was tough to get noticed at trial days by the biased judges who seemed to have made up their minds at breakfast that morning.

It pissed me off as I knew the majority of other keepers around me were inferior and weren't playing in the higher mens grades on the side.

When a coach and current player from my club was eventually put on the team to access keepers at trial days I made the Sydney rep team straight away. A benefit of bias for myself this time perhaps but we were accessed fairly and I deserved to be in that group.

There were multiple squads and we were training every week for State try outs, I had some good competition but I reckon I was out performing them on the training field fairly consistently.

So you know what the shits did come State try outs? (which were basically state wide rep team hunger games where you need to perform then and there and outshine those around you). They stick me on this stacked team, easily the best squad who are matched up with inferior opposition in games and I see just 2 shots on me.

So basically little to no opportunity and some average keeper who turns out to be the son of a selector goes through and makes the State team. lol

I learnt early about how important it is who you know. I could have stuck it out longer over the years and gone pretty far but soon after started to lose the passion and studies, injury ect started to get in the way as well. Not much money in the sport either but there was always the allure of the national team and playing in the Olympics. Plenty of people tried to talk me into staying on.

I guess the politics become somewhat less relevant at the professional levels of sport such as NRL where money and famous major competitions are at stake and/or you are a late bloomer being given a chance to fill a role. But starting out and building your profile, trying to break through can be rough when the playing field isn't level and the agendas are stacked for someone else's benefit.

 
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