Heard from a fairly reliable source that a group of players at Sydney Uni NEAFL, who are from Sydney AFL clubs other than Sydney Uni, were told by a senior SU official words to the effect of "we are all one club here and we'd like you guys to support Sydney Uni prems and the rest of the club".

I understand the reaction from the players present ranged from thinking the comments were out of line to being offended. Why would they support Sydney Uni in the SAFL against their own clubs and why would anyone think it�s reasonable to ask them to do that?

Is it just me, or are Sydney Uni in the process of blowing their own foot off regarding NEAFL?
Regardless of what Sydney Uni think they invest in the NEAFL program, the reality is that without the ongoing support of the AFL and the SAFL clubs and their players, Sydney Uni wouldn't have a NEAFL program.

The level of disrespect implicit in the comment above surely has to erode that support?

On top of that, the NEAFL has been sold to SAFL clubs as a pathway for good young players from Sydney clubs that enables them to pursue their dreams of playing in the AFL without having to move interstate.

Apart from Sydney Uni being fairly unsuccessful to date in drafts, I understand that at the moment our club alone has 7 very good young players interstate, including a couple of draft prospects, who've gone there essentially because they don't believe the Sydney Uni "pathway" will work for them.
Six of these guys are 20 or under and they�ve been lost to SAFL and the NEAFL program for the medium term.

How I�m seeing it at the moment, not only does the pathway not work, it�s actually counter productive for SAFL clubs. The NEAFL program looks like a collective ego trip and promotional and recruitment tool for Sydney Uni.

What�s going on here, or is it just me?