Academy Watch

Remove this Banner Ad

Log in to remove this ad.

RUNVS said:
Mills is training with GWS and Dunkley is training with Hawthorn for some reason that must only be clear to the AFL.
Click to expand...

Every year AIS kids get exposure to training with two different clubs. Guess they decided they shouldn't make an exception for Academy players just like they haven't for father son picks in the past. Nothing to lose really, gives the kids another insight into training somewhere different. No real harm
 
Fatcat08 said:
Every year AIS kids get exposure to training with two different clubs. Guess they decided they shouldn't make an exception for Academy players just like they haven't for father son picks in the past. Nothing to lose really, gives the kids another insight into training somewhere different. No real harm
Click to expand...

I am just glad that Mills and Dunkley were both not sent to Collingwood :)
 
Opportunity for the clubs to see the young guns they're not going to get.
 
Why is the Gold Coast academy not producing any decent footballers?
 
jackess said:
Why is the Gold Coast academy not producing any decent footballers?
Click to expand...

Its an interesting one. While they've had a few we've seemed to have the much higher rated players. Given that historically their zone has been the better one for producing AFL players it is curious as to why it hasn't in the last few years. Even before that when the had priority to QLD players for those few years, the players they got were from their zones as well

Dixon - Cairns
Smith - Rocky
Thompson - Gold Coast

Hickey was from Bris and now at St Kilda. Most of the others are gone. From their Academy the only one they've had come through is Andrew Boston as a rookie selection.

Now whether its a bit of an anomaly who knows as its a bit early to draw definitives yet. From memory they do have one coming through for the draft after next. Still after the GC being the main development area for AFL for so long it curious that it seems to have dried up in recent years since the academy has come in. Were the development pathways better down there previously and the Academy combined with the NEAFL changes has actually decreased the development? Or is it just a weird period?

Whatever it is I'm a little bit happy about it. After losing players, qld selections and any chance at high draft picks for a few years the last thing I could have stomached is them getting 3-4 high level afl players from their academy as well while we got nothing. Having Beams come to Brisbane as well has certainly made it easier to swallow.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

jackess said:
Why is the Gold Coast academy not producing any decent footballers?
Click to expand...

They have they were unlucky last year with Weller being ineligible. It could be argued that the Gold Coast has produced better top end talent but this was before the academy. Some of the best Queenslanders that are in the Afl would have all fallen under the Gold Coast Academy if it had been in place back then. I think you will find the Gold Coast will have some real success with the academy.
 
jackess said:
Why is the Gold Coast academy not producing any decent footballers?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, the Gold Coast Academy isn't exactly setting the world on fire with its ability to identify and develop players. My understanding is that it's actually one of the worst Academies at doing this. I'm not entirely up to speed on the specifics on why this is, whether it be quality of Coaches, funding or just number of personnel available (or maybe everything combined). I do know however that the club has identified this problem during its end-of-season review that also saw Bluey sacked. So I think we'll see a lot more cash going into this area.

Any of the clubs could get lucky and just find a diamond in the rough, the one that will make it regardless on what system they go through. I think there's one in the Suns Academy that is draftable next year, or the year after. But to me, the Academy is more about developing players that are simply senor list-capable. Not necessarily superstars. That's where the work needs to be done.
 
Sunny_ said:
Unfortunately, the Gold Coast Academy isn't exactly setting the world on fire with its ability to identify and develop players. My understanding is that it's actually one of the worst Academies at doing this. I'm not entirely up to speed on the specifics on why this is, whether it be quality of Coaches, funding or just number of personnel available (or maybe everything combined). I do know however that the club has identified this problem during its end-of-season review that also saw Bluey sacked. So I think we'll see a lot more cash going into this area.

Any of the clubs could get lucky and just find a diamond in the rough, the one that will make it regardless on what system they go through. I think there's one in the Suns Academy that is draftable next year, or the year after. But to me, the Academy is more about developing players that are simply senor list-capable. Not necessarily superstars. That's where the work needs to be done.
Click to expand...

With the quality of the Gold Coast's list, and being able to position itself pretty well in the draft; senior-list capable hasn't exactly been a high priority either. Although GWS has a stronger claim to that sort of thinking and yet seems to have embraced the academy... Although I think that has something to do with actually needing to get a toe-hold in their community (from the outside I would say they are barking up the wrong tree with a largely WASP appealing Academy list).
 
Sunny_ said:
Unfortunately, the Gold Coast Academy isn't exactly setting the world on fire with its ability to identify and develop players. My understanding is that it's actually one of the worst Academies at doing this. I'm not entirely up to speed on the specifics on why this is, whether it be quality of Coaches, funding or just number of personnel available (or maybe everything combined). I do know however that the club has identified this problem during its end-of-season review that also saw Bluey sacked. So I think we'll see a lot more cash going into this area.

Any of the clubs could get lucky and just find a diamond in the rough, the one that will make it regardless on what system they go through. I think there's one in the Suns Academy that is draftable next year, or the year after. But to me, the Academy is more about developing players that are simply senor list-capable. Not necessarily superstars. That's where the work needs to be done.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update, good to know. :)
 
Caiphus said:
With the quality of the Gold Coast's list, and being able to position itself pretty well in the draft; senior-list capable hasn't exactly been a high priority either. Although GWS has a stronger claim to that sort of thinking and yet seems to have embraced the academy... Although I think that has something to do with actually needing to get a toe-hold in their community (from the outside I would say they are barking up the wrong tree with a largely WASP appealing Academy list).
Click to expand...
The Suns have always been big on bringing in local talent and filling the list with Queenslanders. There just seems to be some disconnect with where this is said to the actual development/implementation of it. I mean, it does happen. I've been to and seen plenty of Suns Academy training camps up in Cairns and Townsville, along with on the GC itself. It's just not good enough, in whatever way that is.

To be quite honest I'm quite bullish on academy graduate Andrew Boston and think he can do great things this year, but he's the only one I've seen come out of the system to be worthy of a list placement, and it was a rookie pick. We have Ellis on the list too, but I don't think he'll make it and seems to have been selected 'in the hope' he could be something. Lach Weller came up as a gun and was always going to get drafted. If anything, you could argue that given his time in the GC Academy, he should have gone even higher given his attributes.

But with more money, time and effort going into it, hopefully the quality starts to go up. As I mentioned, there's a kid called Brad Scheer in the Suns Academy who looks a good prospect. With better resources in the Academy, his development curve will hopefully continue to go upwards, and not plateau at 16 like a lot of Queensland prospects.
 
Sunny_ said:
The Suns have always been big on bringing in local talent and filling the list with Queenslanders. There just seems to be some disconnect with where this is said to the actual development/implementation of it. I mean, it does happen. I've been to and seen plenty of Suns Academy training camps up in Cairns and Townsville, along with on the GC itself. It's just not good enough, in whatever way that is.

To be quite honest I'm quite bullish on academy graduate Andrew Boston and think he can do great things this year, but he's the only one I've seen come out of the system to be worthy of a list placement, and it was a rookie pick. We have Ellis on the list too, but I don't think he'll make it and seems to have been selected 'in the hope' he could be something. Lach Weller came up as a gun and was always going to get drafted. If anything, you could argue that given his time in the GC Academy, he should have gone even higher given his attributes.

But with more money, time and effort going into it, hopefully the quality starts to go up. As I mentioned, there's a kid called Brad Scheer in the Suns Academy who looks a good prospect. With better resources in the Academy, his development curve will hopefully continue to go upwards, and not plateau at 16 like a lot of Queensland prospects.
Click to expand...

o_O

The AFL gave you the best Queensland kids (as well as the rest of Australia) to begin with and you are still reaping the rewards with concessional draft picks; let's not pretend the Suns have actually done anything proactive to get a high % of local kids on their list :cool:
 
Brad Scheer is likely to be the number 1 Qld prospect next year. It is swings and roundabouts I think to a large extent. The Lions have put more resources into the academy so far but that could also be due to the fact that they were more likely to get something out of it in the short term. GC might have been a bit slow to invest whilst it was a bit down on talent.
 
Panthera said:
o_O

The AFL gave you the best Queensland kids (as well as the rest of Australia) to begin with and you are still reaping the rewards with concessional draft picks; let's not pretend the Suns have actually done anything proactive to get a high % of local kids on their list :cool:
Click to expand...
I did just mention that I think they reached with a guy like Ellis, not to mention keeping QLD'ers on lists for a bit longer than they perhaps should have been. They are all concessions to be sure, but it's still something that they have embraced.
 
In good news for the likes of Keays and Hipwood the AFL has finally wised up and appointed a decent coach to the AFL Academy. Brenton Sanderson takes over and on the face of it it looks to be a great appointment. Having someone with actual AFL coaching experience is a big step up. Have all the other blokes as visiting coaches sure but make sure there is someone who knows what he is doing heading it up.
 
Went and watched a bit of training at Coorparoo Wednesday and noticed young Wagner training with them,thought it was only AFL Academy kids that did this.
 
Leroy Lion said:
Went and watched a bit of training at Coorparoo Wednesday and noticed young Wagner training with them,thought it was only AFL Academy kids that did this.
Click to expand...
From (rusty) memory, some of the top Lions academy prospects have joined in previously. Struggling to think of names off the top of my head though, so I may have just made that up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top