VFL 2021 Sandringham Zebras

lewdogs

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Jun 4, 2008
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Lost many of their best players. Will rely on the saints not getting injuries and the fact the competition will be many goals worse than last year. Vfl is stuffed.
Who have they lost pluggs?
 
Lost many of their best players. Will rely on the saints not getting injuries and the fact the competition will be many goals worse than last year. Vfl is stuffed.


Yeah, a friend's nephew is playing country footy for Bendigo this year and chose not to play with North again. He reckons that there is no money in it and the extra travel and training means you are doing it only if you want to keep the draft dream alive. He's at uni so can't fit it in, he was saying plenty of his mates are bailing as well. He said country and suburban footy will get a huge talent injection.
 

lewdogs

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Jun 4, 2008
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Yeah, a friend's nephew is playing country footy for Bendigo this year and chose not to play with North again. He reckons that there is no money in it and the extra travel and training means you are doing it only if you want to keep the draft dream alive. He's at uni so can't fit it in, he was saying plenty of his mates are bailing as well. He said country and suburban footy will get a huge talent injection.
That is great for the local footy leagues. The VFL has been stuck in no-mans-land for a while, if they are paying less and teams are now expected to travel interstate for games it's just not going to work. The AFL might need to think about putting some money in so that the sides can pay the players more.
 
Sep 27, 2012
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Anyone about to post this article on signings and departures?
Locked in: Sandringham makes 20 signings for 2021
Southern league champion Chris Carey is among the key additions as the Zebras build towards the VFL season under coach Jake Batchelor.

Numbers are getting tight. The squeeze is on at Sandringham.
The Zebras will be running with a list of 30 players for the 2021 VFL season and have made 20 signings, a combination of returnees and recruits.

More than 20 players are fighting it out for the remaining 10 positions.

Coach Jake Batchelor said he had a training squad of 45 and was starting to reduce it.

It’s not the most pleasant task he’s undertaken since taking over from Ben McGlynn.

“We’ve started making cuts, but we’re not doing big chunks at a time,’’ Batchelor said.

“Whenever we feel we’ve seen enough, we do it then.

“Unfortunately it’s a s**t process that has to happen, because you’ve got 50 players and 30 list spots. We’ve had a really good bunch of blokes who have brought into the program and what we’re trying to build here, and at the end of the day 20 won’t make it and that’s what makes it really hard.

“Having said, you’d rather have that competition.’’

The Zebras locked in key recruits Jackson Ross, Daniel Coffield and Sam Dunell before Christmas, and they’ve signed five more new players in the past fortnight: Kya Austin, Fin Bayne, Cody Henness, Hedley Smith and Vincent Zagari.

Bayne and Henness were on Richmond’s list for the 2020 season that never got going.

Bayne, a slippery small forward, played in the Dandenong Stingrays’ breakthrough premiership in 2018.

“Fin brings plenty of poise and class on the field, as well as laughter off it and we can’t wait to see what he will do in our new-look competition,’’ Zebras recruiting manager Josh Vella said.

Henness, 193cm, came out of Gippsland Power and was with Footscray VFL before linking with the Tigers.

Smith has also played in the VFL: he kicked five goals on debut for Coburg in 2019 after being called up from the Fitzroy Stars.

Austin was on the Sandringham Dragons’ list in 2018 and Zagari graduated from the Oakleigh Chargers in 2019 to join Collingwood’s VFL squad.

Chris Carey, Goy Lok, Luke Dalmau, Daniel Frampton, Jackson Hille, Jack McHale, Tyson Milne, Anthony Seaton, Max Sinclair, Riley Thompson and Riley Virtue had all been signed for 2020 and are back for 2021.

Batchelor said Carey had been outstanding on the training track.

The star ruckman had a stint at Port Melbourne and is having another dash at the VFL after a dominant Southern league season in 2019 with East Malvern. He polled 38 votes to win the Division 1 medal.

“He’s going really well … big, muscly, fit bloke who, a bit like Goy Lok, is a really good leader. He’s a bit older, a bit wiser and understands what’s important,’’ Batchelor said of Carey.

“He’s been really good for the younger guys. He’s a schoolteacher so he knows how to teach and he knows how to coach. Really good get for us.’’

The Zebras have farewelled captain Brede Seccull (Old Haileybury), Kade Answerth (North Melbourne VFL), James Sziller and Michael Manteit (returned to Queensland).

Batchelor said team leaders Seccull and Answerth, both best and fairest winners at the club, were “massive losses, not just as players, but people’’.

He said Sandy would have a well-balanced squad, having added the experience of Dunell, Carey and Coffield to a group of first and second-year players.

Former Williamstown star and St Kilda utility Dunell will serve as a playing assistant.
 
Sep 27, 2012
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Behind You
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Phoenix Suns
Locked in: Sandringham makes 20 signings for 2021
Southern league champion Chris Carey is among the key additions as the Zebras build towards the VFL season under coach Jake Batchelor.

Numbers are getting tight. The squeeze is on at Sandringham.
The Zebras will be running with a list of 30 players for the 2021 VFL season and have made 20 signings, a combination of returnees and recruits.

More than 20 players are fighting it out for the remaining 10 positions.

Coach Jake Batchelor said he had a training squad of 45 and was starting to reduce it.

It’s not the most pleasant task he’s undertaken since taking over from Ben McGlynn.

“We’ve started making cuts, but we’re not doing big chunks at a time,’’ Batchelor said.

“Whenever we feel we’ve seen enough, we do it then.

“Unfortunately it’s a sh*t process that has to happen, because you’ve got 50 players and 30 list spots. We’ve had a really good bunch of blokes who have brought into the program and what we’re trying to build here, and at the end of the day 20 won’t make it and that’s what makes it really hard.

“Having said, you’d rather have that competition.’’

The Zebras locked in key recruits Jackson Ross, Daniel Coffield and Sam Dunell before Christmas, and they’ve signed five more new players in the past fortnight: Kya Austin, Fin Bayne, Cody Henness, Hedley Smith and Vincent Zagari.

Bayne and Henness were on Richmond’s list for the 2020 season that never got going.

Bayne, a slippery small forward, played in the Dandenong Stingrays’ breakthrough premiership in 2018.

“Fin brings plenty of poise and class on the field, as well as laughter off it and we can’t wait to see what he will do in our new-look competition,’’ Zebras recruiting manager Josh Vella said.

Henness, 193cm, came out of Gippsland Power and was with Footscray VFL before linking with the Tigers.

Smith has also played in the VFL: he kicked five goals on debut for Coburg in 2019 after being called up from the Fitzroy Stars.

Austin was on the Sandringham Dragons’ list in 2018 and Zagari graduated from the Oakleigh Chargers in 2019 to join Collingwood’s VFL squad.

Chris Carey, Goy Lok, Luke Dalmau, Daniel Frampton, Jackson Hille, Jack McHale, Tyson Milne, Anthony Seaton, Max Sinclair, Riley Thompson and Riley Virtue had all been signed for 2020 and are back for 2021.

Batchelor said Carey had been outstanding on the training track.

The star ruckman had a stint at Port Melbourne and is having another dash at the VFL after a dominant Southern league season in 2019 with East Malvern. He polled 38 votes to win the Division 1 medal.

“He’s going really well … big, muscly, fit bloke who, a bit like Goy Lok, is a really good leader. He’s a bit older, a bit wiser and understands what’s important,’’ Batchelor said of Carey.

“He’s been really good for the younger guys. He’s a schoolteacher so he knows how to teach and he knows how to coach. Really good get for us.’’

The Zebras have farewelled captain Brede Seccull (Old Haileybury), Kade Answerth (North Melbourne VFL), James Sziller and Michael Manteit (returned to Queensland).

Batchelor said team leaders Seccull and Answerth, both best and fairest winners at the club, were “massive losses, not just as players, but people’’.

He said Sandy would have a well-balanced squad, having added the experience of Dunell, Carey and Coffield to a group of first and second-year players.

Former Williamstown star and St Kilda utility Dunell will serve as a playing assistant.
Thanks!
 
At least relevant.

it's not relevant at all, your comment contributed nothing and did nothing but pollute the thread

Taylor was apparently signed to Sandy and there were media reports Sandy were interested in him, which resulted in a discussion in this thread

you then came in and threw out a bunch of posts that as usual had nothing to do with the discussion on hand
 

Ducky Tie

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Jun 15, 2011
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Should be the first time in a little while that Sandy have some good key position players from us. Assuming we sign Hudson, that leaves good coverage in the ruck. Wood and McKernan are a very experienced duo who should do well at VFL level. Frawley/Carlisle as the main KPD with Joyce, Clav and potentially Highmore down there too. Injuries will come into play of course, but it would be nice to see Sandy have a good season and play finals.
 

Significant

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Nov 30, 2016
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Should be the first time in a little while that Sandy have some good key position players from us. Assuming we sign Hudson, that leaves good coverage in the ruck. Wood and McKernan are a very experienced duo who should do well at VFL level. Frawley/Carlisle as the main KPD with Joyce, Clav and potentially Highmore down there too. Injuries will come into play of course, but it would be nice to see Sandy have a good season and play finals.
Chris Carey to hold the ruck over Hunter, Alabakis and McKernan. Thoughts AFLOnline
 
Jan 10, 2011
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it's not relevant at all, your comment contributed nothing and did nothing but pollute the thread

Taylor was apparently signed to Sandy and there were media reports Sandy were interested in him, which resulted in a discussion in this thread

you then came in and threw out a bunch of posts that as usual had nothing to do with the discussion on hand
Firstly I had no idea Taylor was signed at sandy. Secondly questioning it doesn’t pollute the thread. Imagine if every time you brought up Freo people jumped on and said you are polluting the thread. They don’t. They just ignore it because it’s takes point one of a second to ignore posts. Butter
 
Jan 10, 2011
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Ormond AFC
Should be the first time in a little while that Sandy have some good key position players from us. Assuming we sign Hudson, that leaves good coverage in the ruck. Wood and McKernan are a very experienced duo who should do well at VFL level. Frawley/Carlisle as the main KPD with Joyce, Clav and potentially Highmore down there too. Injuries will come into play of course, but it would be nice to see Sandy have a good season and play finals.
Sandy will have to rely so much on saints players this year. Their actual squad is very ordinary. Unless the saints have a great non injury year I see us bottom 5. And that’s with a much weaker competition
 
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