HEAR HEAR

The Aussie 'hit rate' from their national schoolboys team is never that good either, you usually see one or two superstars and a lot that don't even make first grade. Also a lot of the guys that are touted as real superstars as juniors in Australia don't quite go on to be what was expected. I remember in the mid 1990s hearing about Andrew Dunemann as the best schoolboy in Australia, I thought he was a class act in SL but he didn't go on to be a Johns, Langer, Fittler type player. Then a few years later the big schoolboy talent was Willie Peters who had a couple of fine seasons with Gateshead and Wigan but didn't set the world on fire in the NRL.

Always thought both AIS wingers would make it. Both had great speed and balance.

Arghhh Kevin Penny, whatever happened to the "New Offiah"

A lot of the young players drop out at 16 - 18, but Penny is a good example of the fact that even an older player who shows great promise can 'fall at the last hurdle'. It's a tough business for anybody to make a living.