Rugby league supremo Phil Gould and NRL legend Paul Gallen have locked horns over the definition of a “development club” in today’s game.
Gould was an integral figure in shaping the Panthers into the competition’s best breeding ground in recent years, having also coached the Penrith side to premiership glory in 1991, as well as the Bulldogs in 1988.
Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy, Gould revealed his plans to develop Canterbury-Bankstown into one of the NRL’s best development clubs, hoping to emulate the success of the Panthers, Sharks and Roosters.
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But Gallen, who played 348 games for Cronulla, chimed in claiming the Roosters weren’t really a development club because they buy players during their teenage years.
“They buy those players at 15 or 16 years of age, so they don’t develop the talent,” Gallen said.
“Yeah, they do,” Gould said.
“They buy them at 16 or 17, they are already developed… they are developed by the Panthers, by the Sharks.”
“That is nowhere near developed, that isn’t going to play them NRL,” Gould said.
“They are developed to a 16-year-old’s standard, then the Roosters buy them… it is a fair head start,” Gallen said.
Tensions continued to rise, with Gould referencing his 27-years of expertise in administration — but Gallen stood strong, claiming a club can’t claim players as “juniors” if they arrive at 17-years of age.
“No it’s not mate, lucky I am doing this and not you,” Gould said.
“It is nowhere near a head start… you haven’t done this before, I have done this for 27 years.”
“You can’t tell me that Penrith develop a player until they are 17-years-of-age, you can’t then call them a junior,” Gallen said.
“Who called them a junior, they are developed players, it is different to being a junior,” Gould said.
Gould explained he believes a 17-year-old is nowhere near NRL ready, and therefore must be developed further to cut it in the highest grade.
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“When you are buying a 17-year-old that has been developed from 7-years of age that is a fair head start,” Gallen said.
“That is not when you are developing NRL players… he has not developed anywhere near what an NRL player needs to be by that age.”
“My point is, you can’t class the Roosters as a development team,” Gallen said.
“Of course you can… I will go and get the stats for you because every time they have won a premiership there are at least a dozen players that came to them as teenagers, that is developing talent,” Gould said.
“They are a great club, but I don’t think we can argue that the Roosters are a development club,” Gallen added.
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