Guasch Reacts

[audois]

The loss of the Dragons Academy U19s has been an issue. Bernard Guasch has always looked enviously at the like of Leeds, Wigan and St Helens set-ups. The club have now  announced 10 hopefuls have signed their first professional contracts. Six who played in the Elite 1 Championship winning team Cozza, Tiaki Chan, Franco, Zafra, Scimone and Martin as well as 4 lads from the U18s Khedimi, Jobe, Baby and Joe Chan. Another teenager on-board for next season is the out-standing second rower from Villeneuve/Lot Jayson Goffin. Last year in Elite 1 registered 10 tries in his first season for the green & whites.

 

[barnyia]

Good news for the catalans, bad news for elite 1, all the best players being taken from their clubs to perpignan, again rl in perpignan getting stronger with the pull of the dragons and the other regions getting weaker, maybe better for the France team etc 

[audois]

20 minutes ago, barnyia said:

Good news for the catalans, bad news for elite 1, all the best players being taken from their clubs to perpignan, again rl in perpignan getting stronger with the pull of the dragons and the other regions getting weaker, maybe better for the France team etc 

Why we need TO in Super League sooner rather than later. I see that Toulouse have picked up a lad from Salon in Provence Laguerre for next season too.

[The Daddy]

Did they not sign up Hugo Salabio?

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, audois said:

The loss of the Dragons Academy U19s has been an issue. Bernard Guasch has always looked enviously at the like of Leeds, Wigan and St Helens set-ups. The club have now  announced 10 hopefuls have signed their first professional contracts. Six who played in the Elite 1 Championship winning team Cozza, Tiaki Chan, Franco, Zafra, Scimone and Martin as well as 4 lads from the U18s Khedimi, Jobe, Baby and Joe Chan. Another teenager on-board for next season is the out-standing second rower from Villeneuve/Lot Jayson Goffin. Last year in Elite 1 registered 10 tries in his first season for the green & whites.

 

Is Khedimi a relation to Matthieu, who had a stint at the Dragons?

[Hvy wg]

42 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Is Khedimi a relation to Matthieu, who had a stint at the Dragons?

Younger brother 

[Whippet13]

5 hours ago, barnyia said:

Good news for the catalans, bad news for elite 1, all the best players being taken from their clubs to perpignan, again rl in perpignan getting stronger with the pull of the dragons and the other regions getting weaker, maybe better for the France team etc 

This could just as easily be good news for Elite 1 clubs.

It's not the best players, it's the best juniors. 90% will not make the grade but will end up having been exposed to an elite level skills, training and performance structure which will make them much better players for Elite 1.

It also gives young kids in the areas of the clubs a very good reason to take up RL in the first place.

The big clubs take all the best players and run down the smaller clubs argument has been going around in RL for over 100 years, in reality it can and should be be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

[Marty Funkhouser]

The homogeneity in this photo gives a clue to the reduced participation the game is suffering.

[Oxford]

17 hours ago, barnyia said:

Good news for the catalans, bad news for elite 1, all the best players being taken from their clubs to perpignan, again rl in perpignan getting stronger with the pull of the dragons and the other regions getting weaker, maybe better for the France team etc 

Easily sorted more French teams in SL.

Don't worry I'll be the one to tell Parky.

[audois]

17 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

This could just as easily be good news for Elite 1 clubs.

It's not the best players, it's the best juniors. 90% will not make the grade but will end up having been exposed to an elite level skills, training and performance structure which will make them much better players for Elite 1.

It also gives young kids in the areas of the clubs a very good reason to take up RL in the first place.

The big clubs take all the best players and run down the smaller clubs argument has been going around in RL for over 100 years, in reality it can and should be be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Yes. Spill out from the Dragons. Carcassonne who reached both finals this past season have Sadaoui and Baile who both played Super League with Catalans as well as two who played Academy U19s in Khedimi and Vincent Albert. Lezignan have former Dragons Fakir, Cardace and Stacul in their line- ups plus Lacans from their Academy U19s. Cologni, Elima and Guigue former Dragons players now coaching over here. Overesas players reduced and replaced by French players who have experience of playing either SL or Championship across the Channel.

[barnyia]

I'm looking at it as a coach in the junior set up. It'll be a bit boring in all the categories if as this year (and almost last year) the catalans win the u15s, u17s and elite-1 championship, baho the xiii catalans reserve wins the elite 2 and Ille sur tet (baho and xiii catalans reserves) win dn1 and st esteve win the federal division, 

[audois]

On 17/07/2019 at 14:31, The Daddy said:

Did they not sign up Hugo Salabio?

Salabio was signed up earlier along with his mates from Federal club St Martin de Crau - Carré and Brochon. Salabio is already being targetted by Cologni as a WC 2021 possible.Fingers crossed.

[The Daddy]

35 minutes ago, audois said:

Salabio was signed up earlier along with his mates from Federal club St Martin de Crau - Carré and Brochon. Salabio is already being targetted by Cologni as a WC 2021 possible.Fingers crossed.

That was my thought too. At the last WC the French pack was small and lacked physicality. They got outmuscled by Lebanon, England and Australia. As a lessons learned from being in the toughest group Cologni knew that to make improvements they needed to beef up the pack. Salabio ticks all the boxes of the type of player they need to have. Belmas and Sangare are also in the frame.