U18 Div 2 Championships

[Meg]

Of the rest of the squad, they are really solid as you would expect after a full 5 years of Academy training and guidance.

All the players are drilled in the swans methods over years, very professional and very comfortable playing against big bodies.

Given the Academy did not start with the sort of raw talent GWS has or the footy states have, they have produced some very good footy players. How all that work stacks up will be seen in the Div 2 championships. What ever happens the squad will have a good impact on the local sydney comp in years to come.

That is really encouraging to hear. I wish the Swans would be more vocal in promoting the wider NSW footy benefits of their academy system. They should be able to give examples of players who have really developed through the academy while not making it into the AFL draft, but who have helped lift the standard of the local NSW comp and grow interest in Aussie Rules. So many academy critics simply see Heeney and Mills and view the academy as a Swans' draft rort.

[Pmcc2911]

I wouldn't read too much into the result vs Norths Prems as indication of SFL footy.
I understand that North had 10 of their top squad injured not to mention the Swans NDS guys as well as the Syd Uni NEAFL,squad guys.

[liz]

Of the rest of the squad, they are really solid as you would expect after a full 5 years of Academy training and guidance. Jeremy Schumak, Sam Wicks, Scrivinic, Mike Carroll, Joey Reinhart are probably the next group, but over the course of the year some new ones will emerge. All the players are drilled in the swans methods over years, very professional and very comfortable playing against big bodies.

Is Mike Carroll any relation to Dennis?

[mcs]

That is really encouraging to hear. I wish the Swans would be more vocal in promoting the wider NSW footy benefits of their academy system. They should be able to give examples of players who have really developed through the academy while not making it into the AFL draft, but who have helped lift the standard of the local NSW comp and grow interest in Aussie Rules. So many academy critics simply see Heeney and Mills and view the academy as a Swans' draft rort.

Absolutely agree Meg - I made almost exactly the same comment to yours there on another page today, where it was the usual 'Heeney/Mills = Swans draft rort' story, and it was hard to provide much concrete evidence of the impact it was having on wider football circles outside of the elite level.

[mcs]

I have seen Nick Blakey a few times recently. I would describe him as a special talent. Now very tall, over 190cm anyway. Clearly not physically filled out at all, so huge upside. Seems completely unflustered when playing but very deliberate and moves with great intent. He had absolutely no problem carving up the North Shore Prems players as 16 year old.

Very strong overhead up forward, but also can dominate in the midfield. He is close to the best player in the academy already whilst still an underager. He has had the benefit of a dad who is a very good professional coach, but also over the years left him alone to develop.

The rest of the squad is pretty solid. James Bell is a 186cm indigenous player who is quick, and can play inside and outside. He often has that x factor where he moves through traffic as though it is standing still. Jack Hardman is about 175cm but has electric speed. I think in the recent combine he got some freaky 20m sprint score.

Of the rest of the squad, they are really solid as you would expect after a full 5 years of Academy training and guidance. Jeremy Schumak, Sam Wicks, Scrivinic, Mike Carroll, Joey Reinhart are probably the next group, but over the course of the year some new ones will emerge. All the players are drilled in the swans methods over years, very professional and very comfortable playing against big bodies.

Given the Academy did not start with the sort of raw talent GWS has or the footy states have, they have produced some very good footy players. How all that work stacks up will be seen in the Div 2 championships. What ever happens the squad will have a good impact on the local sydney comp in years to come.

Great stuff Barracuda.

I can hear the Eddie McGuire esque academy rort storm clouds rising in the distance already about Blakey, especially given it involves the perennial whiners the shinboners.

[Crusty]

I've wanted to write this for some time.
What Eddie and Victorians don't understand is that the standard of footy in NSW is rubbish. I've been involved in Sydney football since 1981 and, yes, the standard is better now but it is still way behind WA, SA and Vic.
An example: a few years ago my son wanted to try Auskick. I went along to a session and a Dad was doing handball drills, and he was terrible. I approached him very diplomatically, and he was quick to point out that he had never played the game. Now, good on him for putting his hand up and helping, but it illustrates what I call the lack of Footy IQ in NSW.
In Vic, SA and WA the Dads have played, at all levels, some very high. There are talent pathways and representative teams. Those kids have access to first class coaching. Here we have Dads who haven't played.
So what is the Swans Academy?
A training run once a week at Drummoyne Oval, home of the Dirty Reds Rugby Club. A few more in school holidays. The kids get a bit of kit. But they do get access to first class coaching.
Those kids will play footy, the vast majority for local clubs. One day those kids will be parents and then they can coach their kids.
So, what the Academy does is raises the Footy IQ of NSW. When that is raised, it can only be good for the game.
The Academy is a generational investment.
Eddie is a game show host who is too stupid to see anything beyond the next bash of the buzzer.

[bloodspirit]

I am very pro-Academy for all the reasons nominated by you, Crusty and Meg (and MP). And I think the AFL does need to work hard to raise the profile of footy in NSW and raise the playing levels. Fortunately, it is happening. We are a part of that. And so are the Giants. I think AFLW can be a part of that too by offering an attractive sport played professionally by women with no major competition in the NSW/Sydney market. And for it all to work the AFL does need to give us the incentive to invest in the Academy.

However, just as important as all of that is equalising the competition. I really think this is very important. It matters to me and would matter to me even more if we were struggling at the bottom of the ladder - which, very luckily for us, we most certainly are not. It makes the competition more exciting. It is fairer. It gives all the clubs a chance to win - "any given Saturday" and all of that - not just the traditional powerhouses with their MCG, low-travel, in-built advantages. For this reason, I actually am not blindly supportive of us getting a leg-up via the Academies. We need and want a modest benefit to counterbalance the (diminishing) natural disadvantages we have being based in a non-traditional football State. The AFL has to tread a careful line balancing the interests of the stakeholders and the wider game. The latest tweaks to the rules are modest and not that objectionable to me. I would have preferred to get a slightly bigger discount for the Academy kids than we get, rather than worry too much about this issue. It is a bit unseemly if we can finish top 4 and potentially get a Mills and a Heeney in the same draft without having to trade for the right. The new rules mean that even if we finish 5th we would be able to get two top 5 draftees in the same year out of the Academy system. It will only be rare that it costs us and, if we care enough, we will trade hard to get the early pick that we need and still get the draftees we have our eyes on. [On the other hand I am not in favour of the AFL not giving the system time to bed in and see how it works before changing the rules in general and nor am I in favour of kneejerk reactions to Eddie Three Chins and the other big ole boys in the club.]

If the Academies do their job really well, one day we won't need them and they will be phased out altogether. (Or at least handed over to the AFL or someone else to run.) If that happens we will be a true football State with plenty of local talent to draw on (and less competition from other clubs in the same market!).

Another reason, in favour of the AFL striking the right balance with Northern Academies is appearances. It irks me when other fans bleat about COLA and stuff like that - let's not give them a reason to complain. This probably isn't the most powerful reason since the fans I'm referring to will probably keep bleating anyway as long as the Academies exist. However, I think the 'optics' are still significant and the more we get reined in the less justification others have for bleating.

[chuckie]

- - - Updated - - -

Hi Mug.

Can I complement you on how well you understand the big picture of AFL in Sydney and NSW. You want GWS to succeed and grow the game in the Western Suburbs because you want the AFL game to grow and thrive in Sydney. Too many posters on these forums openly say "they don't care about GWS" and settle for the small minded "Swans only matter view" of football.

I, like you want more kids playing Auskick, more kids in Junior and Youth Football, more AFL goal posts on ovals and more AFL activity in the Western Suburbs.

Keep up the good work on big picture AFL thinking in Sydney. Your posts are highly respected by me.

Do you really think the AFL give a toss about junior football in NSW. The academies were set up so that one day the Northern clubs may have a team solely made up of the kids from the academy, but the way the AFL are changing the drafting rules re the academy players we might find that the clubs scrap the academies, why teach a kid from the age of 10 to be a good footballer only for him to go and play at Collingwood. I must be small minded because to me the only club that matters is the Swannies I don't care about anyone else. If people ask me if I follow the AFL I say no I follow the Swans, I do have a second side and that is the Swans reserves.
When I was 10 I played little league for North Melbourne in the days when you were picked from the zone you were in we played against South with seconds to go South had a shot at goal to win the game I could have stopped it so North would win but no I let it go so that South would win. Years later I was asked to train at North when Barassi was there, I didn't make the cut but deep down I didn't want to make it anyway. I even worked at Melbourne as a trainer after I gave up footy but I couldn't concentrate on the game as I had a radio with an ear piece listening to the Swans games. So even with the opportunities I had I still couldn't care less about another club.

[liz]

Love your post bloodspirit. Like you, I don't object too much to the changes. But the continual knee-jerk reactions by the AFL administration to the bleating from other clubs, their changing of policy on the run, their unwillingness to consult properly with the clubs affected, their inability to look at long-term trends rather than short term effects, and their evident lack of an overriding vision to guide them on the matter of talent development in the northern states (as on many other issues) are irksome.

[barracuda]

I've wanted to write this for some time.
What Eddie and Victorians don't understand is that the standard of footy in NSW is rubbish. I've been involved in Sydney football since 1981 and, yes, the standard is better now but it is still way behind WA, SA and Vic.
An example: a few years ago my son wanted to try Auskick. I went along to a session and a Dad was doing handball drills, and he was terrible. I approached him very diplomatically, and he was quick to point out that he had never played the game. Now, good on him for putting his hand up and helping, but it illustrates what I call the lack of Footy IQ in NSW.
In Vic, SA and WA the Dads have played, at all levels, some very high. There are talent pathways and representative teams. Those kids have access to first class coaching. Here we have Dads who haven't played.
So what is the Swans Academy?
A training run once a week at Drummoyne Oval, home of the Dirty Reds Rugby Club. A few more in school holidays. The kids get a bit of kit. But they do get access to first class coaching.
Those kids will play footy, the vast majority for local clubs. One day those kids will be parents and then they can coach their kids.
So, what the Academy does is raises the Footy IQ of NSW. When that is raised, it can only be good for the game.
The Academy is a generational investment.
Eddie is a game show host who is too stupid to see anything beyond the next bash of the buzzer.

Thanks Crusty good comments. The only observation I would make is that the Academy is not quite as you describe.

When the squads get cut down at about under 15 they move into intensive coaching and development.

The cycle starts with a six week benchmark training starting in September each year. Entry to the benchmark is by invitation only with input from the coaches in the Sydney Junior leagues. The swans will also send scouts out to watch juniors play. The kids train twice a week for six weeks, including about 4 hours on a Saturday. The training ranges from pre-season fitness (3 km time trials etc) to gym work at the SCG, to ball work, strategy, nutrition and life skills. Life skills are especially valued, and the Academy was stoked at how many of the graduating year from 2016 got an ATAR over 90.

Once the benchmark is concluded the squads get cut down and pre-season training starts twice or three times a week. Training includes weigh ins, hydration logs etc. The training is at Lakeside and highly resourced with coaches, support staff and medicos. The drills all follow the swans structure and are very fast paced. The boys are expected to be highly engaged and those that are not get weeded out. The most senior 19 year old NDS group are fully integrated into the senior swans training. They do a full pre-season with the listed players, and most take a gap year to do it.

There is a short break for Christmas (where most kids train on their own or in small groups using a program given to them by the swans) and then the training continues in the lead up to under 16 and under 18 national champs. Most kids do not see their local club at all during this time as they are fully committed to the swans. There will be intra club games and trial games where the teams are highly structured and resourced. The atmosphere is very serious, but encouraging and a number of kids move to Sydney or leave school to concentrate only on the academy and a shot at playing professional football.

The main swans playing time is the national champs and so the kids become more available to local clubs after this. Some elite level players continue with the Swans NEAFL for the year. Swans training continues twice a week for the rest of the year, and so high end kids still do not get to train much with the local clubs. At an older age their playing time is also managed with only one game a weekend allowed.

This cycle go one for some years and so the kids are basically training intensively for years on end.

[Mug Punter]

I am very pro-Academy for all the reasons nominated by you, Crusty and Meg (and MP). And I think the AFL does need to work hard to raise the profile of footy in NSW and raise the playing levels. Fortunately, it is happening. We are a part of that. And so are the Giants. I think AFLW can be a part of that too by offering an attractive sport played professionally by women with no major competition in the NSW/Sydney market. And for it all to work the AFL does need to give us the incentive to invest in the Academy.

However, just as important as all of that is equalising the competition. I really think this is very important. It matters to me and would matter to me even more if we were struggling at the bottom of the ladder - which, very luckily for us, we most certainly are not. It makes the competition more exciting. It is fairer. It gives all the clubs a chance to win - "any given Saturday" and all of that - not just the traditional powerhouses with their MCG, low-travel, in-built advantages. For this reason, I actually am not blindly supportive of us getting a leg-up via the Academies. We need and want a modest benefit to counterbalance the (diminishing) natural disadvantages we have being based in a non-traditional football State. The AFL has to tread a careful line balancing the interests of the stakeholders and the wider game. The latest tweaks to the rules are modest and not that objectionable to me. I would have preferred to get a slightly bigger discount for the Academy kids than we get, rather than worry too much about this issue. It is a bit unseemly if we can finish top 4 and potentially get a Mills and a Heeney in the same draft without having to trade for the right. The new rules mean that even if we finish 5th we would be able to get two top 5 draftees in the same year out of the Academy system. It will only be rare that it costs us and, if we care enough, we will trade hard to get the early pick that we need and still get the draftees we have our eyes on. [On the other hand I am not in favour of the AFL not giving the system time to bed in and see how it works before changing the rules in general and nor am I in favour of kneejerk reactions to Eddie Three Chins and the other big ole boys in the club.]

If the Academies do their job really well, one day we won't need them and they will be phased out altogether. (Or at least handed over to the AFL or someone else to run.) If that happens we will be a true football State with plenty of local talent to draw on (and less competition from other clubs in the same market!).

Another reason, in favour of the AFL striking the right balance with Northern Academies is appearances. It irks me when other fans bleat about COLA and stuff like that - let's not give them a reason to complain. This probably isn't the most powerful reason since the fans I'm referring to will probably keep bleating anyway as long as the Academies exist. However, I think the 'optics' are still significant and the more we get reined in the less justification others have for bleating.

Great post, agree with everything you say especially the inter-generational investment. When you thing of the profound investment in the game I actually get quite angry because we are funding all of this and the AFL has always been appalling in their investment in the game here usually starting with whatever incompetent AFL stooge/ex player they appoint up here to run the game

[Mug Punter]

Thanks Crusty good comments. The only observation I would make is that the Academy is not quite as you describe.

When the squads get cut down at about under 15 they move into intensive coaching and development.

The cycle starts with a six week benchmark training starting in September each year. Entry to the benchmark is by invitation only with input from the coaches in the Sydney Junior leagues. The swans will also send scouts out to watch juniors play. The kids train twice a week for six weeks, including about 4 hours on a Saturday. The training ranges from pre-season fitness (3 km time trials etc) to gym work at the SCG, to ball work, strategy, nutrition and life skills. Life skills are especially valued, and the Academy was stoked at how many of the graduating year from 2016 got an ATAR over 90.

Once the benchmark is concluded the squads get cut down and pre-season training starts twice or three times a week. Training includes weigh ins, hydration logs etc. The training is at Lakeside and highly resourced with coaches, support staff and medicos. The drills all follow the swans structure and are very fast paced. The boys are expected to be highly engaged and those that are not get weeded out. The most senior 19 year old NDS group are fully integrated into the senior swans training. They do a full pre-season with the listed players, and most take a gap year to do it.

There is a short break for Christmas (where most kids train on their own or in small groups using a program given to them by the swans) and then the training continues in the lead up to under 16 and under 18 national champs. Most kids do not see their local club at all during this time as they are fully committed to the swans. There will be intra club games and trial games where the teams are highly structured and resourced. The atmosphere is very serious, but encouraging and a number of kids move to Sydney or leave school to concentrate only on the academy and a shot at playing professional football.

The main swans playing time is the national champs and so the kids become more available to local clubs after this. Some elite level players continue with the Swans NEAFL for the year. Swans training continues twice a week for the rest of the year, and so high end kids still do not get to train much with the local clubs. At an older age their playing time is also managed with only one game a weekend allowed.

This cycle go one for some years and so the kids are basically training intensively for years on end.

Thanks Barracuda, your insights here as a parent are really insightful and helpful. Who knows how many AFL stars would have been produced here had we had this since the 1980s

Hope your young lad has a good year