A Premier Competition for the Swans Reserves and NSW

**Midfield** · 26th September 2009, 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by Bloody Hell

A long time bone for picking from most Swans fans is the lack of a top flight competition for the Swans to compete within the Sydney area. Most agree that it is a joke that the Two's must travel to Canberra to find adequate (though some even question this) competition.

If the AFL was serious about developing the game in Sydney this is where their focus would be - making a comp that could be producing players of a calibre to rival those produced in the WAFL, VFL etc, ready to play the game at the elite level. Many would say this is impossible. It's cultural, blah, blah, blah. Irrelevant. This should be their goal - whether it is ever achieved or not.

To this end I have devised the following competition, which I feel would be money well spent and a step in the right direction. Whether teams are started from scratch or teams are moved from current competitions is a little irrelevant. The idea is to skim the cream from existing teams and competitions instituting a competitive level above the current SFL, Black Diamond and Wollongong Leagues.

8 teams

North Sydney
Eastern Suburbs (Swans)
Western Suburbs (GWS)
South Sydney
Far Western Sydney/Penrith/Blue Mountains
Newcastle
Central Coast
The Gong

This means that 2 teams are made from AFL lists.

3 teams are skimmed from the cream of the SFL.

2 teams from the Black Diamond.

1 team from Wollongong. (I have no idea of the standard of this competition)

Would love to see Demitreou make a real commitment to Sydney and NSW. The approach currently taken with GWS makes little sense considering this glaring oversight.

I like your idea but you have left out the most critical component ? Money. Geography is not the reason why the Sydney league is not as strong as Canberra, its money. Rezoning the teams will do nothing to improve that.

The Canberra comp has three times as much cash as the Sydney competition because many of these are supported by licensed clubs. Until the money issue improves the swans should remain playing in Canberra, its the best option as its pretty local for an away game and the competition is not that bad (after all its stood the senior club in good stead for the last 6-7 years). If you want the swans reserves playing in Sydney, which they definitely should, then the afl needs to help the existing SFL clubs (or your re-branded SFL teams) to generate income streams so that they can attract better players. If each of the SFL clubs could generate this same level of income then the standard of the SFL comp would take over ACTAFL in no time (IMHO living in Sydney is a tad bit more attractive than living in Canberra).

**Bloody Hell** · 26th September 2009, 01:21 AM

"Would love to see Demitreou make a real commitment to Sydney and NSW."

This bit was about money. Under no delusions about the size of the investment required or where the initial outlay must come from.

**Bloody Hell** · 17th November 2009, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by Bloody Hell

Does anyone know the current plan for the GWS? Are they going to Canberra?

Anyone???

**BSA5** · 17th November 2009, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Bloody Hell

Anyone???

There was talk of a new reserves competition set up for when GWS come in, involving GWS, Swans, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as well as the best one or two clubs from the Queensland, Sydney and Canberra leagues.

**robamiee** · 18th November 2009, 12:36 AM

i thought were going to set up an east coast league involving, Brisbane, GC, Swans, GWS and teams from Vic based AFL clubs....
almost like a reserves comp but without the WA and Sa teams...

**Auntie.Gerald** · 18th November 2009, 07:04 AM

I think it is all in small steps

Lets have a go at increasing the talent in the existing no.1 Sydney comp first without necessarily moving teh Swans just yet.........the Swans need to be in the comp they are right now

There needs to be more AFL knock out comps or gala days for year 7, year 8, year 9, year 10, year 11, year 12. And at primary school for that matter......the Aus kick is great and has been very succesful. Our 8 year old and friends love it.

At our school (when in High school) we only had the NSW knock out comp for the year 11 / 12's back in 1991/92

we got to the state semi's two years in a row and the guys that were our best were actually three of our gun school soccer players ( who played reps on the weekend). Yes we had a team of mainly intimidating league and rugby players but thats all they did.......intimidate....which won some games but they would struggle if thats all they could do come playing Seniors in the Sydney comp. There was incidentally only 4 players of the 22 that were regular AR players on the weekend.

BUT, interestingly we played Pennant Hills both years in teh Semi's and they went on to win the State final both times and they had a stack of players that I noticed the year after playing in the 19's and or ressies / Seniors for Pennant Hills in the Sydney comp.........

I am sure there are many people on this forum who have played in one of the 3 or so Sydney comps and realise that it would be a massive undertaking to lift the standard of the top level comp in Sydney.........

when i played for North shore half our senior team was made up of guys in from SA, Tas,WA, VIC etc that were here on 2 year contracts for work ie if we didnt have their talent come in to the Seniors team we would have struggled on local talent alone........in fact it would have been pretty poor

I feel that more work done at the school level will slowly but surely increase the desire for the best athletes to start to choose AFL......it is difficult when the best athletes are being told by their dads to choose NRL and "no son your not playing AFL............I played rugby league all my life so will you" !!

I think it is teh soccer market that we should be after. It is massive in the juniors and seniors and just about all the guys who play soccer are the right type of builds for over half the positions on the footy field. They play a 360 degree game..........the concept and the on field ie calls in attack are very similar "back" and "turn and go" etc etc the defensive patterns of man on man or flooding is the same also.

just some thoughts

**cheersquadsteve** · 18th November 2009, 09:30 PM

that East Coast FL idea is not so bad, Swans, GWS Brisbane and GC17, throw in a team from Canberra, Newcastle, Gong, Cairns, Townsville and another QLD zone and it bingo a semi decent seconds comp