Young NSW halves get “footy coached out of them”, says Broncos recruitment manager

YOUNG halves in New South Wales have “the footy coached out of them” by over-ambitious mentors, according to the Brisbane Broncos recruitment manager.
Peter Nolan says the rigid junior structures south of the border create an environment where up and coming halves and five-eighths become “robotic”.
Nolan made the comment on the Fox NRL Market Watch podcast. A dearth of quality halves is seen as a major reason for the Blues losing nine of the last 10 State of Origin series and for Queenslanders dominating the positions in the Australian side.
“There’s halves up here everywhere because they’re never over-coached as kids,” Nolan, who spent time at Parramatta, said.
“The Mats (Harold Mathews) and Ball competitions just dominate in NSW. I couldn’t believe it when I went down there, the amount of coaching that kids get from about 14 or 15, getting ready to play in those competitions.
“The kids just get the footy coached out of them, pure and simple. I can’t be any more blunt than that.
“The coaches all want to coach because they want to win the competition to get promoted up to the next age group, then they want to become assistant coaches at higher levels.
“There’s textbooks and syllabuses down there that they follow and the kids just become robotic.
“(In Queensland) it’s as simple as catch-pass-carry, draw and pass and having good tackle technique on both shoulders. The rest of it, we just sort of let the kids play.
“That’s fairly reflective across Queensland. North Queensland, they’re outdoor kids, they love to run and play. They’re some super talents up there.
“It’s more to do with Queensland and the system that the kids grow up in. There’s schools of excellence up here as well but they’re not as prominent as they are in Sydney
“They just don’t get over-coached, the kids, and I think that’s the big difference between Queensland and NSW.”