Our team is just quite low on quality I think. There is a lot of unjustified optimism about our youngsters. We have two players who we know would make it into a starting XI of most top 6 A-League sides in Rufer and Payne. Jury still out on Eze but nobody else in our entire squad is good enough and that isn't even debatable.
Edit: maybe Armiento could too, I don't know, but harsh to judge him when I havent ever really watched him
Edit: maybe Armiento could too, I don't know, but harsh to judge him when I havent ever really watched him
I think if most of our youngsters were at British clubs (L1 & 2), they would have been let go by now.
Who cares. They are at a Kiwi Club, and if the above is true thank fudge they ain't in the UK. The consistent trend is that most of the ex Weenix kids need 2-4 full seasons in the ALM before the better ones star.
By your above rationale Ben Old would have been thrown on the UK football pyramid scrap heap before having his breakout season. None of the current Nix youngsters have yet been around the first team as much as he was before leaving for Gaul.
But their lies the rub. All the players that have been on sold for decent money went through the entire u20 cycle in the Reserves and while they may have trained with the 1st team from time to time they only signed pro deals in the last year of cycle. This in in stark contrast to the approach taken by the current manager (aided and abetted by the Director of Football) who has identified kids who have hardly played any CL football and expected them to be competitive at A League level. Bottom line is that most of the younger players will be out of contract before there are any approaches for them...LBS perhaps being the only exception imo.
It's all a bit of crystal gazing guess work, but I disagree with your last comment.
I's say very high chance Hughes & Sheridan will be sold for a fee.
Good chances with LBS, GSR & LKH.
The others toss of a coin.
The list below is a few months old, so may have been some contract extensions I have missed.
Contract expiries
Expires 2025/26
Luke Supyk
Finn Roa Conchie
Expires 2026/27
Corban Piper
Luke Brooke-Smith
Alby Kelly-Heald
Lukas Kelly-Heald
Xuan Loke
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues
Jayden Smith
Expires 2027/28
Isaac Hughes
Matt Sheridan
Nathan Walker
Apologies did not explain myself clearly. Was not referring to Hughes, Sheridan and Conchie who followed the same pathway as previous years i.e. went pro towards the end of their last year of their u20/Reserves cycle and all had 2/3 years minimum of C/NL football and were dominant at that level. For anyone to come in for them they need to be getting regular A League minutes and dominating and as mentioned except for LBS (perhaps) cant see the others getting enough game time nor being good enough yet to stand out. Signed too soon imo.
Okay fair enough.
So of the current squad you are saying GSR, Loke, Walker and Jayden Smith are players who have been signed to the 1st team too early, and should have had more time first at Central/National League level? Missing out on actual game time development?
I guess time will tell. Certanly Smith is an interesting one. Seems to have played little football at all the last 12 months. Had long stretches on the bench in the ALM last season as CB cover.
All 4 of those guys (provided Walker is fit) will likely go to the U20 WC. That will be important for their development. An advantage that the Nix does have helped by it's Academy and NZ only having 2 pro clubs - they will have the biggest number of youngsters at the U20 WC compared to all the other ALM clubs. Sure a disruption to pre season but an added bonus re a large cohort of the squad being exposed to high quality opposition etc.