2nds Official Swans Academy Thread (Player News and Discussion)

Jul 20, 2001
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Skeparovic

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I've not seen any of this kid but are we likely to want him, and is he in the Heeney/Mills/Blakey caliber of excitement?

Following a similar path/trajectory to the exceptional talent you list above.

Pretty high praise provided by someone who would know more than any of us...

The head coach of the NAB AFL Academy, former Brisbane Lions player Luke Power, said he was impressed with Josh’s performances at the U16 national carnival.

“We liked the fact that he was able to beat his opponent no matter where he was playing, and that he took intercept marks and had a real influence on the game,’’ Power said.

http://m.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2017-09-14/josh-makes-top-grade-for-afl-academy

http://m.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2018-10-29/academy-players-get-callup-for-allies
 

HighReeve

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of course we'll pick him up. gee a local, highly rated a tall, when we just picked up 5 mids in the draft. every one of our academy players that have been bid on we've matched tho we've probably had less than the other clubs. also we have the saints 2nd pick next year for a reason points will be no problem. and i'd hope theyre planning on the minimum next draft since our list is already skewed young, with imminent retirements on top of that.
 
of course we'll pick him up. gee a local, highly rated a tall, when we just picked up 5 mids in the draft. every one of our academy players that have been bid on we've matched tho we've probably had less than the other clubs. also we have the saints 2nd pick next year for a reason points will be no problem. and i'd hope theyre planning on the minimum next draft since our list is already skewed young, with imminent retirements on top of that.

I think you may be right that the draft next year won't be as much of a priority as it has been in recent years. We've invested heavily in the draft the last four or five years (the trade ban forced our hand initially) and we're now seeing the rewards of it with our plethora of young talent. But I think if we really want to elevate ourselves we need an established gun. A goal-scoring mid or a half-back flanker maybe or even a decent ruck. I can't imagine how we couldn't afford to..
 

Skeparovic

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Love his attitude. Will get the most out of himself.

Yes his workrate appears to be of an incredibly high standard and you need a great attitude to be able to achieve what he has thus far. It will set him up well for whatever career he pursues whether it be footy or business related.

I could imagine his competitiveness and ferocity to be the best he could be would hold him in good stead in the national championships. Early days yet, however withstanding injury he appears a very promising player for the Swans.
 
Feb 28, 2007
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So if he did his year 12 exams in 2018 why isn't he at the Swans now? Did he go undrafted for some odd reason or was he only 17 when he did his HSC?
Reading the posted articles above, I'm guessing its the latter as one article dated September 2017 names him as a 16yo, that's only my assumption though.
 

DavyRed

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So if he did his year 12 exams in 2018 why isn't he at the Swans now? Did he go undrafted for some odd reason or was he only 17 when he did his HSC?
Yes there are a stack of Academy boys who did their HSCs last year but don’t turn 18 until early this year - and, therefore, are only eligible for the 2019 draft.
 
Feb 28, 2007
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Yes there are a stack of Academy boys who did their HSCs last year but don’t turn 18 until early this year - and, therefore, are only eligible for the 2019 draft.

On the plus side, at least he gets a full year at university, and given he is a taller player being a little older when being drafted won't necessarily be a bad thing.
 

DavyRed

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On the plus side, at least he gets a full year at university, and given he is a taller player being a little older when being drafted won't necessarily be a bad thing.
Yep, the other plus is that he and the other boys in this situation don’t have to juggle the stress of the HSCs with what will be a critical football season and draft at the same time.
 

rebeti

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Is that "Close" guy eligible this year as from memory he was looking promising?
You might be referring to an indigenous prospect Shaydn Close who was a highly rated small forward at under 16 level for NSW the same year as Nick Blakey. Unfortunately,has not been sighted since U16 rep footy,which is a shame because he was rated highly as a junior.
 
Feb 28, 2007
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You might be referring to an indigenous prospect Shaydn Close who was a highly rated small forward at under 16 level for NSW the same year as Nick Blakey. Unfortunately,has not been sighted since U16 rep footy,which is a shame because he was rated highly as a junior.

Yeah he is the one I was thinking of. I wonder what happened as he was looking super promising. Perhaps he lost interest.
 
Feb 28, 2007
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AFL reviewing northern and multicultural academies
The AFL is reviewing the contentious northern states academies and multicultural and Indigenous academies, seeking club input into how the academies should operate, including the rules for player eligibility and bidding at the draft.

The AFL has appointed former Carlton skipper and ex-Blues football operations chief Andrew McKay to review both the northern states academies and Next Generation Academies (NGA) for multicultural and Indigenous players that were established for the 14 clubs in traditional football states and which have been a source of friction.

The review - which AFL sources said would be "open-ended" - follows concern about how players have been tied to clubs, such as Collingwood gaining Isaac Quaynor and North's access to Tasmanian Tarryn Thomas, when those NGA recruits and others were already highly-accomplished youngsters in the elite squads and touted as certain AFL players when they were allocated via zones.

Aside from eligibility, the other main concern raised about the northern and multicultural and Indigenous academies has been the price that clubs have paid for high-value recruits, such as Sydney's Nick Blakey, Quaynor and Thomas - all of whom attracted bids within the first round of the draft, but whose clubs still traded out their first pick.

In Sydney's case, they traded a decent draft pick out and received one back from the same club, West Coast, after Blakey had been snared at a bargain price.

The review will ask clubs about whether there is a better or fairer system for the drafting of academy players. They receive a 20 percent discount on academy players at the draft under the points system.

The eligibility rules for NGA players has been contentious, after a number of players - of differing ability - were allocated to clubs. Under the NGA rules, the players must be born or have one parent born in Africa or Asia, have both parents from a non-English-speaking country or be from an Indigenous background.

Clubs have complained that the NGA represents a virtual "rort'' when the player is already established as a high-level player - such as Thomas and Qaynor - before he is designated to a club.

The review is expected to pose the question of whether the northern states academies - which have seen the Swans gain outstanding youngsters Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills and now Blakey via their million-dollar program - are fulfilling their objectives, such as creating a pathway for players in developing markets.

A similar question will be posed to clubs about the NGA - whether they are helping multicultural and Indigenous youngsters to play the game and become AFL players.

The Greater Western Sydney academy also was the subject of much complaint from Victorian clubs, who successfully lobbied for a reduced zone in football-friendly southern NSW, with the Giants losing the territory just north of the Murray around Albury.
The NGA, indeed, were introduced, in part, to pacify the clubs - led Eddie McGuire's Collingwood - who believed the Sydney and Queensland teams had been given too much of an advantage.

But the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns view their academies as absolutely essential, given the "go home" factor those clubs confront, the pressure this places on their player payments and the need to find local players.

The Lions have picked up outstanding defender Harris Andrews and talented forward Eric Hipwood via their academy, while the Suns drafted Jack Bowes, a midfielder rated inside the top 10, in 2016, as an academy recruit.

Clubs were informed of the academy review this week. McKay will be asked to make recommendations, which will be handed to the AFL competition committee and AFL executive, before potential consideration by the AFL Commission.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...-multicultural-academies-20190228-p510zv.html

I am not remotely surprised. The Victorian clubs will do everything in their power to gut the academies despite evidence they are working.
 
Oct 2, 2016
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AFL reviewing northern and multicultural academies


https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...-multicultural-academies-20190228-p510zv.html

I am not remotely surprised. The Victorian clubs will do everything in their power to gut the academies despite evidence they are working.
Any changes should be focused on eligibility based off of effort put in by the club. Thomas was a joke because North did very little in his actual development. I'm happy for him to go to North so long as the club can show they put X number of hours into the kid.
 

Blood red

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Bit of a rusty hit out at last week's intra club for just about all the boys.
Should see a big improvement at the trials against Ainsley on Saturday.
 

Blood red

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I didn’t go but may pop along to the Ainsley game. Did anyone show anything last week?
The 18s showed they are very fit and a bit rusty, but lots of talent.
Couple of 17s showed good talent, but against men on Sat, may be found on the light side.
19s... a couple of bigger bodies with skill.. killpatrick... speed to burn
 

DavyRed

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The 18s showed they are very fit and a bit rusty, but lots of talent.
Couple of 17s showed good talent, but against men on Sat, may be found on the light side.
19s... a couple of bigger bodies with skill.. killpatrick... speed to burn
Cool, if I do manage to get along on the weekend I’ll try to post some comments on here afterwards.
 

Blood red

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The A's looked good today, especially the big bodies.
Almost every player has blown out the cob webs, and Ainslie were really never in the game.
A few boys had silky skills but lacked the team mentality required.
Two B's that pressed their claim for the Nats were Tom Drum in defence and 17 y.o Isaiah from Maitland all over the park.
 
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