From the outside looking in I'm a bit confused about the use of the Academy in the last 12 months or so.
Gill on the Academy: "the model works and the model is right for us as a football club."
Then the club goes and signs Walker, Brooke-Smith, Piper, and now (possibly) Ellis, none of whom came through the Academy at all.
No wonder Greeny and Chief don't talk as Chief seems to be consistently by-passing the Academy to look elsewhere around NZ for players.
Gill on the Academy: "the model works and the model is right for us as a football club."
Then the club goes and signs Walker, Brooke-Smith, Piper, and now (possibly) Ellis, none of whom came through the Academy at all.
No wonder Greeny and Chief don't talk as Chief seems to be consistently by-passing the Academy to look elsewhere around NZ for players.
As Gill said the youngest players coming into the Academy are mostly local Welly kids.
Not every 13 yr old kid is ready to enrol into Scots College leaving the family in Waikato, Dunners, Nelson or wherever.
Sort of natural that older 16-17 yr olds are more likely to make the big move to the Hutt from NZ towns/cities afar. Good on the Nix for acting quick and signing Walker, Gardiner, Foord from the last NZ U17s. I doubt Chiefy was involved in that recruiting.
It was probably Ricki talking to Greeny & Gill that bought LBS down to the Nix to trial. Possibly the same with Piper. Those guys will likely follow the NZ domestic scene more than Chiefy who's busy mapping out the first team's plans.
Think you are trying to make up an issue that doesn't exist.