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carl_spackler wrote:

he was pretty much saying that most of the players in our 18s will never be good enough. That is quite a big thing to be making public IMO

It would be if he had said it but unless my version was edited I really think that is one hell of an extrapolation of what was actually said.

it's AP's train set, it's refreshing to have some honesty.

Not every age group throws up the same level of talent. AP believes the 16s are a special group and is shouting about it, nothing wrong with that, and they may be getting special attention too.
The players in the 18s who felt they needed to improve have just had a firecracker put up them from the big boss and now the whole group will or should respond to that.
The 20s have already been cherry picked and now only late developers will have a future (if at all). Thats the deal, theres no guarantees and never can be, and its talent/potential related. Its hard but either your in or your out based on that criteria. If a player who was "average" can suddenly start performing then I'm sure he too will be ring fenced, its always in the players hands.
APs total honesty is unusual however I find it refreshing, and at least we and his staff know where we are and we just have to get used to it. personally I really like his open and honest approach. He's not closed the door on any individual but he has given all individuals in the 18s something to think about.

carl_spackler wrote:

Cheers, I've listened to it all now. He doesn't actually include our 20s with what he's saying, but I do think he was being a bit harsh to our 18s, he basically wrote them off. I appreciate that he was bigging up our 16s, and he may even be right about the fact that we need to plug the gap between them and the 20s, but to announce on local radio that an entire age group are not good enough to make it and by extension basically just filling a requirement for us as a club to put out a team at that age group can't be good for them to hear. They must now wonder what the point in being with us is if they are only biding time until being released.

Have you seen the 18's play? They are shocking.

Rich Wilkinson/James Cunningham are the only ones worth keeping.

Rich Wilkinson plays for the 20's now, and only plays for the 18's when the 20's aren't playing.

[Sheldon]

Newsom 13 wrote:

Have you seen the 18's play? They are shocking.

Rich Wilkinson/James Cunningham are the only ones worth keeping.

Rich Wilkinson plays for the 20's now, and only plays for the 18's when the 20's aren't playing.

What about Rob Wildon's eldest?

Sheldon wrote:

Newsom 13 wrote:

Have you seen the 18's play? They are shocking.

Rich Wilkinson/James Cunningham are the only ones worth keeping.

Rich Wilkinson plays for the 20's now, and only plays for the 18's when the 20's aren't playing.

What about Rob Wildon's eldest?

Plays in the 20's along with his cousin Ryan Wilson who is an outstanding prospect.

[Sheldon]

Dave K. wrote:

Plays in the 20's along with his cousin Ryan Wilson who is an outstanding prospect.

So the reason why the u18's are poop is because all their better players are already playing in the 20's?

Newsom 13 wrote:

Have you seen the 18's play? They are shocking.

Rich Wilkinson/James Cunningham are the only ones worth keeping.

Rich Wilkinson plays for the 20's now, and only plays for the 18's when the 20's aren't playing.

Yet some of them have got another chance and will play for the 20s next season, for example Brad Smith.

[Sheldon]

Are we in for Bateman?

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=531596&tsmp=1341240061

Sheldon wrote:

Are we in for Bateman?

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=531596&tsmp=1341240061

We should be. Cracking player and only 18.