Welcome to the AFL!Originally Posted by Boddo
Welcome to the AFL!
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
If there are any lawyers here, this looks as though it could be challenged in the courts under some kind of common law breach of contract. Unless, I suppose, that there is some sneaky 'rules subject to change' clause when kids sign up.
its why my son will not be part of Freo's academy when old enough. I sat down n explained it all to my wife n she said she did not want him to be a part of something that can be changed so quickly. Like she said our son could study from 12 to get work that in the long term would pay just as much or if not more over his lifetime. People who are born here may see our great game as a pinnacle of life but a lot of people from Asia do not see it like that, they just see it as another job. Sadly the AFL are so blind to this. I have informed Freo of this and how unprofessionally our great game is run.
Some comments on yesterday's U18 game...
As I wrote yesterday, the final margin doesn't truly reflect how the two sides matched up. When they ran out onto the ground, I thought the Suns looked the slightly bigger (taller, at least) team, and they had plenty of athletic players with a bit of pace. When they were able to get the ball to the outside, they were smooth and skilful, and got the ball to the edge of their forward 50, or even inside their forward 50, regularly. They also tackled very well, and had little trouble running Swans players down. I didn't keep count, but they must have won at least a dozn HTB free kicks -and legitimate ones too. Not the kind where the umpire seems to have no concept of prior opportunity. Within their forward line, however, they didn't have any easy avenues to goal and the Swans defence was brilliant in shutting down any glimmer of opening that arose.
The Swans team was packed with the kind of player the Swans academy seems to churn out at will - solidly built six footers who can run all day but aren't that blessed with pace. Admittedly, their white shorts might have made them look more solidly built than they really were. While their ball handling wasn't as secure as the Suns, they just worked, worked and worked and kept moving the ball forward. Blakey's four goal spurt in the 2nd term was telling - it gave them quick return for their efforts. By the final quarter the fight had gone out of the Suns and the Swans were allowed to do almost as they pleased within their forward 50.
I should have done some homework and armed myself with a team sheet before going to this game. The only player I'd seen play before (or could remember having seen play before) was Brown. A few of the others may have played some NEAFL last year but I didn't remember them. It wasn't hard to work out who Maze and Blakey were, but the rest I observed "blind", with no idea who they were.
I didn't take any detailed notes but a few did catch my eye.
Number 26 (pony-tailed Reinhardt) was lively in the first half and took some good overhead grabs. It was only when I got home and read Barracuda's briefing notes on the players that I realised he is 190cm. He didn't look that tall. I also don't recall seeing much of him in the second half.
Number 19 (Skrivanic) had something about him, a little bit of x-factor.
And there was a second lad with a pony tail who was quite small but did some good stuff. I didn't make a good enough mental note of his number. I think it was no 9 (Stewart) but I'm not 100% sure.
I noticed number 7 early in the game because he looked like a smooth mover but he never quite got into things. He was a bit fumbly and tended to stand off the contests. His work rate improved, though, and he laid some strong tackles in the second half. I later discovered this was Bell.
Knowing that Hardman was small, I had him pegged as no 14. I later realised this was Tegg (who spent most of the game in a back pocket and looked notably smaller than anyone else out there). I didn't pay any particular attention to no 13 (which was Hardman).
The Swans defence played very well. I think it was Carroll (no 1) and Rogers (24) leading the way, though I was sitting near a family that shouted out "Well done Connor" many times throughout the game, so I presume no 20 (Flanagan) did his bit too.
Brown was lively through the middle. Objectively, he was probably the best of the Swans (or at least of their midfield brigade) but I am not sure if he stood out enough, given he is an over-ager and already has a lot of NEAFL experience. He was neat and tidy but I question whether he's got any stand-out qualities that shriek "draft me".
Blakey played forward in the first half but spent most of the third quarter in the midfield. He was back forward by the final term but seemed happy to let his team mates chip in for the goals. He marked the ball very well, and while his height advantage certainly helped, his timing and read of the ball inflight also looked very good. He can cover ground too. His gangly build and somewhat laconic style hide, I reckon, a turn of pace. And he can kick the ball too - not just at goal. His field kicking was just as solid.
Last edited by liz; 10th April 2017 at 10:01 AM.
Thank you liz - your work is appreciated.
And don't worry about mistakes in numbers - which you sort out anyway. The names will mean more as the season goes on.
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
Thanks for the long write up Liz, much appreciated. Be interesting to see which players get into the Div 1 squad/side and how they perform at the higher intensity.
Thanks for the write up Liz. I will post the players names and numbers tonight, with weights and heights.
The Swans Academy is now 3 wins from 3 and travelling well. They have few injuries, and the morale is high. I think the series is showing that Blakey is definitely in the Mills, Heeney category. The remainder of the team is pretty even actually. Jimmy Bell has had his moments, but has been a bit quiet much of the time. Jack Hardman had a good haul of 5 against a very poor opposition in the NT. Against the quality sides he has been a little quiet as well. Some of the less well known kids; Scrivanic, Bailey Stewart, Brownie, Joey Reinhardt and Sam Wicks are getting better each game. Mitchell Rogers and Mikey Carroll have been rock solid in defense.
The key to their success so far is the excellent preparation from the academy. They seem to be the fittest side, tending to run over other sides (NT and GC) in the second half. They are superbly coached by Jarrod Crouch who understands that kids of this age don't have the tank to maintain intensity for more than about a quarter. As a consequence he is holding players back. For example Wicks (18) dominated the first quarter from the midfield with 12 possessions before starting to run out of gas. Players like Bailey Stewart then stepped into the midfield followed by Blakey who had been largely rested till then. The fact Jarrod Crouch has such a deep and even list is enabling him to cycle quality players through and maintain the pressure. It is also enabling him to spread players right across the field and rest players. Without such depth a player like Blakey would probably have to carry the midfield, run himself into the ground, rather than having the benefit of him in the forward lines, then having an impact in the mids.
The swans constant midfield pressure is making it very hard for the opposition to get quality delivery to the forwards and the swans defense is exploiting the poor entry well. This was clear in the GWS game where the midfield pressure made it frustratingly difficult for GWS to use their big forwards properly.
Overall everyone involved is stoked with the way it is going and are looking forward to the game against Brisbane in a couple of weeks. That game is at Blacktown as well and is shaping up to be effectively the grand final of the comp. The swans and Brisbane are the two undefeated sides, and so whoever wins is likely to win the division. I imagine the swans will field their best and go all out.
I have a 7 year old who plays Auskick and wants to play for the Swans. I tell him you have to work hard on your skills and get into the academy.
Is it good for a young player to look up to a certain AFL player because you can see that your son has certain attributes? My guy has blond hair, is quick, bounces the ball at full pace and gets the play moving. He will not grow to key position size and does not look like an extractor. He plays exactly like Jayden Hunt of Melbourne.
Do academy players get a certain AFL player with similar attributes to strudy and aspire too?
They dont get players to aspire to , from my experience they just get coached very well and taught how to play the game, properly position themselves etc
I think when they get a bit older, 16 or older, they start to align with senior players. My son is similar to joel selwood, being more of an inside mid. He watches selwood to try to understand what he does that makes him so good, despite not being incredibly quick or large.
For a 7 year old it is more about getting the skills and having fun! But every kid needs a hero!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks