Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 12 of 20

Thread: The GWS Academy is a farce

  1. #1
    On the veteran's list
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Swans Heartland
    Posts
    2,228

    The GWS Academy is a farce

    All four draftees from the GWS Academy come from the Riverina which is a football area anyway. This GWS academy area does not add to the AFL talent pool, it merely funnels existing talent into the Giants. (This area was so highly regarded by the old VFL that it was the South Melbourne country recruiting zone and given equal status to the La trobe Valley, Ballarat, Bendigo, Sunraysia, Western Victoria, etc!)
    Those who have the greatest power to hurt us are those we love.

  2. #2
    On the Rookie List Reggi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Ripponlea
    Posts
    2,718
    It is ludicrous. No academies south of the barassi line

  3. #3
    Veterans List
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Crowland :-(
    Posts
    6,096
    When GWS start playing finals (2016) at Collingwood's expense, you know that fatso/multichins will tap Gill on the shoulder and get the Riverina back to non academy status.

    The VFL will then take a chunk of our area and give it to GWS.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by 707 View Post
    When GWS start playing finals (2016) at Collingwood's expense, you know that fatso/multichins will tap Gill on the shoulder and get the Riverina back to non academy status.

    The VFL will then take a chunk of our area and give it to GWS.
    They have academy qualifies kids for 2017 who are already in elite private school football programmes in Melbourne, how the hell does that work?

    And that is the problem, perhaps GWS should start actually developing their territory.

    ACT and the West of Sydney should be more than enough for that mob. Illawara tops. No way should they be rewarded for their negligence of Western Sydney

  5. #5
    Veteran Site Admin
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16,393
    Although the Riverina is thought of as a traditional AFL recruiting zone, the actual output from the region in the last decade has been very modest (prior to the Giants' academy). So there is evidence that it needed an injection of development resources.

    I do think that players who choose to enter one of the mainstream development paths- ie the football schools in Vic, WA and SA together with participation in the TAC Cup or equivalent- shouldn't be available as academy selections. The intention of the academies, and specifically the priority access of the host clubs, is to encourage those clubs to invest resources (time as well as money) to create development infrastructures that the players wouldn't otherwise have access to, and hence enable those players to develop at equivalent rate to their peers in the more traditional football states. If those players want to move to take advantage of the Victorian private schools and TAC Cup that's fine, but their development can no longer be attributed to the academy programmes, and I don't think they should be eligible as priority access selections.

  6. #6
    Senior Player
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    2,164
    Quote Originally Posted by liz View Post
    Although the Riverina is thought of as a traditional AFL recruiting zone, the actual output from the region in the last decade has been very modest (prior to the Giants' academy). So there is evidence that it needed an injection of development resources.

    I do think that players who choose to enter one of the mainstream development paths- ie the football schools in Vic, WA and SA together with participation in the TAC Cup or equivalent- shouldn't be available as academy selections. The intention of the academies, and specifically the priority access of the host clubs, is to encourage those clubs to invest resources (time as well as money) to create development infrastructures that the players wouldn't otherwise have access to, and hence enable those players to develop at equivalent rate to their peers in the more traditional football states. If those players want to move to take advantage of the Victorian private schools and TAC Cup that's fine, but their development can no longer be attributed to the academy programmes, and I don't think they should be eligible as priority access selections.
    Well said but no one cares cos they are too busy worrying about punishing swans.

  7. #7
    It is a joke that they were handed the Swans' traditional zone, and through their gross mismanagement, have failed to benefit!

    Name GWS's inaugural Academy Member ...?

    That's right, it was none other than Turvey Park's own HARRY CUNNINGHAM ... right there under their nose and they passed on him anyway!!!

    DOH!

  8. #8
    The fact that the Lions and GWS were able to secure so many picks from their academies calls into question the ROI on our academy. Yes we got Mills and last yr Heeney (which are both great selections) but it does not bode well for us if the cupboard looks bare for the future. I know GWS have the Riverina but what is Brisbane doing to be able to develop its kids that we are not ? Our academy has operated for quite a few yrs but our pickings have been relatively slim except for 2 above and tweety Bird.

  9. #9
    Proud Tragic Swan Primmy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    On the Move!
    Posts
    5,970
    I know a 10 yo in the Swans academy and he will be great. In another 8 years.
    If you've never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from lava then you didn't have a childhood

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Primmy View Post
    I know a 10 yo in the Swans academy and he will be great. In another 8 years.
    a bit like the builder asking the apprentice to buy a 'long weight'

  11. #11
    The AFL cannot afford for GWS not to work, so they need to give them that zone to ensure that they keep the production line humming along. What it might do is stop them losing players back to Victoria like they have done this year, and like Brisbane have been doing. Our own Academy is still fairly new, let's not forget. If I recall correctly, the first crop of kids who started at U10s are only U16s this year, so there's still plenty of time before we really see the benefits of it.
    Today's a draft of your epitaph

  12. #12
    Kennedy honestly was in the Academy for ONE year there should be a minimum 3 years at the academy rule or something this is ludicrous.. We spend five six years on players get them away from other codes

    Anyone hear murmurs about GWS moving to Canberra in five years time if they don't have enough impact in Western sydney?

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO