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Thread: The State of the game

  1. #1

    The State of the game

    It’s now 10 years since GWS came to Sydney with a “build and they will come” approach lead by their muppet in chief.

    10 years on and despite some off field success GWS remain a niche player at best on the Sydney landscape.

    Thai is largely due to the disgraceful lack of attention they have paid to their supposed promised land of talent.

    From what I can gather the game in western Sydney has never been to in poorer shape.

    Not only do we not have no prems team west of ashfield but we have only one team in Platinum. Poor juniors development with Briggs (Penno boy really) and Shipley (dud) as Sydney recruits. Compare to swans in Sydney - Mills, Blakey, Gulden, Campbell and Wicks.

    So, apart from allowing a Swans Academy, has GWS actually been worth the effort ?

  2. #2
    I think GWS have done well from the perspective of developing a competitive side and keeping it in the finals. When they have lost good players south they seem to extract good draft swaps in return (unlike us) and choose wisely. Their membership numbers are also respectable for a young club. When you compare them to Gold Coast there is no comparison!

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by WomblingFree View Post
    It’s now 10 years since GWS came to Sydney with a “build and they will come” approach lead by their muppet in chief.

    10 years on and despite some off field success GWS remain a niche player at best on the Sydney landscape.

    Thai is largely due to the disgraceful lack of attention they have paid to their supposed promised land of talent.

    From what I can gather the game in western Sydney has never been to in poorer shape.

    Not only do we not have no prems team west of ashfield but we have only one team in Platinum. Poor juniors development with Briggs (Penno boy really) and Shipley (dud) as Sydney recruits. Compare to swans in Sydney - Mills, Blakey, Gulden, Campbell and Wicks.

    So, apart from allowing a Swans Academy, has GWS actually been worth the effort ?
    I agree with this, except to say that GWS is a well run club and deserve credit in terms of their personnel and operations. AFL Sydney is always in thrall to the Swans and are clueless - now more than ever - so nothing good locally is being driven by them (its their job) or the AFL teams (its not their job - they want fans that's it). Having said that GWS' AFLW team is loaded with Sydney locals. The only positive improvements in local footy ever come from local clubs and volunteers - who have to deal with the continuing changing guard at Moore Park and their latest personal KPIs. Campbelltown - SWS is hopefully a recent example of a good club-based initiative.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Jupiter View Post
    I agree with this, except to say that GWS is a well run club and deserve credit in terms of their personnel and operations. AFL Sydney is always in thrall to the Swans and are clueless - now more than ever - so nothing good locally is being driven by them (its their job) or the AFL teams (its not their job - they want fans that's it). Having said that GWS' AFLW team is loaded with Sydney locals. The only positive improvements in local footy ever come from local clubs and volunteers - who have to deal with the continuing changing guard at Moore Park and their latest personal KPIs. Campbelltown - SWS is hopefully a recent example of a good club-based initiative.
    I think in some respects this is why those in the stronger clubs are looking to a state league. That would take away the swans as being the only game in town and would let AFL sydney forge its own path. To get good development of the game there needs to be more pathways then one or two kids a year jagging a spot with the swans. If your a good junior in league or union , there are multiple top tier pathways and second tier comps (as there is in the southern states with aussie rules) and AFL Sydney needs something like this if it is to gain a bigger share of the talent pool in Sydney.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Magoo View Post
    I think in some respects this is why those in the stronger clubs are looking to a state league. That would take away the swans as being the only game in town and would let AFL sydney forge its own path. To get good development of the game there needs to be more pathways then one or two kids a year jagging a spot with the swans. If your a good junior in league or union , there are multiple top tier pathways and second tier comps (as there is in the southern states with aussie rules) and AFL Sydney needs something like this if it is to gain a bigger share of the talent pool in Sydney.
    Amen. Exactly. All those years of big $$$$ squandered in many ways and then covid hits and the money is not there for anything. Only clubs developing advances local divisions. The league admin people don't stay long enough to get the big long term picture and ecosystem. Lets have a look at their only current policy - a points system to equalise which doesn't cause senior player movement (as its an amateur comp) just robs teams of being able to play talent in the right grade - i.e. lowers the standard. I heard they spent money on a number of consultants to ask clubs survey questions and then just put things off for a few years. Pathetic, years are years of people's lives they take for granted and they don't realise how things got to how they were because they weren't around. Hate to say it but Swannies are now happy in VFL where they always wanted to be and with the pick of the Academy under their control they couldn't give two hoots about local footy other than for members. As you say, footy needs strong structures and pathways from the ground up to thrive.

  6. #6
    Never been a more accurate description of facts surrounding issues in governance and competition management.
    And here’s another, ‘Conflicts of Interest’ everywhere working in our governing body.
    It time AFL Sydney got a reality check as it’s the clubs that make and run the competition, not the other way around.
    It’s warming to see on this thread that a lot people have the same view!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bingi View Post
    Never been a more accurate description of facts surrounding issues in governance and competition management.
    And here’s another, ‘Conflicts of Interest’ everywhere working in our governing body.
    It time AFL Sydney got a reality check as it’s the clubs that make and run the competition, not the other way around.
    It’s warming to see on this thread that a lot people have the same view!
    The SANFL and WAFL continue to thrive (as does local footy tiers under them), 1. as they are true footy states, I get it... but 2. They have their own state football commissions so they are not dictated too, run by AFL Docklands in the same way - they take a long term view and their priority is local. We are run by last priority satellite office. Other than umpires, I look at the local comps and wonder what the AFL actually adds (mostly not grounds, clubs pay them not other way around etc), yet they lord it over the Clubs and Presidents who are told what to do by the revolving door of (yes often conflicted) fairly junior employees and their KPIs. Its a travesty for the local game and holds it back. We need a local Commission AFL has to go through.

  8. #8
    Bang!

  9. #9
    Interesting to see the GWS Giants announce former Sydney AFL player Ryan Hebron as VFL Captain, they mentioned all the accolades of Swans Academy/NEAFL/VFL but no mention of the Sydney AFL which he was planning in as recent as 2020. Again teams fail to build the brand of the Sydney local competition, Hebron was a star of it when he was here.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by mrns View Post
    Interesting to see the GWS Giants announce former Sydney AFL player Ryan Hebron as VFL Captain, they mentioned all the accolades of Swans Academy/NEAFL/VFL but no mention of the Sydney AFL which he was planning in as recent as 2020. Again teams fail to build the brand of the Sydney local competition, Hebron was a star of it when he was here.
    mrns - Agree with the sentiment about no recognition of North Shore being poor, but is this thread about who gets the credit vs the actual state of the game.

    IMO the game in Sydney "State of the Game" is the healthiest it has been in my 30 years in Sydney.

    There are more locals dominating the Prems comp vs ex-pats from the Southern States, the numbers playing open age has never been stronger and the growth in Women's footy is almost unbelievable.

    While I don't think AFL Sydney has overly contributed to the competition health, if we measure by outcomes they, and AFL HQ, must be happy.

    So is this thread really about the "State of the Game" or who gets the credit.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Jupiter View Post
    Amen. Exactly. All those years of big $$$$ squandered in many ways and then covid hits and the money is not there for anything. Only clubs developing advances local divisions. The league admin people don't stay long enough to get the big long term picture and ecosystem. Lets have a look at their only current policy - a points system to equalise which doesn't cause senior player movement (as its an amateur comp) just robs teams of being able to play talent in the right grade - i.e. lowers the standard. I heard they spent money on a number of consultants to ask clubs survey questions and then just put things off for a few years. Pathetic, years are years of people's lives they take for granted and they don't realise how things got to how they were because they weren't around. Hate to say it but Swannies are now happy in VFL where they always wanted to be and with the pick of the Academy under their control they couldn't give two hoots about local footy other than for members. As you say, footy needs strong structures and pathways from the ground up to thrive.
    Perfect summary.

  12. #12
    Week before the season starts and no draws published on line.
    I wonder what the KPI is for that.

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