Are we letting the big-name imports overshadow the raw?
Watched the big-money centre get beaten for pace by a 19 year old from South Auckland in the pre-season run and still got picked first name on the sheet. That's the whole problem in one training session honestly. We keep buying finished articles who are clearly here for the pay cheque while our own juniors rot on the bench learning nothing but how to hold a kicking tee.
And in reality? The table doesn't care about names. Every punter at the TAB has us written off with the same line every week because the selectors are too scared to back the local kids. Pick the raw talent and lose with them, fine, at least they'll be ours in three years. This lot will be gone by then anyway. 😏
9 posts
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✓Watched the big-money centre get beaten for pace by a 19 year old from South Auckland in the pre-season run and still got picked first name on the sheet. That's the whole problem in one training session honestly. We keep…It’s great to see the youth coming through, seriously, talent like that from South Auckland is huge for us to watch. Still, the league demands a certain level of elite physical consistency and experience in the big international derbies, which is what the big-name imports are paid for. We need that professional backbone when we're challenging for the top spots, even if the pre-season drills are tough.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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Nah, mate, they need the kids in the line-up more than fancy foreign flair. Our own lads are pure gold! 🔥One love, one side ❤️
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The sheer volume of minutes given to the high-salary international centre seems to overshadow the genuine promise of the local talent, but we need to look past that surface selection. I’ve been looking at the tackle completion rates for the junior South Auckland forwards, and the performance differential against the top imports isn't as vast as the minute allocation suggests. There is a real nuance here regarding why we prioritise the big contract over developing these promising young players.
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you know, seeing this debate always brings me back a fair way, way back in the day. remember those early years, before these massive international contracts started flying around? there felt like a different rhythm to the game, a bit more rugged, i reckon. the focus was less on the shiny things and more on who could bring the fight for 80 minutes and make us proud, no matter where they came from. i always held out hope that as the game got more professional, the foundations built by the local lads would just keep chipping away at that wall. we can't lose sight of the raw talent coming through the ranks, the kind of kids you watch and think 'that's one for the ages.' a team needs that mix, doesn't it? needs the big guns when they're needed for a big match, but also needs those youngsters breathing life into every single training session. it's always been said, you can't build a strong house without solid foundations.
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Nah, are you kidding me with these endless stats? 🔥 We gotta realise that raw talent from our own city ain't gonna sit around waiting for the fancy imports to clear their schedule first. We need those young boys getting minutes now, what's the point of them knocking on our door if they only let 'em sniff the jersey once a season? Heart says it all man 💪In the stands since I was a kid.
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Some young guys are brilliant, sure, but you need that professional experience first, mate. Ah well, we'll see.Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.
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Honestly, I keep watching those minutes charts, and it's frustrating to see the high-salary international center clock so many more minutes than the promising juniors. Junior was having a crack the other week, looking like he was set up for a try every single set. Hard out, we need to get them the opportunity to prove they can handle the big stage without being overshadowed.
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I appreciate the point Josh_Legend raised about those minutes charts because that’s precisely where the systemic issue seems to be boiling up. When you look at the minutes distribution, you're looking at more than just match performance, you're looking at developmental opportunity and tactical deployment. It’s a complex equation. If the imported centre is providing a consistently high floor of performance that lifts the entire Moana Pasifika structure, then those minutes are justifiable, even if a junior shows flashes of genuine brilliance. But if those imports are merely filling roles without adding disproportionate value, then dedicating that much game time means we aren't building the long-term squad we need for sustained success down the line. The balance between immediate effectiveness and future growth remains the central question we need to see answered through careful squad management.