Pathways Samuel McCulloch

  • Thread starter Thread starter SF
  • Start date Start date
Sevshark said:
Hes playing park football at the moment so be lucky if he's still at the club by end of the year
Click to expand...
Harrigan Cup is not "Park Football". It's funny how that is always the way people describe it. It's a NSWRL major competition, and a feeder comp to NSW Cup. It's very different from park football, and it's probably a higher standard than the NSW Cup was 12-15 years ago when they would send guys like Blake Green or Scott Porter down to that comp.

There are quite a few players who have made their NRL debut and/or gone on to be full time NRL players after playing in a major feeder comp. Currently Jolliffe, Garlick and Hazelton are the three who came through the Sharks system I can name who are full time NRLers. Lorenzo Mulitalo also played one NRL game. The Marschke brothers too.

A lot more Sharks NRL players would have appeared in games for one of the Sharks 3rd level feeders like Cabramatta or Glebe back in the day, but team lists weren't readily available back then like they are now.


Gumby said:
****ing hell. Thought this guy was our next best thing. The hype around him was huge last year from memory.
Click to expand...
The Fins Up guys hyped him up and some people believe them that he was a top prospect.

McCullough is a good player and was dominant in school and age-level football but we don't judge players by how well they go against other kids. He didn't play his way past anyone above him in the Sharks system in his turning 21 season and hasn't yet done it in his turning 22 season. There are also younger players coming up behind him who may be just as good or better (Dellow, Davies, Challenor to name a few).

He also hasn't been relegated to the Pirates never to return. The way the season appears to be going Ndaira has been playing Fa'atili every week but rotating McCullough. Taateo and JJBM out for a game each here and there. He's just been a bit unlucky lately because the Sharks middles are healthier than they have ever been under Fitz, so guys like Puru and Uele have come back down, and Tuks is playing every week. If the Sharks get an injury or two McCullough will be the first guy the Jets call on to come back onto the bench.

I'm not giving up on him, but he isn't ranked as high up the Sharks prospects list as the Fins Up guys would have you believe.


Sevshark said:
He's still young and Newtown's first priority is winning football games. Developing cronulla's talent not so much.

Could say I'm a bit sick of it
Click to expand...
There is no evidence this is true.

For McCullough, he is behind six other Sharks players (Hosking, Puru, Uele, Fa'atili, Fearnley and Hau Tapuha) and in a rotation with 2 other guys who have also been playing for the Pirates some weeks.

For Flegg players coming up and down like Williams has been or like Pollard did last year, that fairly is standard practice across the NRL. It's nothing to do with the Jets.

Your best mate Johnny only played when there was like 7 other halves out injured.
 
Last edited:
I am surprised McCullough hasn't seen more game time as thought he was good for the Flegg team but we've got a pretty healthy team in the forwards at the moment, which is pretty rare.

I am glad Felix is getting the game time.
 
Sharks NRL Prospects said:
Harrigan Cup is not "Park Football". It's funny how that is always the way people describe it. It's a NSWRL major competition, and a feeder comp to NSW Cup. It's very different from park football, and it's probably a higher standard than the NSW Cup was 12-15 years ago when they would send guys like Blake Green or Scott Porter down to that comp.

There are quite a few players who have made their NRL debut and/or gone on to be full time NRL players after playing in a major feeder comp. Currently Jolliffe, Garlick and Hazelton are the three who came through the Sharks system I can name who are full time NRLers. Lorenzo Mulitalo also played one NRL game. The Marschke brothers too.

A lot more Sharks NRL players would have appeared in games for one of the Sharks 3rd level feeders like Cabramatta or Glebe back in the day, but team lists weren't readily available back then like they are now.



The Fins Up guys hyped him up and some people believe them that he was a top prospect.

McCullough is a good player and was dominant in school and age-level football but we don't judge players by how well they go against other kids. He didn't play his way past anyone above him in the Sharks system in his turning 21 season and hasn't yet done it in his turning 22 season. There are also younger players coming up behind him who may be just as good or better (Dellow, Davies, Challenor to name a few).

He also hasn't been relegated to the Pirates never to return. The way the season appears to be going Ndaira has been playing Fa'atili every week but rotating McCullough. Taateo and JJBM out for a game each here and there. He's just been a bit unlucky lately because the Sharks middles are healthier than they have ever been under Fitz, so guys like Puru and Uele have come back down, and Tuks is playing every week. If the Sharks get an injury or two McCullough will be the first guy the Jets call on to come back onto the bench.

I'm not giving up on him, but he isn't ranked as high up the Sharks prospects list as the Fins Up guys would have you believe.



There is no evidence this is true.

For McCullough, he is behind six other Sharks players (Hosking, Puru, Uele, Fa'atili, Fearnley and Hau Tapuha) and in a rotation with 2 other guys who have also been playing for the Pirates some weeks.

For Flegg players coming up and down like Williams has been or like Pollard did last year, that fairly is standard practice across the NRL. It's nothing to do with the Jets.

Your best mate Johnny only played when there was like 7 other halves out injured.
Click to expand...

I could of sworn you called it that recently as well burgo but if it's not a fair description of the comp I apologise

I don't think Sam's the best prospect coming through at the club but at the same time I do think he's a higher chance of playing first grade one day for us than guys like Fearnley, Taateo or JJBM so yeah I would prefer him playing cup every week over those guys.

Can't believe you'd try to use Johnny against me like this... thought we had something special 💔
 
Sevshark said:
I could of sworn you called it that recently as well burgo but if it's not a fair description of the comp I apologise

I don't think Sam's the best prospect coming through at the club but at the same time I do think he's a higher chance of playing first grade one day for us than guys like Fearnley, Taateo or JJBM so yeah I would prefer him playing cup every week over those guys.

Can't believe you'd try to use Johnny against me like this... thought we had something special 💔
Click to expand...
Haha we'll always have Oregon.

Fearnley's good mate.
 
Sevshark said:
I could of sworn you called it that recently as well burgo but if it's not a fair description of the comp I apologise

I don't think Sam's the best prospect coming through at the club but at the same time I do think he's a higher chance of playing first grade one day for us than guys like Fearnley, Taateo or JJBM so yeah I would prefer him playing cup every week over those guys.

Can't believe you'd try to use Johnny against me like this... thought we had something special 💔
Click to expand...
I probably called it third grade.

I think "park footy" conjures the image of 13 blokes with beer bellies and training being a game of touch with 4 schooners after. From what I have seen of third grade in recent years that level of footy may not be well-funded, but it is as organised and professional as it can be under the circumstances and the players do a full pre-season and train their asses off. The Pirates team may have a handful of guys we haven't heard of, but it is mostly comprised of the 7-8 best Jets-contracted guys and 7-8 best Flegg players who don't get a run that week. They are all good footy players.

I think if the Sharks needed someone to play 5 games this season or next Fearnley would be the far better choice, but agree that Sam looks more like someone who could play 50 games.

Hosking is better than all of them though. He needs more love from Sharks fans. Very good player. Still just 23.
 
Last edited:
Also the Sharks have a stack of guys playing Jets each week who deserve to have the best teammates put alongside them to fill out the team, to aid their own development.

We don’t want like 13 of our top 36 spending every weekend cleaning up after 4 fan-hyped kids that are there just for their own individual development, the the detriment of the Jets team as a whole that we need practicing high quality football
 
Tiger Shark said:
I am surprised McCullough hasn't seen more game time as thought he was good for the Flegg team but we've got a pretty healthy team in the forwards at the moment, which is pretty rare.

I am glad Felix is getting the game time.
Click to expand...
Yeah. When Ramien is back and Difa goes back into the forwards it will be the first time they’ve had every forward on deck since Fitz took over.

Felix just hanging on in the 17. Has been saved a few times by the Sharks 18th and 19th men not playing for the Jets.

Could be deliberate too. Puru missing a game or two won’t hurt him but in that first 6 weeks when the Pirates season hasn’t started yet it’s not ideal to have your younger prospect as sitting around not playing at all.
 
bort said:
Also the Sharks have a stack of guys playing Jets each week who deserve to have the best teammates put alongside them to fill out the team, to aid their own development.

We don’t want like 13 of our top 36 spending every weekend cleaning up after 4 fan-hyped kids that are there just for their own individual development, the the detriment of the Jets team as a whole that we need practicing high quality football
Click to expand...

Might be an unpopular opinion but I actually would prefer that 🤷
 
Sevshark said:
Might be an unpopular opinion but I actually would prefer that 🤷
Click to expand...
You’d prefer Ison, Gabrael, Jones, Pollard, Purus, Hau Taupuha, Hassett, Hosking, Fatili and Ford and often Hiroti to have worse quality practice/development?
 
bort said:
You’d prefer Ison, Gabrael, Jones, Pollard, Purus, Hau Taupuha, Hassett, Hosking, Fatili and Ford and often Hiroti to have worse quality practice/development?
Click to expand...

Not sure how it affects the quality of practice, most of those guys are training with the first grade squad majority of the time. They'll also still be training with the jets extended squad which features those players, so... yeah don't think that's a great argument personally.

I also don't think that jjbm(24) Taateo(23) etc have that much more experience with which to be aiding said development.

They're still going to have the older experienced guys like Uele, Hiroti and Berrell in the team which is the job they should be doing
 
Sevshark said:
Not sure how it affects the quality of practice, most of those guys are training with the first grade squad majority of the time. They'll also still be training with the jets extended squad which features those players, so... yeah don't think that's a great argument personally.

I also don't think that jjbm(24) Taateo(23) etc have that much more experience with which to be aiding said development.

They're still going to have the older experienced guys like Uele, Hiroti and Berrell in the team which is the job they should be doing
Click to expand...
It's pretty simple how it affects quality of practice (and by that I mean, practicing the skills they need to succeed in the NRL during Cup games).
And it's not my argument that they are learning from bjj and Potato

They aren't benefiting from playing alongside the mid jet prop, they are benefitting from not playing alongside the bloke who aged out of Flegg who can't make Jets because their contact, ball control etc aren't at that standard.

How does it benefit Pollard to just be stuck longkicking out our territory for half the game because we are running two props who were hyped juniors that can't get any go forward?
Gabrael practicing defending against men if his second rower and winger are two kids who can't tackle or make defensive decisions (but looked good in SG Ball)?

If it is 50/50 between McCullough and a Jets guys of course pick the sharks guy. Hell, even 51/49 against him. But how many not good enough to make the side except off fan hype guys should we be carrying each week?

How about instead of being gift wrapped some free Jets games McCullough works on his game to impress enough to be selected.
That sounds better for everyone to me.
 
bort said:
It's pretty simple how it affects quality of practice (and by that I mean, practicing the skills they need to succeed in the NRL during Cup games).
And it's not my argument that they are learning from bjj and Potato

They aren't benefiting from playing alongside the mid jet prop, they are benefitting from not playing alongside the bloke who aged out of Flegg who can't make Jets because their contact, ball control etc aren't at that standard.

How does it benefit Pollard to just be stuck longkicking out our territory for half the game because we are running two props who were hyped juniors that can't get any go forward?
Gabrael practicing defending against men if his second rower and winger are two kids who can't tackle or make defensive decisions (but looked good in SG Ball)?

If it is 50/50 between McCullough and a Jets guys of course pick the sharks guy. Hell, even 51/49 against him. But how many not good enough to make the side except off fan hype guys should we be carrying each week?

How about instead of being gift wrapped some free Jets games McCullough works on his game to impress enough to be selected.
That sounds better for everyone to me.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to attack you or the argument bort I'm just saying I don't personally agree with it

Pollard is still starting the game behind guys like tuks, Uele, Fearnley(burgo was right, he shouldn't have been included in my other list.) and hosking, Gabrael still has hasset, Lavender and dixon that hasn't changed
Those are all sharks fringe first graders, t&t and dev players.

I'm not screaming for sam to start playing 80 every week, I just want him playing consistently off the bench.


Also going to assume potato was an autocorrect haha
 
Sevshark said:
I'm not trying to attack you or the argument bort I'm just saying I don't personally agree with it

Pollard is still starting the game behind guys like tuks, Uele, Fearnley(burgo was right, he shouldn't have been included in my other list.) and hosking, Gabrael still has hasset, Lavender and dixon that hasn't changed
Those are all sharks fringe first graders, t&t and dev players.

I'm not screaming for sam to start playing 80 every week, I just want him playing consistently off the bench.
Click to expand...
I know mate, I'm just expanding why I feel the way I do too. I'm not foaming at the mouth somebody else has a slightly different opinion to me.
That's been happening since that dog bit me.

I think if we make an exception for Sam to start despite not winning the spot, who is next etc
Just win the spot Sam, and we can both be happy and he will be better for it too
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top