Sydney Roosters capitalising on Central Coast talent like Connor Watson and Latrell Mitchell

THE Roosters have hit a goldmine of footy talent by forging strong relationships with clubs on the Central Coast.

Mark O'Meley and Connor Watson, with young Central Coast Rooster players Tyson James, Harrison Edwards and Mokena Moeke, at Central Coast Stadium, Gosford. Picture: Peter Clark

CONNOR Watson was three when the North Sydney Bears moved to Gosford.

He was four when they died, five when Northern Eagles moved in and seven when that greatest of footy abominations buried itself too.

Elsewhere, Watson has seen Cronulla have a crack at his hometown. After them, Melbourne Storm.

All while those Central Coast Bears became the oldest non-existent club in rugby league.

Which is a fair whack of failure, definitely.

“But what’s happening here now — massive,’’ the Roosters utility said on Friday, having just finished a ballwork session at Central Coast Stadium.

“It’s such a cool thing. Finally, thanks to this club, players here have a really improved pathway into the NRL.”

Latrell Mitchell is one of several Central Coast products to make his mark with the Roosters.

Once boasting rugby league’s smallest NRL nursery — with a tick under 700 registered players — the Roosters have suddenly exploded to almost 5500 thanks to a bold, new partnership with Central Coast Division.

Under the merger, each of the Coast’s representative teams, including SG Ball, Harold Matthews, even Ladies League Tag, will play under the Roosters logo in 2016.

Head coach Trent Robinson also opening his playbook and training programs as part of a commitment to camps, testing days, even seminars for junior coaches.

Initially signed off in 2014, the growing partnership is paying dividends with players like gun utility Watson, a Kincumber Colts product, earning the Roosters an Auckland Nines title thanks largely to his ‘Player of the Tournament’ tag.

Elsewhere, rising superstar Latrell Mitchell also spent time in the Central Coast system while four more local juniors — Ben Thomas, Jarrett Boland, Kiah Cooper and Bayley Faull — were part of the Roosters’ under-20 premiership team.

Connor Watson and Mark O'Meley with Mokena Moeke, Harrison Edwards and Tyson James.

Apart from trialling against Manly at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday night, and also challenging premiers Cronulla at Gosford in round 17, the Bondi club has also thrown a lifeline to Paul Carter, a Wyong junior, and signed a further dozen teenagers to scholarships.

One of the Coast’s greatest exports, cult Kangaroo forward Mark O’Meley, is also heavily involved in the new partnership as part of the Central Coast SG Ball squad.

“I could spend hours talking this up,” O’Meley said.

“For years, kids here have felt that the only way to make NRL was leave. So they’d spend hours travelling to train with clubs who promised the world and delivered an atlas.

“I’ve seen it a thousand times.

“Even coaching the NSW under 16s last year, I had seven Coast kids who were playing somewhere else.

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“But this year, we haven’t lost one. They’re realising, through the Roosters, you can now stay on the Coast and still play NRL.”

Penrith have the largest junior nursery with 8100 players but the Roosters are suddenly up in the mix with Newcastle (5500) and Parramatta (5400).

“So everyone benefits massively,’’ O’Meley continued. “Playing with North Sydney, I quit school at 15 because I need to be at Wyee railway station every afternoon by one o’clock for training.

“So as somebody forced to re-educate himself later in life, I can’t stress the importance of staying at home, in school enough to these kids.”

Certainly there is no doubting the talent, either.

In 2016 there were six NRL debutants from the Coast. Apart from Watson and Mitchell, Jacob Liddle played his first game with Wests Tigers while Newcastle blooded brothers Jacob and Daniel Saifiti plus playmaker Jack Cogger.