2nds WAFL Watch - 2025 Edition

[HoneyBadger35]

How did ____ go on the weekend?

Why not consult the Alesana Player Video Database.

Resource - Player Video Database

Putting this into a spreadsheet for convenience. 2024 is still there in a tab on the bottom of the sheet. I'll update this as much as I can throughout the year. The All Stars game and our match sim against Richmond are now up.

www.bigfooty.com

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

We have, or will have, 48 AFL listed players. It’s actually enough numbers to field two full sides if there are no injuries.

If we also aim to have say 4-6 WAFL standard players on top of that, it does give us some depth to cover the inevitable injuries

I say this because the unique position of the top up players outside the first 4-6 on the list needs to be understood. They aren’t going to be playing most weeks so the club needs to find players who are happy to divide their time between the WAFL side and whoever else they play for

Those players aren’t going to be WAFL standard. If they were they’d probably be playing for a WAFL club or getting paid comparatively good money to play in a country league. Normally, they’d be playing ressies at a WAFL club - a team which we don’t have

It’s why injury management becomes so important, because when we slip into double digit unavailability, we are too reliant on that secondary group of top ups

A bit of this also is we havnt bothered to have a reserves team. We clearly should be entering that competition to provide games to people. No reason not too

The argument here also is a bit of a "The standards are so low we cant do better"...... that just means we need to lift the standards. Blaming the existence of low standards for the reason to keep low standards is just going to create guaranteed failure when its all said and done

The change here needs to be monumental and we shouldnt really sit down until that monumental change occurs. We have though. That list of WAFL top up players just shows a bunch of people who sat down to accept the inevitable as opposed to simply change it

 

[WCE777]

How do you walk the line when it comes to a team like Richmond? Did teams bid for Tom McCarthy or did Richmond bring him in to give him a chance no one else did?

Eyes of the Tigers: How this VFL side became an AFL talent hotspot

Riley Beveridge finds out how the Tigers' elite VFL recruiting is paying dividends for the entire AFL competition

www.afl.com.au

This is a good read on how its done. This is what we should aim for

Must say I agree we should be aiming for a better WAFL list and should be shooting for the best available.
Very much easier for a VFL club to recruit players because there are more players there, smaller area to recruit from, resources from the Afl club attached.

That said our WAFL has been a basket case for several years and Pyke acknowledging this and bringing in WAFL level talent to the list is a step in the right direction.
The sooner they do this the sooner a quality coach will be attracted also/or an assistant coach will take over a more competitive WAFL side.
This is a 3-5 year build but I think the club has taken the first step.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Another change id make is to have a Colts team of our academy players plus extras. Zero reason not to have a Colts team . Drag out the size of the academy with more numbers and bring them forward to the WAFL side if they are not drafted but impress like say Archer May did at the Western Jets

Sooooooo many changes can occur and should occur but instead we do nothing because its easier to do nothing then it is to take a risk

 

[WCErevival]

We won 2 games though. Growth is needed well beyond the inclusion of 2 players. If we finished say 6th and 1 game out of the finals with 9 wins, 9 loses then yay, we have 2 new guys to lift the chances of finals football.. When you are basically the worst team in history you simply need to grow at a fairly rapid pace to catch up.

I dont see us catching up by simply doing the same thing we did last year + 2 players who may or may not play (for all we know both guys play 20+ games of AFL because 3 randoms get injured all in the one spot being the midfield) and also getting Ash Johnson

The way id see it is we should be bringing in say 10-15 new players becasuse fundamentally at 2 wins and 16 losses, we dont have much risk/benefit ratio to worry about here. The benefits dont exist to worry about the risk taken. Simply move guys on and look for guys we believe can make it at AFL and do not have the burden of evidence to prove they cannot.

As a example, im not certain Cody Curtin gets drafted (i think its a 90% chance). By signing Ash Johnson while having the talls we have we simply now have zero chance of getting Curtin in. Id suggest Curtin is a better chance of being a mid season pickup then Ash is so id have liked to have a spot open so we can pick someone up capable of getting onto our main list.

Add Cole, possibly Cripps, Banfield, Evans plus other draftees. We will be changing the WAFL team quite a bit.

Providing we keep a solid midfield healthy and don't just have Gross going it alone, we should be competitive enough.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Just bonkers suggestions.

We should have WAFL reserves and colts sides apparently. Zero reason not to.

Except the nine existing WAFL clubs that field reserves and colts sides have been allocated entire metro and regional zones they use to fill out those sides, and the entire state has been allocated to those nine clubs already. So we’re either asking them to give up part of their zones, or give up players, or we’re going to have to fill the entire squads with interstate recruits or non-footballers.

And presumably every last player in the squad has to be a potential AFL player, because aim high, right?

Zero reason not to do that. Even though the VFL stopped fielding reserves sides altogether a few years ago because it wasn’t economic or efficient, so no AFL club other than Fremantle has a reserves state league side aligned to them. We should definitely go to all the trouble and expense of creating one out of thin air and somehow populating it. And a colts team too. Zero reason not to.

**** me dead with a rissole, it goes from insane to worse.

You actually start to wonder whether he was actually involved with the club over the last few years, it’s all so divorced from reality it might actually explain why every move has been terrible.

 

[FKASC]

The streets won’t forget the Ethan Sambo legacy game of 2024, only to never be seen again.

Devo we never got to see a Reuben Chesser Sambo line up

 

[Truly Lazuli]

Mate its sarcasm/a joke. Lighten up a tad. I didnt personally attack or insult anyone. Hell atleast I care that they exist which is more then we get from most

These guys are doing the best they can. They just are put in a situation they shouldnt be in. I wish people were as passionate about these guys getting belted week in week out then 1 word on a forum....

I mean its just a tad odd to me that the only 2 people that seemingly care about our WAFL amateurs is me and Miguel. Meanwhile the draft thread pumps up to hundreds of pages a week

I think the WAFL amateurs probably should be more then a afterthought. Me calling them crap is atleast acknowledging they exist

Bullsh1t. You've been rightly called out and are using the tired 'it was a joke' response to justify your comment. There are lots of ways to express your view without resorting belittling players who don't have the talent. Do better.

 

[TheBudgies]

We won 2 games though. Growth is needed well beyond the inclusion of 2 players. If we finished say 6th and 1 game out of the finals with 9 wins, 9 loses then yay, we have 2 new guys to lift the chances of finals football.. When you are basically the worst team in history you simply need to grow at a fairly rapid pace to catch up.

I dont see us catching up by simply doing the same thing we did last year + 2 players who may or may not play (for all we know both guys play 20+ games of AFL because 3 randoms get injured all in the one spot being the midfield) and also getting Ash Johnson

The way id see it is we should be bringing in say 10-15 new players becasuse fundamentally at 2 wins and 16 losses, we dont have much risk/benefit ratio to worry about here. The benefits dont exist to worry about the risk taken. Simply move guys on and look for guys we believe can make it at AFL and do not have the burden of evidence to prove they cannot.

As a example, im not certain Cody Curtin gets drafted (i think its a 90% chance). By signing Ash Johnson while having the talls we have we simply now have zero chance of getting Curtin in. Id suggest Curtin is a better chance of being a mid season pickup then Ash is so id have liked to have a spot open so we can pick someone up capable of getting onto our main list.

Those 2 players are part of the other additional improvements. We're looking at around 9 list spot changes and 4 additional rookies. Williams and Banfield were reasonable at WAFL level so if they dont win an AFL spot thats fine they bring up the WAFL team standard. If they get a run in the 1s it helps too. Take Kelly for example. If Dev beats Kelly for the 5th midfield spot he improves the WAFL team.

Our biggest issue last year was availability of players. We were somewhat competitive if we have more than around 15 AFL/WAFL calibre players. As soon as we dropped below that the Ammos couldn't stand up. At the least there are 2 long term injury players we would hope to be able to replace (Yeo/Gov) and 4 additional rookie listed players that should significantly improve our standard.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Just bonkers suggestions.

We should have WAFL reserves and colts sides apparently. Zero reason not to.

Except the nine existing WAFL clubs that field reserves and colts sides have been allocated entire metro and regional zones they use to fill out those sides, and the entire state has been allocated to those nine clubs already. So we’re either asking them to give up part of their zones, or give up players, or we’re going to have to fill the entire squads with interstate recruits or non-footballers.

And presumably every last player in the squad has to be a potential AFL player, because aim high, right?

Zero reason not to do that. Even though the VFL stopped fielding reserves sides altogether a few years ago because it wasn’t economic or efficient, so no AFL club other than Fremantle has a reserves state league side aligned to them. We should definitely go to all the trouble and expense of creating one out of thin air and somehow populating it. And a colts team too. Zero reason not to.

**** me dead with a rissole, it goes from insane to worse.

You actually start to wonder whether he was actually involved with the club over the last few years, it’s all so divorced from reality it might actually explain why every move has been terrible.

We have the money to do all of this though... Money isn't a blocker for any of this.

The reason no one will join is because the culture is so terrible it's not a worthy option... Which is true.... Which needs to be changed

At this point it's just one big surrender really. We can't do better isn't the answer . The resources need to go towards making it.

 

[JackOutback]

We have the money to do all of this though... Money isn't a blocker for any of this.

The reason no one will join is because the culture is so terrible it's not a worthy option... Which is true.... Which needs to be changed

At this point it's just one big surrender really. We can't do better isn't the answer . The resources need to go towards making it.

He literally explained that the state is zoned and separated among the nine other WAFL clubs. They aren’t going to sacrifice their success to help the Eagles. The WAFL is still a real competition that clubs play to win. Money can’t buy you those zones.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

He literally explained that the state is zoned and separated among the nine other WAFL clubs. They aren’t going to sacrifice their success to help the Eagles. The WAFL is still a real competition that clubs play to win. Money can’t buy you those zones.

You’re forgetting that money can overcome anything if you throw huge amounts of it at the problem.

And West Coast apparently has roughly the same amount as the average Saudi prince. And can throw it at anything, even stuff that would disadvantage the WAFC who are the actual owners of the club, because that’s not an issue either.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

He literally explained that the state is zoned and separated among the nine other WAFL clubs. They aren’t going to sacrifice their success to help the Eagles. The WAFL is still a real competition that clubs play to win. Money can’t buy you those zones.

Zoned is a myth not a fact when it comes to the WAFL. Which of the 500 ways to overcome it do you want me to give? Ive looked and looked but from what I can see there was nothing stopping us from taking Riley Hardeman into our academy in 2022 before the season began as a example. Ive looked to see what would stop us but then cant find it

The WAFL is still a real competition.... which is why we should try to compete by using resources. The logic provided is we should accept the inequalities because its a real competition as opposed to fight our way through them. If we wont fight our way through the problems then we should completly change course.

Surrendering isnt the answer

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

You’re forgetting that money can overcome anything if you throw huge amounts of it at the problem.

And West Coast apparently has roughly the same amount as the average Saudi prince. And can throw it at anything, even stuff that would disadvantage the WAFC who are the actual owners of the club, because that’s not an issue either.

How would us bringing in better footballers into the WAFL make it worse for the WAFC?

In what sense would the WAFC be punished if we had a Reserves and Colts team? Happy to hear it out

I’m also confused in that I’m basically just suggesting Eagles do what Fremantle do… yet it’s impossible to do ?

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Someone else point out the seventeen or so errors in logic he’s made. I’m not engaging.

You could start with asking how Riley Hardeman qualifies for a next generation academy (because he doesn’t), how we’d be “bringing in better footballers into the WAFL” (because we wouldn’t be, they’re already in the WAFL system, unless he’s proposing we convince players to move cross country to play reserves), or how Fremantle aligning with an existing WAFL side with existing zones, reserves and colts sides is anything like us creating one out of thin air (it’s not).

That’s just off the top of my head. And I’m not engaging, obviously.

 

[mattyc75]

As a example, im not certain Cody Curtin gets drafted (i think its a 90% chance). By signing Ash Johnson while having the talls we have we simply now have zero chance of getting Curtin in. Id suggest Curtin is a better chance of being a mid season pickup then Ash is so id have liked to have a spot open so we can pick someone up capable of getting onto our main lilist.but

But if we have an AFL list spot open and Curtin doesn't get drafted we can get him in the MSD still cant we?
And if we did we could prioritise his development over someone like Johnson, right?
Having Johnson in our wafl team providing a mature,experienced body doesnt preclude us from taking anyone does it?

 

[HoneyBadger35]

I mean its just a tad odd to me that the only 2 people that seemingly care about our WAFL amateurs is me and Miguel. Meanwhile the draft thread pumps up to hundreds of pages a week.

Have a spell. Plenty of people are along for the WAFL ride all year, but yes of course our draft thread with three first rounders including 1+2 might be more active than the “we’ve recruited Ash Johnson and moved on Ethan Sambo” thread.

What you’re suggesting re: just starting up a reserves and Colts team is farcical and it’s been pointed out many times now by multiple posters why.

We’ve treated our WAFL team like a joke in many ways, as we did with the W team pre Pyke/Daisy. They’ve turned that ship around tremendously by giving a shit, and are having a good swing at recruiting to try swing the WAFL around this year.

But in no world will we field a Colts or Ressies team, and it’s not a matter of “just offer them so much money they give up their zones or back down”.

It’s on par with saying if we can’t force the WAFL to award us 10 points for every goal we’re simply not trying hard enough to compete, offer them a blank cheque until they do. It’s fanciful nonsense divorced from reality. The best bet to get a Colts or Ressies alignment is by aligning with Perth which is sadly so far off the table it’s not worth discussing.

So we’re on our own, and now churning the WAFL top ups, we’re adding ex/fringe AFL guys via the rookie list, we’ve recruited former AFL player as our marquee as opposed to reasonable VFL types or nobody at all in years gone by.

Pending good health this should be our best WAFL year since the finals campaign, which coincidentally was right before lists were culled and we ran into a generational injury crisis/bottomed out entirely at AFL level.

 

[eaglevision]

But if we have an AFL list spot open and Curtin doesn't get drafted we can get him in the MSD still cant we?
And if we did we could prioritise his development over someone like Johnson, right?
Having Johnson in our wafl team providing a mature,experienced body doesnt preclude us from taking anyone does it?

If Cody is still available in the rookie draft we’d be mad not to take him at pick 1. Can’t see him getting past Adelaide’s late picks in the ND.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

View attachment 2478205

Have a spell. Plenty of people are along for the WAFL ride all year, but yes of course our draft thread with three first rounders including 1+2 might be more active than the “we’ve recruited Ash Johnson and moved on Ethan Sambo” thread.

What you’re suggesting re: just starting up a reserves and Colts team is farcical and it’s been pointed out many times now by multiple posters why.

We’ve treated our WAFL team like a joke in many ways, as we did with the W team pre Pyke/Daisy. They’ve turned that ship around tremendously by giving a shit, and are having a good swing at recruiting to try swing the WAFL around this year.

But in no world will we field a Colts or Ressies team, and it’s not a matter of “just offer them so much money they give up their zones or back down”.

It’s on par with saying if we can’t force the WAFL to award us 10 points for every goal we’re simply not trying hard enough to compete, offer them a blank cheque until they do. It’s fanciful nonsense divorced from reality. The best bet to get a Colts or Ressies alignment is by aligning with Perth which is sadly so far off the table it’s not worth discussing.

So we’re on our own, and now churning the WAFL top ups, we’re adding ex/fringe AFL guys via the rookie list, we’ve recruited former AFL player as our marquee as opposed to reasonable VFL types or nobody at all in years gone by.

Pending good health this should be our best WAFL year since the finals campaign, which coincidentally was right before lists were culled and we ran into a generational injury crisis/bottomed out entirely at AFL level.

We won 2 games...What is this magical shift that will change that ? You are going on like we are adding players when we lost players too. We need to talk about the loss of experience too...

People are rubbishing my ideas and coming up with none of their own or even worse not willingly accepting it is a problem that needs solving and simply surrendering to the problem.

I mean what is acceptable as a season for our WAFL team ? I think we need to be in the 7 wins range myself . Have we done enough to get 5 extra wins ? I don't think so

 

[FKASC]

lol bender

What a poindexter

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Proud to be the top 15.

 

[bzparkes]

Proud to be the top 15.

If you throw enough money at the mods, they could probably bump you up to 1st.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Proud to be the top 15.

Like CDT jumping

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

If you throw enough money at the mods, they could probably bump you up to 1st.

Can just do little to nothing and get into the top five too

 

[Bender_]

View attachment 2478235

lol bender

What a poindexter

Hey, I was here for the Santa Maria, the chocolate cake being left out on the counter, right side for a left footer, Rawlinson tapping it to Rawlinson who kicked it to Rawlinson for a goal, Bennett taking mark of the century and many (maybe 4 or 5) other moments of WAFL magic!

Oh what a year it was in the twos.

 

[JoshWoodenSpoon]

Like CDT jumping

Bleedblueandgold cant post