Cant see it anywhere on here but he is our next recruit. 19 year old Englishman playing in Aus. Brother of Darrell.

www.canberratimes.com.au/news/lo ... 88246.aspx

www.canberratimes.com.au/news/lo ... 88246.aspx

He is going to have to get out of the habit of calling you Hull.

Who is signing these players?

Cab Man,thats why he hasn`t been on here lately.

He actually signed with Crusaders for next season before they dropped out of the SL.

Rovers are...

Why does everyone seem to think only a head coach signs players? It isn't always the case and often a coach is asked to give a list of what they are looking for and possibly some suggestions then the club goes out and makes the signings. A coach does just that...coaches the side.

I would also say that Phil Lowe has quite a good idea of who is worth a contract and who isn't. The depth of next seasons squad will be better than this years while the indevidual quality might not be so high end.

With us replacing people like Vella with O'Hara and Paea, Fisher with Withers, Cook with Horne, Colbon with Hodgson, Brisk with Misi along with bolstering our numbers with people like this Griffin I don't see why it's such an issue with who is signing them? 80% of them are younger, better and should suit our style of play a lot better.

You mean our director of football (for the last x number of years) ?

Most modern teams are set up this way, bit like modern business to be honest - hey, even those basement dwellers across the river are copying us now...

Welcome to the 21st Century - wonder who they will blame next year ...

He should be a good "family guy" with a name like Griffin.

Interesting read while at work....

Queanbeyan Kangaroos import George Griffin is from a rare breed of rugby league players in England, and should make life very difficult for the Belconnen United Scholars this afternoon.

In a country primarily ruled by soccer, Griffin was raised in the rugby union heartland of Oxford in England but defected to league in school after watching his brother Darrell play the sport.

Darrell is one of only a few England internationals born south of the Midlands and Griffin hopes to emulate his oldest brother and forge a career in the English Super League.

But he's also eyeing a bigger prize a start in the NRL. Like supremely talented compatriots Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess, Griffin wants to test himself in the world's toughest rugby league competition.

This season's Canberra Raiders Cup will be his first taste of playing the game in Australia.

In October he's due to fly back home where he'll begin a contract with the Celtic Crusaders in north Wales.

The 18-year-old is desperate to build a reputation in the English Super League, but it's in Australia he ultimately wants to settle.

''I came originally in 2008 for a school exchange and I was here for nearly three months and I loved it over here, I loved the way they play and the people, everything really,'' Griffin said.

''Eventually I want to be out here forever. If I can do well in Super League next year and hopefully get noticed, I'd take that [an NRL] opportunity straight up.

''Soccer's absolutely massive over there, it's the biggest sport, that's why coming over here's a big shock and seeing rugby league everywhere.

''It [the NRL] is on every channel, there's eight games a week that's broadcasted, it's mad.''

A lock forward, Griffin is still adjusting to the different style of game in Australia.

In England, the lock stands wide of the ruck and commonly chimes in as a third centre, carrying the ball with more space to work in than a typical hit-up.

On Australian shores, the lock has evolved into almost a third prop, patrolling the middle unit of the field in attack and defence.

Griffin is working closely with Kangaroos coach Aaron Gorrell to adjust to his new positional environment.

''He knows his stuff definitely, he's pointed me in the right direction, we play different in England in terms of positions,'' Griffin said.

''I play lock forward a lot in England, we play over there like a back as well as a forward so we get a lot of open ball.

''Here I just got told if I play lock forward I'm basically a third front row so I've got to keep taking it up and hitting the big boys.

''It's a lot faster over here, there's a lot more breaks and stuff.''

So different is the positional structure in the two countries, Griffin could find himself pushed into the second row or even into the centres at the Kangaroos this year.

He is one of several new players at the club which is looking to win back-to-back premierships this season.

Today's clash is a replay of last year's grand final, where Queanbeyan beat the Scholars 41-16.

according to the BBC he only wants to come over and then go back to Australia in 2 years. Not sure I agree with this type of signing......

If he comes over and plays to a standard that earns him an NRL contract then i will be happy. Good to see a kid with some ambition.

Anyway, to come back to this.

Yes, a coach does coach the side, but when you're changing coaches the players should be that in coming coaches selections. Otherwise, when things don't go well you have the scenario of "Well, I'm coaching someone else's team".

We should be starting from scratch, a new vision, a new set up, a new way of doing things. The board's job is to facilitate that vision by providing the players (where possible) that the coach selects. Otherwise, why bother having one?

Any of us could turn a team out on the park given a bunch of players, the job of a coach is to select, garner (with the boards assistance) and meld a group of players into a cohesive structure.