Rugby: 'It's none of their business'

Konrad Hurrell played for Grammar before embarking on a professional career. Photo / File

Representatives from the Melbourne Storm flew to Suva last year to track down the family of a promising Auckland rugby schoolboy.

The NRL club had been pursuing a Fijian teenager who was playing in the first XV of a prominent Auckland school for an extended period but hadn't been able to close the deal. In Fiji, they met the player's parents and extended family and, soon afterwards, a contract was signed.

It's an illustration of the lengths to which league clubs will go to snare the best young players, with Auckland recognised as the world's biggest market place.

That talent quest will reach extreme heights this week, as the NZRL national secondary schools tournament gets under way.

More than 50 league agents, scouts and club representatives will converge on Bruce Pulman Park in Papakura to watch defending champions Kelston, perennial favourites St Paul's and 22 other schools fight for league supremacy.

Previous years have seen players approached - and sometimes surrounded - immediately after a match, with business cards and offers thrust in their faces.

The NZRL have controls in place, insisting that all agents are accredited and approach a player only through their school or guardian, but it's hard to police.

"Some agents don't register and we can't control what they do," says NZRL high performance manager Tony Iro. "We just give our kids as much career and welfare advice as possible."

"They just attack," says Warriors football manager Dean Bell. "They don't hold back. They can be pretty aggressive. Some agents are good and explain everything but, for others, it's just a numbers game."

Iro says schoolboys are often dazzled by an NRL logo on a jacket, business card or prospective contract and "get stars in their eyes". He talks of teenagers afraid to turn down an opportunity, worried the agent will move on to the next guy. And although opportunities can look impressive, offers vary widely.

Sometimes the 'deal' is just a one-way air ticket and a trial, with unwanted players left to find their own way home from Sydney. The best deals can relocate entire families, with university courses for players' siblings and job offers for their parents.

Surprisingly, there's no minimum standard NRL youth or NYC contract, nor is there a minimum age - Jason Taumalolo was lured by the Cowboys as a 14-year-old and Sonny Bill Williams was 15 when he swapped Mt Albert Grammar for Sydney.

"Sometimes the dollar figure looks impressive, but most of that goes towards a living allowance," Iro says. "By the end of the week, they might not be left with much."

It's also a daunting road. A teenage player from New Zealand will fight for a spot in a club's under-18 side, then hope to graduate to the NYC team.

"It's a massive challenge, especially with young guys who are leaving their support structures here," says Warriors prop Jacob Lillyman.

"[In my time] I saw so many guys that were absolute freaks at 16 or 17 but never made it to first grade. If you are not prepared to work, you won't make it."

"A lot come back," says Bell, who recently signed two previous targets who have returned from other NRL clubs.

As the local team, Warriors staff will be out in force in Papakura but don't expect many new deals. Interest in the tournament has got so intense, the Auckland club can't afford to wait - they try to grab their best prospects before the tournament starts.

"Our focus is on assessing and recruiting kids before the tournament," says Bell. "But we'll have our eyes open for any shooting stars."

As well as scouring for the best junior league talent, Bell also targets the cream of the first XV rugby competition, with Konrad Hurrell and Albert Vete among recent signings.

Bell has little direct contact with rugby schools, and makes no apologies for that.

"It's got nothing to do with them," he says. "It's between you, the player and their guardians. We don't need to ask permission."

Such a back-door approach causes consternation but NRL clubs have little choice. Any other method would be counter-productive.

An open indication of interest would soon see rugby franchises alerted.

Local principals tend to adopt an outraged, holier-than-thou response but it's hypocritical. They forget that a) top first XV schools are also zealous poachers of talent, b) education isn't always emphasised in such scholarships and c) many first XV players come from a league background but switch codes (often involuntarily) at high school because league isn't often an option.

The NRL have a much greater duty of care for young players than in the past. NYC players have to take university or trade courses and are not allowed to train during working hours.

"Plenty won't make it, we know that," says Bell. "But we don't want them to be disadvantaged if they have a crack and we provide a great education pathway for their future."

Tai Lavea is at the coal face and uniquely placed to comment. A teenage rugby prodigy, he spent three years at the Storm alongside twin brother Tasesa between 1999 and 2001. Since 2010, he has coached St Kentigern College first XV to three 1A titles, achievements that garner attention.

"It's become huge and scouts turn up everywhere," says Lavea. "One parent was given three business cards after a midweek game at De La Salle."

Two of his younger players are already in the Warriors development system, and another 14-year-old has been signed by the Storm but will complete his schooling in New Zealand.

"Our players are on the market but it's not just league clubs," says Lavea. "Rugby franchises have become more aggressive and the Chiefs are the best at it. They know what they want and go after it."

Lavea's main concern is the naivety of the teenage players and their families.

"They are just school kids but can be seen as the big ticket, the provider," says Lavea. "Parents may not know enough about the process and just take the first offer that comes along.

"That's when it can get messy. But it's only going to get bigger. You have to get talent from somewhere. It's just a matter of who does it best."

Scouting for another Roger

Roosters winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck put the New Zealand secondary schools rugby league tournament on the map.

He was the standout player of the first tournament in 2011, inspiring Otahuhu College to a stunning triumph, including an upset of traditional powerhouse St Paul's in the semifinals.

The Otara teenager had been tracked locally by the Warriors and Auckland rugby but his display that week brought him to the attention of Australian NRL clubs.

"We thought we had him," Warriors football manager Dean Bell said. "We'd met Roger and his family and he had been to some training sessions with our junior teams. But that tournament put him out there. Almost overnight, the Roosters got to him and they have a lot of clout."

Roosters scout Brian Sullivan saw Tuivasa-Sheck for the first time at the tournament and was instantly convinced.

The 18-year-old received offers from multiple NRL clubs, as well as interest from the Blues and Crusaders, but eventually opted for the Bondi club.

By July the following year, he had made his first-grade debut and was named the Dally M Winger of the Year in 2013.

"Everyone this week will be on the lookout for another Roger," Bell said. "You don't want to miss out on those kinds of talents."