Nice article about the Academy on the AFL website today. I like the last sentence which saids that the current price for recruits is about right.
We pay a 'heavy price': Swans hit back at Academy critics
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
I saw an article today about the Northern Academies and they listed who was on each of the top 4 lists from their respective Academies. The interesting fact out of it for me was that each of the other three northern teams had 10 on their list from their Academy. We had 9. So essentially 25% of their lists were from this source which is great. Ours gets all the publicity but there are some excellent Academy players on the other Clubs' lists eg Hipwood, Tom Green, Finlayson, Hopper. This is a good counter to the dreaded "go home" issue faces by Clubs in NSW and QLD.
Australian rules football is booming in Sydney. Is it happening at rugby’s expense?
As a Lions fan who hasn't seen great success in the academy like Sydney, I am a huge fan of the academy system. This article outlines what the real winner for the AFL is in the academy program.
Having gone through my teens in Sydney; playing both AFL and Union in the North; worked in AFL coaching in the school system, it's awesome to see the growth in participation. Chris Smith's quote about being ridiculed resonates with me having personally gone through the alienated nature of being a the kid from outer state who plays AFL. The friends I have made through playing the game are the ones I am closest with and I hope the future generations get to experience that too!
AFL is no longer a misunderstood, underdog in NSW and that's great for everyone involved with the AFL!
Thanks for that. While discussions of the academy usually focuses on top end talent, I've always thought that one of its main aims, was to increase the standard of football being played in the SFL and other competitions. While it's hard to judge football quality from year to year, the number of academy graduates scattered throughout the SFL, suggests that it is making a difference.
Thanks to MRNS for sharing his story and observations. Very interesting.
That article about the AFL benefiting at Rugby Union's expense is also interesting. Its certainly true that a lot of Waratah supporters also follow the Swans closely. Many of them live in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney so going to watch the Swans at SCG is easy for them. It also helps that the Waratah and Wallabies have been down in recent years.
Two losses and the Academy bleating from south of the border has all but dried up. Typical....
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