Academy uproar rears again

[Bangalore Swans]

Pridham has come out absolutely swinging in today's HS re: the Victorian whinging about our academy. He basically said if they change the Academy system or try to shut it down, they can kiss goodbye to the FS system. As the HS is behind a paywall, here is a Foxsports link covering the same stuff. Gerard Healy has joined him in having a go at the criticism.

AFL news 2021: Sydney Swans academy debate, Andrew Pridham, Gerard Healy, Chris Scott

I'll throw in one Pridham quote here, which hits the nail of Victorian hypocrisy on the head.

"Pridham said he was flabbergasted clubs would “start throwing stones” after Sydney has only won three games.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage,” Pridham said.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

[crackedactor 01]

I cannot believe the criticism. 12 out of 2400 kids that have gone on to play AFL Football. Ask them(VICTORIAN CLUBS) if they would start an academy that costs millions of dollars and only get only .005% of them good enough to play AFL.

[KTigers]

Pridham said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

Apparently that is what he said. I think he is just trying to make a point that it's a lot cheaper than Sydney, and I'm sure it is.
You couldn't pay me any amount of money to live in Geelong. Except there are some pretty good golf courses down that way.
I don't mind Pridham. He comes out swinging and you won't die wondering about what he thinks.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I don't mind Pridham. He comes out swinging and you won't die wondering about what he thinks.

Sounding a bit Richard Colless - it'll be naughty hand gestures next.

[dejavoodoo44]

Good of Pridham to remind the Victorian clubs that they have their own academies, with the NGAs. I wonder why they seem to forget about those? Could it be, that the NGAs don't really take up much time and effort during the season, and that they only their minds, in the run up to the draft?

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Good of Pridham to remind the Victorian clubs that they have their own academies, with the NGAs. I wonder why they seem to forget about those? Could it be, that the NGAs don't really take up much time and effort during the season, and that they only their minds, in the run up to the draft?

They only enter their minds.
(I can't blame the auto correct for that).

[Sandridge]

Pridham has come out absolutely swinging in today's HS re: the Victorian whinging about our academy. He basically said if they change the Academy system or try to shut it down, they can kiss goodbye to the FS system. As the HS is behind a paywall, here is a Foxsports link covering the same stuff. Gerard Healy has joined him in having a go at the criticism.

AFL news 2021: Sydney Swans academy debate, Andrew Pridham, Gerard Healy, Chris Scott

I'll throw in one Pridham quote here, which hits the nail of Victorian hypocrisy on the head.

"Pridham said he was flabbergasted clubs would “start throwing stones” after Sydney has only won three games.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage,” Pridham said.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

Big thanks for posting this Stevo. Particularly love Pridham's jab at Collingwood!

[Bloods05]

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

No.

[mcs]

But was anyone saying that 6 months ago before Campbell and Gulden? How many have gone through the Academy (is it 1200 I saw quoted somewhere)? There’s a handful at best that I would say have ‘exceptional skills’ so it’s hardly as though we are taking dozens of 10 y/o rugby players each year who can’t kick and through intensive training turning them all into 18 y/o’s with elite skills.

I think there’s also some mythology sprouting as to what we are doing with these kids at 10, 11, 12 years old as well - people seem to think we are training them 30 hours a week every week of the year or something, the reality is very different.

It’s actually a raw deal we get under the current system when you think about it. We’re like a farmer who spends money and effort nurturing a product, and then when the crop is yielded we actually have to pay again to keep it for ourselves if it is of sufficient quality that others value it.

The only benefit we get is first access so we get local recruits and reducing the go-home factor, but arguably that is only squaring the ledger against all the southern clubs who have that benefit.

[this is completely sarcastic lol] Those bludy AFL house communists!

[Aprilbr]

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

It was an exaggeration but designed to make a point that the cost of living in Geelong is well below that of Sydney.

[Aprilbr]

I would hope that the other Clubs from the Northern States will also come into bat for their Academies as they have as much to lose as us.

A couple of observations. Didn't the AFL just do a Report into the future of the Academies last season? Surely they cannot change their policy emanating from that on the basis of a couple of recruits less than a season later?

I think most thinking people see the value of the Academies in developing talent in non-AFL States. The dispute seems to be over the price paid. At present its a 20% discount. Will this drop to 10% on the back of Victorian pressure?

[Danzar]

Pridham has come out absolutely swinging in today's HS re: the Victorian whinging about our academy. He basically said if they change the Academy system or try to shut it down, they can kiss goodbye to the FS system. As the HS is behind a paywall, here is a Foxsports link covering the same stuff. Gerard Healy has joined him in having a go at the criticism.

AFL news 2021: Sydney Swans academy debate, Andrew Pridham, Gerard Healy, Chris Scott

I'll throw in one Pridham quote here, which hits the nail of Victorian hypocrisy on the head.

"Pridham said he was flabbergasted clubs would “start throwing stones” after Sydney has only won three games.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage,” Pridham said.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

Great post. I also like how the club has ramped up its messaging on the father son rule, saying that right now, a level playing field is to get rid of it. It keeps the focus on the most awkward topic for the major Victorian clubs.

It's a reasonable argument to make on equality grounds, arguably supports 10-15 years of few, or ideally no changes to the academy system.

[Steve]

The media have driven this latest flare-up, as others have already noted.

It is clickbait and a content-filler for the media in Melbourne to be talking about our Academy products if they, and we as a team are doing well.

I’d be moderately confident the AFL has been holding firm against any other clubs who may raise any concerns, and making it clear the Academies are staying, it’s not up for debate etc.

I guess it’s a bit of a double-edged sword - the only time anyone talks about it is after a top talent is drafted from the Academy. So it’s more of an issue for us if no-one is talking about it.

If we have a Heeney/Mills and Campbell/Gulden scenario every year or two I can see the pressure really mounting on the AFL, but history has so far shown that to be the exception.