2008 Feeder Club News: Titans Senior Players -> Seagulls

[Queenslander]

Juniors Titans could be fed to Bears

Adam Gardini

13Aug07

A FEEDER arrangement between the Gold Coast Titans and Burleigh is up in the air, with the NRL club planning to channel most of its senior players through Tweed Heads next season, with the Bears getting its juniors.

This season the Titans established feeder relationships with Queensland Cup clubs Burleigh, Tweed Heads and Ipswich.

However, that is set to change next season with the Titans aiming to take on a more uniform approach to their feeder arrangement by having the majority of their senior players linked with the one club, Tweed Heads.

Gold Coast chief executive Michael Searle said yesterday despite the change, the club still hoped to have a relationship with both Burleigh and Ipswich and rejected rumours Burleigh had been dumped.

"We've offered to the Burleigh president again, where we would give them $30,000-odd a year plus a relationship with our good junior players so any junior Titans players could still play at Burleigh," said Searle.

"It's completely in their court. So if they want to decide they didn't want to proceed, that would be fine, that would be their choice. But we haven't been formally notified they don't want to proceed.

"It's completely up to them.

"Burleigh is an independent club with lots of strength ... If they chose not to proceed and wanted to come back they would always be welcomed back."

Bears chief executive Adrian Vowles said his club was still discussing whether they wanted to agree to an arrangement with the Titans next season.

"We haven't finalised anything as yet," he said.

"I think it's going to be done in the next couple of weeks."

Vowles said the club had not been greatly affected by the existing feeder arrangement and said Bears officials had to simply weigh-up the new proposal.

"It hasn't affected us too much, we haven't got a great deal of players (from the Titans) this year," he said.

"It's one of those things where we've just got to work out what's best for Burleigh.

"The players that came back from the Titans have been very good this year and every one of them has come back with a great attitude. We've just got to work out what's best for us and go from there. The Titans have been good for the Coast."

Searle said the Titans had decided there was a need for individuals not playing NRL to be involved with the one feeder club for continuity, with the Seagulls to employ a similar coaching and playing structure to that used by the Gold Coast next season.

He said Ipswich were still interested in having a relationship with the Titans, although conceding it would be on a smaller scale than this season.

"It's really been a decision of the head coach (John Cartwright)," he said.

"He wants to have senior players all playing at the one club just purely for continuity and one set of coaching plays. They'll (Tweed Heads) probably get the majority of players but we'll still give NRL-quality players to Ipswich as well."

www.goldcoast.com.au

[Steve]

Makes a lot of sense. I think a lot of NRL clubs use the same coaching procedures through all the grades so there's no issues when a player is elevated.
Bringing in players from 3 different clubs to play together would get a bit messy.

[Old Diehard]

Congulations are in order for the Titan's Feeder teams with The Tweed and Ipswich making the finals of the Qld Wizard Cup and Burleigh just missing out.

Shows that these Clubs are very strong indeed!

And as Queenslander has pointed out with The State Govt making the Ipswich area as the growth spot for residential development in South East Queensland in the future any NRL team that gets that catchment of juniors is laughing!

[DIEHARD]

It does make sense to have one main feeder team.

But I hope we can continue relations with Ipswich and especially Burleigh.

The Broncos have Aspley as their primary as well as Redcliffe and Wynnum.

We can do likewise. Otherwise another NRL club will swoop.

[Steelers]

I think the Titans should try to continue relations with Burleigh. It makes sense, with Burleigh being based in the same area as the Titans. If I was Burleigh, I would accept the deal. Having access to the Titans junior elite squad (or whatever that was called) would be an absolute goldmine.

[Old Diehard]

being a feeder team is a 2 way street.. sometimes the club must wonder whats in it for them.....Look at Redcliffe- the Broncos are losing players to injuries and as a consequence Mick Roberts,Shane Perry and Nick Emmett are called up at the same time Marty Turner is ruled out for the rest of the season...So at a critical time/finals and with the chance of going back to back as Premiers they lose their best players to the Broncos ...What does Redcliffe as a club gain - not much in the way of winning ! but it gives it's players a chance to become professionals instead of week-end warriors. So yeah being a feeder club is probably more of a win for the NRL side but QRL teams have got to do it for the sake of their players!

[Queenslander]

being a feeder team is a 2 way street.. sometimes the club must wonder whats in it for them.....Look at Redcliffe- the Broncos are losing players to injuries and as a consequence Mick Roberts,Shane Perry and Nick Emmett are called up at the same time Marty Turner is ruled out for the rest of the season...So at a critical time/finals and with the chance of going back to back as Premiers they lose their best players to the Broncos ...What does Redcliffe as a club gain - not much in the way of winning ! but it gives it's players a chance to become professionals instead of week-end warriors. So yeah being a feeder club is probably more of a win for the NRL side but QRL teams have got to do it for the sake of their players!

Thats true, there are many negatives to being a feeder club. However IMO the positives out way the negatives. Having a club like the Broncos or Titans as head club is a selling point for many players who want to get into the big league.

[Old Diehard]

Having a club like the Broncos or Titans as head club is a selling point for many players who want to get into the big league.

Maybe- but in Redcliffe's case just being so successful at the level the club is at is a selling point...I heard Pat Gardiner and Marty Turner both went to Redcliffe to increase their chances of being part of a Premiership team ( they both achieved that dream last year!).

I know the juniors over at Redcliffe is about the best their is , with teams in just about every age group's premier grade (The Best Grade in juniors in this part of the world)! I seriously think that with Redcliffe so financial , a strong juniors (more players than any other club in Queensland), a rugby league history and tradition,that the Broncos are getting the better part of the deal!

But the Broncos are a successful business and with the combined Aspley Norths team in the Qld Cup next year, Redcliffe & Wynnum as feeders as well the Broncos have stitched up a great source of players.

(NB-Page 3 of last week-ends Rugby League News Program Volume 11 Number 22 states "Carmichael, who will remain at Norths next year as an assistant coach when the club merges with Aspley"- confirms that theme I raised 3 or 4 months ago about Norths and Aspley ie. The colts & A grade side to play under the Aspley banner and at this stage Norths to field the Qld Cup side but their is a big push that it to is fielded as Norths Aspley Devils!)

[PUP*23]

First of all:
I personally believe that the feeder clubs have done great this year. Good luck to Ipswich and Tweed in the finals (I'm personally cheering on Ipswich)

Secondly:
As for the need for putting all there top players in one feeder club and not the others does kind disadvantage some players a bit. As far as the QRL comp is concerned having top grade players in one team is going to give them a far greater advantage to the second choice feeder clubs.

And thirdly:
If it is coaching that they are worried about, Ipswich should be up there with the likes of Tweed. We can't forget that Ipswich is coached by Kevin Walters, who is closely linked with the Titans let alone the Queensland SOO team. And I think Kev has done a great job with the Titans players that have made appearances in his side.