Swans Academy and player watch

[Meg]

Yes there is a big untapped market for AFL here in NSW and the Academy is such a good vehicle to make inroads into it.

A small personal anecdote. I had a plumber in to install a new hot water system two weeks ago. He saw the Swans member tag on my key ring which led to a conversation about AFL. His 15 yo son had played rugby league up until this year but was always getting injured because a lot of the boys were much bigger than he. (I understand this is an issue of particular concern for parents of young boys playing league where strength rather than athleticism is the dominant factor.) So this year he joined an Aussie Rules team. They've only won one match, but the boy loves it, (loves the freedom to run around instead of in a line) and they celebrated the win as if it were a grand final.

The only Aussie Rules matches my plumber has ever seen are those his son has played in this year. But he got interested when I talked about the Swans, so I've emailed him the 'take a Buddy' offer for Saturday.

There are a LOT of people like that in Sydney.

[ShockOfHair]

There are a LOT of people like that in Sydney.

Strangers you've sent an invitation to?

[Meg]

Strangers you've sent an invitation to?

Ha! Nup, but I get an awful lot of strangers with foreign accents ringing me up on crackly lines telling me there is something wrong with my computer or other such thing. Perhaps I should start to talk about the Swans to them?

[Untamed Snark]

Ha! Nup, but I get an awful lot of strangers with foreign accents ringing me up on crackly lines telling me there is something wrong with my computer or other such thing. Perhaps I should start to talk about the Swans to them?

I kept one of those people on the phone for 20 minutes absolutely convinced that they had hit the jackpot in stupid.
Took them that long to figure out I was trying to give them access to my microwave not my laptop, the swearing was profuse

[Meg]

I'm not sure if Sam Naismith is formally a Swans Academy graduate but I think he can go down as another Academy success story.

For those like me who don't know a lot about Sam, I've found the following background. He grew up in Narrabri, then moved to Gunnedah in north east NSW where he completed high school. Only started playing AFL at age 16 when he went along with a mate just to have a kick at training at the Gunnedah Bulldogs, decided he liked it and so decided to give it a go.

He enrolled to go to uni in Armidale and intended to play rugby union while he was there. But someone in the New England Academy network alerted the Swans to Naismith's potential, and the Swans got him to move to Sydney, play with the North Shore Bombers and train with the Swans Academy. This led to his 2013 rookie listing, his recent upgrade to the senior list, and now his senior debut tomorrow.

The following quotes from a local ABC program at the time Sam was rookie-listed are very relevant to the Academy debate.

'Naismith is a trailblazer as the first New England North West player to be recruited by an AFL club. The Swans hope he won't be the last.

"We're hoping that a number of boys who are athletic who may not have the body composition to play rugby league can see now that AFL is a viable option and might go down and have a kick."

Naismith is pushing for a region-wide junior Auskick competition.

"When I was growing up I didn't know what AFL was, I had no idea.

"But say if there was AFL there for the younger age group there could be more (junior players) coming through the AFL ranks from the country."'

Swans recruit Gunnedah local - ABC New England North West NSW - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

I hope the streets of Gunnedah are pretty quiet on Saturday afternoon and a lot of locals are at Homebush or at home in front of their TVs!

[Meg]

Isaac Heeney to play in Grand Final curtain raiser.

Young talent to grace MCG on Grand Final day - M.afl.com.au

[liz]

Isaac Heeney to play in Grand Final curtain raiser.

Young talent to grace MCG on Grand Final day - M.afl.com.au

That article suggests we will see both Heeney and Mills out there - playing on opposing sides.

[Conor_Dillon]

What a great opportunity for these youngsters!

I'd assume Davis (if he's not inj. ?) and Hiscox will be playing as well...and Dunkley for the NAB team.

With a bit of luck Foxtel will televise it but that is very wishful thinking,

Let's hope Mills and Heeney realllyy dominate to give purple-head-Ed some sleepless nights!

[Meg]

What a great opportunity for these youngsters!

With a bit of luck Foxtel will televise it but that is very wishful thinking,

With a bit of luck (and a lot of skill) a lot of us on RWO will be there in person to watch it!

[ugg]

Pies, Lions to nominate Moore and Clayton as father-son selections

Sydney will nominate Isaac Heeney, with Abe Davis and Jack Hiscox also in the mix.

[707]

I will spew if Collingwood only have to use their second rounder (late 20s) to snare Moore. That's the only possible downside to Collingwoods late season slide down the ladder.

[Conor_Dillon]

I will spew if Collingwood only have to use their second rounder (late 20s) to snare Moore. That's the only possible downside to Collingwoods late season slide down the ladder.

If that is the case then there has been some serious underhand tactics employed by the big wigs at Collingwood in the form of bribery etc. The kid is a top 5 talent without a doubt.