Poaching

Driving to work this morning I heard our very own Craig Dowd "dish it out" to other Unions for poaching players and not acting in the best interest of provincial rugby. He went on to state that the Air NZ Cup should be a development ground for players within their own domestic boundaries.

Something like that...

I don't necessarily disagree with him, however it needs to be said that Harbour has not exactly been guilt-free when recruiting players in recent years. Some have worked, some have been appalling and some have cost us points & money.

Giacheri, Alcock, Lomu, Gopperth, McCartney... to name a few.

Historically, we have looked outside Harbour and to suggest that suddenly North Harbour Rugby is the bastion of local football development is pure folly.

In the professional age, all players are fair game and while we should always look to promote club players, the reality is that if someone good comes up they will be taken.

Crikey we took 2 coaches from Auckland and Otago this year.