AFL Canberra Season 2017

Remove this Banner Ad

Log in to remove this ad.

Haha, surely Woden won't go up wouldn't that kill eastlakes zone? I honestly don't think the afl will push anyone up to div 1 or 2. They need to do something however.

Looking at the draw this week in 1st grade it's one week you probably can't pick! I hope gungahlin get up over Tuggeranong!

I heard the league put on food and drinks for the jets and Belconnen after last weeks game. The jets had someone speak to all the players and told Belconnen that they plan to stay on in div 1 & 2 for many years!
 
RedVest4 said:
Their 3s and 4s have been in the top 2 or 3 for several years, it's time they moved up...
Click to expand...

Right up there in dumb statements.

If amateur footy in Canberra is strong, why would you sacrifice if for the benefit of four wealthy professional clubs that have 9/10s of sweet FA for community level footy?

Eastlake are focussed on Seniors as they should be - and killed the Kingston Wolves. Ainslie always have Canberra district footy as an afterthought. Belconnen don't have the numbers in lower leagues due to mismanagement of players and coaches for years leading to discontent, and Queanbeyan and Harman are a distant relationship at best these days.

Keep amateurs amateurs. Let wealthy senior sides work out how to make a 6 team league work rather than trashing what currently works in a crap shoot hoping it fixes the structure broken Seniors.
 
Smashed Avocado said:
Right up there in dumb statements.

If amateur footy in Canberra is strong, why would you sacrifice if for the benefit of four wealthy professional clubs that have 9/10s of sweet FA for community level footy?

Eastlake are focussed on Seniors as they should be - and killed the Kingston Wolves. Ainslie always have Canberra district footy as an afterthought. Belconnen don't have the numbers in lower leagues due to mismanagement of players and coaches for years leading to discontent, and Queanbeyan and Harman are a distant relationship at best these days.

Keep amateurs amateurs. Let wealthy senior sides work out how to make a 6 team league work rather than trashing what currently works in a crap shoot hoping it fixes the structure broken Seniors.
Click to expand...

"Amateur" footy in Canberra lucked upon an even season this year in the 3s and 4s, it's not like there has been a stable, well run competition going on that has delivered this year on year. Absolutely every year on this forum, at all times of the year, there is discussion going on about the need to restructure 3s & 4s, which is what inevitably leads to discussions about the higher grades. We have had 4 or 5 different set-ups in district footy in the past 4 or 5 seasons, with various clubs moving around, 2 and 3 divisions, etc. So lets not be a revisionist and paint a rosy picture based on an out of context snapshot.

You can whinge all you want about the wealthy clubs and how little they care about "amateur footy" in Canberra, but the reality of the situation is that these clubs produce the vast majority of junior football teams in the ACT, fund AFL Canberra and ensure that AFL is a sport that ACT kids see as a good option despite it being well and truly league & union heartland for the past 30 years. If those kids don't play footy, then district footy doesn't get the drip feed of players filtering down to it which keeps it alive. A team like the Woden Blues, which originated from Marist old boys, would never exist because there would be no Marist old boys that played AFL at school. Apart from the country sides, how many of the district teams have origins as teams that formed out of players/mates that were involved with a "senior" club that existed at the time?

So, putting that all in context, it doesn't really matter when you hate the senior clubs, they are the money behind football in Canberra and the league will always restructure around that reality. If they are happy to continue with the current setup or play in a 4 team comp, that is what will happen. If they aren't, then things will change. Lets think about how best to make that work for everyone, rather than just pretending we're in a little bubble that isn't influenced by anything else
 
Smurftown#11 said:
"Amateur" footy in Canberra lucked upon an even season this year in the 3s and 4s, it's not like there has been a stable, well run competition going on that has delivered this year on year. Absolutely every year on this forum, at all times of the year, there is discussion going on about the need to restructure 3s & 4s, which is what inevitably leads to discussions about the higher grades. We have had 4 or 5 different set-ups in district footy in the past 4 or 5 seasons, with various clubs moving around, 2 and 3 divisions, etc. So lets not be a revisionist and paint a rosy picture based on an out of context snapshot.

You can whinge all you want about the wealthy clubs and how little they care about "amateur footy" in Canberra, but the reality of the situation is that these clubs produce the vast majority of junior football teams in the ACT, fund AFL Canberra and ensure that AFL is a sport that ACT kids see as a good option despite it being well and truly league & union heartland for the past 30 years. If those kids don't play footy, then district footy doesn't get the drip feed of players filtering down to it which keeps it alive. A team like the Woden Blues, which originated from Marist old boys, would never exist because there would be no Marist old boys that played AFL at school. Apart from the country sides, how many of the district teams have origins as teams that formed out of players/mates that were involved with a "senior" club that existed at the time?

So, putting that all in context, it doesn't really matter when you hate the senior clubs, they are the money behind football in Canberra and the league will always restructure around that reality. If they are happy to continue with the current setup or play in a 4 team comp, that is what will happen. If they aren't, then things will change. Lets think about how best to make that work for everyone, rather than just pretending we're in a little bubble that isn't influenced by anything else
Click to expand...

The real problem with Canberra football is the fact that 3 or 4 clubs have dominated for 100 years, no other clubs can get a look in at the top level, it is a closed shop.

It must have been in the early 1980's that West Canberra was challenging for a premiership, but the old ACTAFL bought in a rule banning fly in fly out players which Westies was using then, low and behold they went into a downward spiral and merged with Belconnen from having the biggest junior base in the league, same thing happened to Belconnen and Weston Creek who both had clubhouses and were slowly building and quite substantial junior bases.

The league was born out of old inner Canberra clubs with all the power on the ACTAFL and all the money, they dictated and still do.

I would love to see 8 or so clubs fight it out in Canberra and even a promotion and relegation system, but the resources between Ainslie and these days even Belconnen to Gungahlin is just amazing, they can never make that shortfall up.

Unless the league fiscally helps club like Gungahlin to get a big club house up and running with pokies etc etc, it is always going to be playing catchup, in a way Ainslie and Eastlake are victims of their own success, the game can never really grow at senior level unless more teams can rise to the top league.


Ainslie at one stage was so big it set about joining the SANFL in the 1980/90's.
 
From memory the ACTAFL banned fly in fly out players late in the season, just before finals and from memory that was when Paul Feltham was coaching Westies and they were challenging the established clubs for a premiership, they had 3 players flying in weekly, Paul Felthams brother and another couple of blokes, Jeff Williamson is a name that springs to mind.

Westies was flying, the club making money and a enthusiastic young crowd was following the team, they had a huge junior nursery.

Witness a couple of years later at the disillusionment of the ACTAFL ruling - you cant beat them, it is rigged, same old same old - and i am guessing it still applies to today.

The club went in a downward spiral having had all its passion torn away and eventually even dropped out of first grade and ultimately merged with Belconnen, who had the same type of problems, Weston Creek went the same way, lost its clubhouse and now just has a couple of junior teams.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

So if I understand the finals format correctly , (and there's no guarantee I do ) then its looking like finals could be played at coota. cooma and Goulburn if the current trend continues . Interesting
 
southcab said:
So if I understand the finals format correctly , (and there's no guarantee I do ) then its looking like finals could be played at coota. cooma and Goulburn if the current trend continues . Interesting
Click to expand...
I've got us battling to make it, especially losing another couple last week. We have about 18 fit players and a bunch unavailable, tough trip to Coota this week too..
 
NovIsBack said:
I've got us battling to make it, especially losing another couple last week. We have about 18 fit players and a bunch unavailable, tough trip to Coota this week too..
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that nov you blokes have been going well , we too have our share of injurys and outs , good luck Saturday mate
 
Very interesting weekend, 4s comp is certainly heating up as we expected. Something must be going on at Belconnen, the side I saw play ANU earlier in the year shouldnt be having this run of losses even at there worst. I don't think a coaching change can effect them this dramatically either so there must be a few changes to the playing group or something.

Great stuff for Yass to get that win over Woden, its like when they turn the corner and see finals coming they start going to another level. Massive positive for Yass this year is the draw. I think last year they draw actually cost them come finals time (a bye last round into a week off into a prelim - which it showed). Couple competitive rounds for them leading up and they can win it from anywhere.

Well done Goulburn too, great to see another country side putting up strong results and pushing for finals. Massive few games coming up for them, hope you can pull together some numbers nov - that will be a ripper this week out at Coota.
 
hammo80 said:
Very interesting weekend, 4s comp is certainly heating up as we expected. Something must be going on at Belconnen, the side I saw play ANU earlier in the year shouldnt be having this run of losses even at there worst. I don't think a coaching change can effect them this dramatically either so there must be a few changes to the playing group or something.

Great stuff for Yass to get that win over Woden, its like when they turn the corner and see finals coming they start going to another level. Massive positive for Yass this year is the draw. I think last year they draw actually cost them come finals time (a bye last round into a week off into a prelim - which it showed). Couple competitive rounds for them leading up and they can win it from anywhere.

Well done Goulburn too, great to see another country side putting up strong results and pushing for finals. Massive few games coming up for them, hope you can pull together some numbers nov - that will be a ripper this week out at Coota.
Click to expand...
Thanks hammo for the vote of convidence , I wouldn't read to much into the win over Woden , talking to there coach after the game they had a lot of outs and un available players on Saturday . good luck this weekend to all
 
3rd Grade Maggy said:
I don't think pokies are the panacea you make them out to be. Maybe ten years ago. But look at the grant from the sports club that Belconnen is running off now compared to last decade.
Click to expand...

That may well be the case, but my bet would be that Gungahlin doesn't get a great grant ATM!

A decent club house with meals, pokies, other clubs like darts, fishing, golf attached etc etc all builds support in the local community.

It is very hard to compete without it.
 
Ok so i know I have no idea , but that aside can someone tell me how it works that teams can get credit for two games in a single round . Last weekend belco recorded 1 win 1 loss this weekend the swans travel to coota having already registerd a loss for this round to adfa . I know games were played pre season but surely that means they have played that designated round ??? I'm too old for this
 
southcab said:
Ok so i know I have no idea , but that aside can someone tell me how it works that teams can get credit for two games in a single round . Last weekend belco recorded 1 win 1 loss this weekend the swans travel to coota having already registerd a loss for this round to adfa . I know games were played pre season but surely that means they have played that designated round ??? I'm too old for this
Click to expand...

Was done to accomodate ADFA and their training dates so they could play every team. Teams aren't playing extra games it just looks that way with how it is placed on sportingpulse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
AFL Canberra 2024
Replies
14
Views
3K
BitOfBants
B
R
AFL Canberra 2023
2
Replies
29
Views
4K
ilovemeatpies
I

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top