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Message: [QUOTE="Morkel, post: 2547461, member: 8215"] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS][B]CRANKY Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has accused Brisbane of being one of the NRL's worst clubs for player development after losing the fight for homesick fullback Anthony Milford.[/B] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]The new Raiders coach, who used family reasons as an excuse for walking out on Parramatta two months ago, unloaded on the Broncos for signing Milford from 2015 and reuniting the teenager with his family and ill father in Brisbane.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]The Broncos have produced 40 internationals since the club's inception in 1988, while Canberra have had 20 since 1982.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]In the past five years Brisbane juniors such as Matt Gillett, Alex Glenn, Josh Hoffman, Jack Reed, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darius Boyd and Gerard Beale all graduated to rep honours with the club.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Canberra, meanwhile, have had Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Josh Papalii and David Shillington pull on rep jumpers while at the Raiders.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Three of them were recruited from rival clubs, including Learoyd-Lahrs from the Broncos.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]In an interview with the Canberra Times, Stuart fumed about the Raiders developing players and then having them poached by bigger clubs.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"Why should we develop kids for other clubs like the Broncos, who have been probably one of the worst clubs over the last five years for development, yet they'll go and pinch Anthony Milford and Cameron Smith," Stuart said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]While at Parramatta, Stuart poached Bronco Corey Norman for the Eels, only to flee to Canberra after a wooden spoon season.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Broncos' officials did not want to enter a slanging match with Stuart yesterday but coach Anthony Griffin made no apologies for bringing Queensland talent back home to bolster his existing roster.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"It's a real focus of our club to produce our own players but when we've seen a need to go out in the market we have," Griffin said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"We haven't been just going out to grab whoever we get, we've got a plan the last year and at the moment things are going OK.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"A lot of young Brisbane players sometimes leave the state to go to other clubs and then want to return.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"That was obviously part of Anthony's decision to come back here.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"That was a no-brainer as far as the Broncos should always be attractive to Brisbane and Queensland players otherwise we're not doing our business properly.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"If it was a money issue he would have stayed in Canberra." [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]The signing for 2015 at least puts an end to the Milford saga, even if the player wanted to be in Brisbane immediately.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Canberra were prepared to take the matter to court and Milford simply wanted the drama to end.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"He's happy the frenzy is over because it was all getting out of hand," Milford's manager Sam Ayoub said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]"He will be in Brisbane in 2015-16 and that's a good move for him."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Milford's decision to join Ben Barba at the Broncos, by 2015 at the latest, further clouds fullback Josh Hoffman's future at Red Hill.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Griffin refused to discuss Hoffman at yesterday's press conference, his demeanour suggesting the social media jibes by Canterbury players about a release have not been well received.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Griffin has far more pressing headaches, such as who will play in his halves next season now the club must wait another 12 months for the player who would have walked into the role. [url=http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/ricky-stuart-says-brisbane-broncos-are-poor-developers-of-young-talent/story-fndv2w3r-1226770373900]Ricky Stuart says Brisbane Broncos are poor developers of young talent | News.com.au[/url][/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]

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