Originally Posted by
Mug Punter
I don't post here often these days and read even less due to the abuse I copped, some of which was partially warranted perhaps due to my lack of diplomacy.
Anyway, I see that Sydney Uni beat Manly 24.15.159 to 2.4.16, yes this is the Reserves team of NEAFL Sydney Uni versus the SFL team that went back to back senior flags in 2013 and 2014.
I then see that Xavier Richards who played in an AFL Grand Final last September, who would still be on an AFL List if not for his sheer stupidity, kicked 13 Goals, a figure I suspect he is mildly disappointed with given the gulf in class between him and his opponent.
How the F is this in the interests of the local game? All along we have been told by the likes of Student that the NEAFL squad is quarantined and that the talent bagging at the NEAFL level will not flow down with Sydney Uni following the usual modus operandi of destroying elite amateur competitions due to the resources they throw at free education (think Shute Shield)
If Xav can come down and play SFL, and from the result I am sure he wasn't the only NEAFL player going down that day, then every district club should just give up any notion of winning an SFL Flag. And I'm not sure what Xav or Sydney Uni got out of the exercise of humiliating the elite local competition in its show of power, just a king sized ego trip to show they can I suspect.
What is clear is that Sydney Uni cannot be trusted in any way shape of form to have any concept of the greater good of the game in Sydney, and if allowed they will allow the strength if their NEAFL team to flow down and kill the local game.
So, what will the NSWAFL do? Nothing is the answer but this is what should be done. And I am on the record that the Uni NEAFL programme is an important piece of the Sydney AFL puzzle but not when it destroys the local comp.
(1) Sydney Uni should announce an elite level 25 man NEAFL Squad at the beginning of each season. These players should be prevented from playing in any competition other than NEAFL. This alone would have prevented last weeks massacre.
(2) Sydney Uni will be allowed to draw on top ups for its NEAFL squad throughout the season as it feels necessary to a maximum of five players per club over the course of the season - e.g North Shore can have a maximum of five different players called up through the year to Sydney Uni in NEAFL but those five can play as many games each as their form permits. This will prevent Sydney Uni from simply hiding NEAFL players in the Div 1 squad and also builds a genuine pathway from the district clubs to the Sydney NEAFL program, which is important to the game locally. It also protects that local clubs from being destroyed via excessive topping up.
(3) Top up players may be upgraded to the Sydney Uni NEAFL elite squad at season end. If a player who has upgraded this way is subsequently delisted from the elite then he will not be permitted to be registered with Sydney Uni for the following season. Again this avoids Sydney Uni hiding NEAFL players in Div 1.
(4) If a top up player transfers to the Sydney Uni Div 1 programme then he shall not be eligible for NEAFL football the following season - same reason as (3)
(5) The NSWAFL shall retain a right of veto over any non NEAFL Sydney Uni registration if they believe that the player is of clear NEAFL standard - this would prevent a hypothetical situation of Xav being signed to a Div 1 registration and then called on as a top up
I am sure that the usual suspects will come out and abuse me for this post but have a think about what has just happened and try and tell me it is good for the game. And try and tell me why my simple restrictions wouldn't protect the local game whilst still allowing Sydney Uni to follow its programme
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