www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/i ... 5997685581 Following the article in RLW which I thought got carried away trying to assess whether our youngsters who recently beat the Aussies were going to have an impact on our England RL team in a few years time. I think the big thing that was missed was that a significant number of rising stars dont play for the Aussie Schoolboys and if our England team played the best youngsters in Oz I think the result would have been very different. We our kidding ourselves if we think those victories signal anything other than us beating a team of Aussie kids but certainly not the cream of the crop.

www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/i ... 5997685581 Following the article in RLW which I thought got carried away trying to assess whether our youngsters who recently beat the Aussies were going to have an impact on our England RL team in a few years time. I think the big thing that was missed was that a significant number of rising stars dont play for the Aussie Schoolboys and if our England team played the best youngsters in Oz I think the result would have been very different. We our kidding ourselves if we think those victories signal anything other than us beating a team of Aussie kids but certainly not the cream of the crop.

yeah god forbid we beat the aussies...there must be a reason!!!!

Looking at the link you provided, how many would be eligible for the Schoolboys team anyway?

There is a 22 year old listed plus two 21 year olds, two 20 and one 19. Only the 17 year old and (potentially) the 18 year old would be eligible

i think the poster means played for the schoolboys when they were eligable which for most of these would be 2 to 3 years ago

What a typically English view. Misery. We beat the best Australia could send us.

I've seen teams like St helens kids come down here and beat their australian counterparts.

The sooner people in England drop the aussies are great attitude then we'll be on our way to beating them. Our cricket team have learnt that!!! Now RL can too.

Agree with that, we have talented youngsters as well. No reason that our team cannot grow up to dominate.

Got to agree in part though, the best young Aussies that are eligable don't usually play for the school boys team they are already on their way to full rep honours. Look at Michael Dobson, Blake Green and Rhys Lovegrove at Rovers, all played for the schoolboys that were beaten a few years back by the English academy. Dobson struggled to hold down a place at the Raiders, Green played a fair amount but wasn't Australian international material and Lovegrove came over at 20yrs old without playing first grade.

Dobson and Lovegrove have made a big impact at Rovers and Dobson has arguably been one of the best in the Super League while Green has the potential to be just as good if not better over the next three years. But the fact the English players like Graham, Burgess and Roby beat these three a few years back doesn't mean the English lads were playing the Aussies best youngsters at that time, proven by the fact all three have come over here in their early 20's instead of challenging for a regular place in the NRL.

Which Australian from that age group didn't play nick?

Players like Gasnier, Inglis, Fittler and Falou have all played Aus schoolboy.

Not got the team sheets to hand Sheldon but just said I agreed "in part" with what was being said. A lot of their schoolboys sides do not make it even to first grade level or if they do their careers are not that long. The best obviously go on to bigger and better things, some come over here to get more game time and sometimes the European style suits some people better than the one in the NRL.

But that's not to say their not the best at their age (I have no idea if all u18's are eliglable for the schoolboys).

Some on here will tell you the day Craig Hall scored a hat trick while facing Falou, some just don't develop.

Nomination for post of the year.

I am an Aussie but even i cannot believe the obsession English fans have with Australians Rugby League players.

I have seen the two test matches and England Academy beat the Australians fair and square, they have some great players coming through, most of them only 17yo.

Fair enough, I misread the context of the post. Let’s look at some evidence as to whether beating the Aussie Schoolboys was a good result and gives UK RL hope for the future

The players listed in the link provided in the original post

Sam Kasiano
Cameron King
Dane Gagai
Beau Henry
James Roberts
Kalifa Faifai-Loa
Jacob Loko
Daniel Harrison
Kyle O’Donnell

Now, here is the Australian Schoolboys team of the century

Tim Brasher
Andrew Ettinghausen
Mark Gasnier
Justin Hodges
Greg Inglis
Brad Fittler
Greg Alexander
Craig Young
Danny Buderus
Les Boyd
Steve Menzies
Paul Sironen
Bradley Clyde
Tonie Carroll
Ian Schubert
Matthew Gidley
Brent Tate

It’s a difficult one isn't it!

No 1 Henare Wells (QSSRL)
No 2 Jacon Gagan (NSWCHS)
No 3 Tautau Moga (QSSRL)
No 4 Trent Jennings (NSWCHS)
No 5 Luke Pickerd (NSWCCC)
No 6 Jack Wighton (ACT)
No 7 Harry Siejka (NSWCHS)
No 8 Chris Grevsmuhl (QSSRL)
No 9 Chad Redman (NSWCHS)
No 10 Matthew Groat (NSWCCC)
No 11 Lachlan Burr (NSWCHS)
No 12 Vaipuna Tia Kilifi (NSWCCC)
No 13 Paul Carter (C) (NSWCHS)
No 14 Cameron Cullen (QSSRL)
No 15 Iain Riccardi (QSSRL)
No 16 Anthony Gadd (QSSRL)
No 17 Matthew Eisenhuth (NSWCCC)
No 18 Sam Irwin (QSSRL)

All but a couple of those guys had junior NRL contracts and several of them played in the Toyota Cup. The scrum-half Siejka was given the biggest ever contract for a teenager when he signed a $225000 deal at the Panthers for 2009-11.

not hard to believe given how bad falou's defence was...yeah sure the boy could leap...but thats about it

We do produce plenty of players capable of playing at a high standard.
But the aussies produce more, much more and therefore more 'freaks' in their hierarchy if you will.
A school boys team comes through every year or two whereas produce one Inglis or Lockyer and he stays in your national side for 10 years +. we have plenty of players capable of mixing it in the NRL but when it comes to their freaks in the national side, we dont have players of that ability