Same nights/times?
Same nights/times?
An interesting conversation. Naturally we assume if Student was at another club, his views would differ. And if Saviour was a Uni boy, he would be pouncing in their defence. It's been mentioned inadvertently that the league has strong ideas about returning to the old days. 2 comps. One with Prem Div, Prem Reserves, Prem 19's and Prem Women's. The really have just to get St George over the line with women's footy, as they have a long held belief that females shouldn't play footy. A survey sent out was heavily slanted towards this. Might sound good in theory, but seems to lack the opportunity for lower division clubs to grow or achieve promotion in any of the four grades, making them just a pathway to the premier division clubs.
Also, with the female footy, a points system is being introduced next year (proposed, anyhow) to achieve some form of equalisation. It is being fiddled with, the latest edition slanting heavily in favour of the University teams as expected.
You are clearly involved with Sydney Uni so I am sure you think the Xavier situation is great.
I just think that the scope for the local competition due to the NEAFL flow on is quite serious. The NEAFL squad was meant to be separated from the local comp for obvious reasons, that being that those players would never have joined Uni at Prem Div level.
I guess we'll just see how it goes but now the floodgates have been opened watch them dominate.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, a "Sydney" based NEAFL side that is not aligned with the AFL Franchises, should not be aligned with an individual club, if that club is going to have the benefit of playing those "overflow" players in other lower grade competitions.
Under the current format SU is detrimental to the "amateur" code in Sydney. Their involvement disrupts and diminishes the value of the Sydney AFL Premier Division competition, and that flows through to every lower grade they enter teams into ... and in the mean time, they contribute nothing.
Andrews "point" system has merit, as do Mug's suggestions, but you would still have a situation where SU NEAFL players would often end up playing AGAINST SU in Prems ... which is neither desirable nor fair to them.
The NEAFL entity should be a stand alone, AFL/Sydney AFL co-branded initiative.
Players who aspire to NEAFL, would need to register with a SAFL club, using a system that enables a reasonable chance of even spread of talent, but mostly based on junior club origins. For Example, of their current roster, players like the Krochmal boys would ideally be registered with UNSWEasts, Potter with Penno, Dimery with ECE, etc ... players like Barrett (Balmain) and Young (Campbelltown) would ideally go to the nearest Prems club to their origins, and interstate/unaligned players could go to the Uni clubs (as they do now) ... there is a system, and with some thought, it would not be that difficult. When not selected for NEAFL, they would return to their "Club of Origin", enabling them to play with pride as well.
Obvious benefits would flow from the improved talent across the SAFL clubs. The cultural benefits within clubs can't be underestimated when these former "local" juniors have the chance to continue playing (even sparingly) with the clubs who most likely had a hand in nurturing them.
Likewise, it gives these players a clear pathway BACK to their original clubs, after NEAFL - the vast majority will not progress past NEAFL, and will only remain in NEAFL for a few seasons.
A structure along these lines, that is inclusive of the SAFL clubs, would genuinely benefit and improve the SAFL.
It could even generate interest and support for the NEAFL entity from the general SAFL community, rather than the current attitude which generally hovers between ambivalence and contempt.
I agree with you in principle there provided that we can find someone to find the $400,000 for this AFL/Sydney AFL co-branded initiative.
But as we don't then the next best option is that the players in the Core Uni NEAFL Squad on their $20,000 a year scholarships are quarantined in the NEAFL Program, or at the very least are evenly farmed out to the SFL Clubs.
But no, Sydney Uni will fight to have all their NEAFL fringe players all in their Prem Div squad as well rather than have a system that allows all SFL clubs share in the benefits of the NEAFL pathway. It's all very predictable and typical. Equally predictable is the Sydney Uni types coming on here saying how great it is.
Personally I wouldn't blame an SFL club from boycotting a game if Xavier tales the field going forward. The idea that somehow it is fair and reasonable to have an undividual bloke on the same money as the entire team he is playing is just ridiculous.
Mug, it's not about Xavier Richards.
The issue is that the pathway has shrunk to ONE squad in Sydney, if you are not a Swans or GWS Academy player, and it is clearly now viewed as a better option than the SANFL, WAFL or VFL , with plenty of guys who tried that option having returned to Sydney.
The fact that they are undefeated in the NEAFL this season is evidence that the squad has never been stronger, and if they keep winning, we may see someone given an AFL lifeline.
That strength then amplifies the fact that it is unfair to the SAFL PD comp and the comps below are affected too.
You are 100% correct it is not but the Xavier situation illustrates the current situation.
The reality, which you seem to conveniently ignore, is that the third NEAFL team will cost about $400,000 - $500,000 a year to run if it is to work.
Given that Sydney Uni are the only club able and prepared to fund this program then the next issue is what controls are in place so that their NEAFL programme does not cannibalise this comps below as you correctly point out. The Xav situation is this in action, as if he would have ever signed up to play SFL footy in Sydney...
The only way I can see this happening is for a quarantined Sydney Uni NEAFL Squad with any top-ups coming from across the SFL Comp as per your proposal for the Rep Squad system.
And there is that narrow minded view of "clubs first" not what is in the best interests for AFL in Sydney. Strategic assessment of what our game needs similar to all the chat about Syd Uni NEAFL.
I am obviously from out West and follow both Junior and Senior comps and its time to stop our quality Junior players from out West heading elsewhere.
Syd AFL need to pick IMO either Blacktown, Parramatta, Camden or at a stretch Penrith or Moorebank; promote them on the basis of long term strategy for the South West Sydney hole.
I think a Prems team in the area would take 2 to 3 years to become competitive and then the problem is solved. While we wait we are no closer to a solution and having the elite division in Syd as an eight team comp is just silly.
A few strategic and commonsense decisions over the next 6 months with things such as this, Syd Uni NEAFL, Divisionalisation etc.... could be the difference between a Prems comp moving ahead as an elite comp or not.
Has to be in the south west. Reasonable junior growth as opposed to Blacktown which has very little, and would tread on the toes of East Coast at the other end of Quakers Hill Pkwy.
Unless Penrith could get onto Howell Oval, have you buttered that councillor up enough yet Greg?
Camden are making progress in div1 and you would think making progress towards Prems, their up and down 19's is a weakness they need to overcome.
Penrith and Campbelltown look miles away.
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