NEAFL 2017

justabaraker

All Australian
Mar 28, 2012
867
117
cherrybrook
AFL Club
GWS
Tipping ladder after Round 17

GRIMLOCK...............................56...3....59
STUYD....................................54....3....57
ALLYCRAFT..............................52....3....55
PEANUT..................................50....3....53
JUSTABARAKER........................46...3....49
 

justabaraker

All Australian
Mar 28, 2012
867
117
cherrybrook
AFL Club
GWS
Bottom team beats second ?
I wasn't there but I'm thinking that the Giants had a stronger team than usual for the day. There's hardly any names that I recognise as different, apart from Coniglio and DeLedio, and it was evidently all over by the time they went on the field. There's such a power of raw young talent available to the Giants that it's scary.

It must be hard as a non-AFL coach when you don't know which opposition will be turning up. But I suppose they knew this would happen when they signed on in the first place.
I think we all agree that our teams are really just witch's hats for the AFL teams.

Which Giants will turn up next week to take on the Suns ?
 

billybunter

Team Captain
Mar 12, 2012
592
92
Caboolture
AFL Club
Fremantle
Bottom team beats second ?
I wasn't there but I'm thinking that the Giants had a stronger team than usual for the day. There's hardly any names that I recognise as different, apart from Coniglio and DeLedio, and it was evidently all over by the time they went on the field. There's such a power of raw young talent available to the Giants that it's scary.

It must be hard as a non-AFL coach when you don't know which opposition will be turning up. But I suppose they knew this would happen when they signed on in the first place.
I think we all agree that our teams are really just witch's hats for the AFL teams.

Which Giants will turn up next week to take on the Suns ?

My mail is that it will be a whole lot worse next year, with mass exoduses of players heading back to local footy!!!!!!!!!
 

stuyd1

Premiership Player
Jul 9, 2011
3,961
1,410
gold coast
AFL Club
Gold Coast
My mail is that it will be a whole lot worse next year, with mass exoduses of players heading back to local footy!!!!!!!!!

Hello there Billy Bunter ,,,
agree... whilst I have not heard of a mass exodus, let me comment about my club , be it Broadbeach.We have 6 players that have played most games for Southport this season ... when they have been dropped or coming back from injury via Broadbeach , they are commenting ,, wow I really enjoy playing for Broady at QAFL level.
Yes they may be getting 300 bucks plus a game at NEAFL level ,, and say 100 bucks a game at QAFL level ,, but the penny is dropping so to speak ...
They are so much enjoying their footy at QAFL level and the good close culture of the club enhances this.
 

billybunter

Team Captain
Mar 12, 2012
592
92
Caboolture
AFL Club
Fremantle
Hello there Billy Bunter ,,,
agree... whilst I have not heard of a mass exodus, let me comment about my club , be it Broadbeach.We have 6 players that have played most games for Southport this season ... when they have been dropped or coming back from injury via Broadbeach , they are commenting ,, wow I really enjoy playing for Broady at QAFL level.
Yes they may be getting 300 bucks plus a game at NEAFL level ,, and say 100 bucks a game at QAFL level ,, but the penny is dropping so to speak ...
They are so much enjoying their footy at QAFL level and the good close culture of the club enhances this.

stuyd1,
Yep that's about the same thing that I am hearing, not only at Aspley but at Redlands as well and while its good too see the Gold Coast Clubs pays good money in the QAFL, IMO its not about the money, its about the commitment that the majority of players must put in to play (days off work to travel to Darwin etc. Training 3 days a week and so on and so on) in the NEAFL, then to be beaten by, in some cases this year by 100 points plus, by full listed AFL reserve sides which includes their academy players. - This is and as seen in the last few years its creating an even more, who gives a crap attitude where players are spending chunks of their Winter time swapping it for summer time in Europe etc. I have heard the lame argument that if players leave their current NEAFL clubs to play grass roots footy, they will just be replaced with others who want to play in the NEAFL - This is short sighted and therefore a very hard solution to achieve, yes there are some great young fellows out there in the QAFL here in Qld etc. But they will surely get hammered by the AFL Reserve sides even more than what is currently happening, without experience hard body footballers they may loose!!!!! IMO the days of playing Premiership footy in the NEAFL Competition for non AFL sides are pretty much over unless you are one of the 4 AFL Reserve sides, or NT Thunder if the game is played in Darwin.

Doggy put his finger on the pulse a few posts back, reporting that the NEAFL hierarchy are happy with the toweling up of the non AFL Sides when they play the AFL Reserve sides as it has mostly been this year - One can only wonder who is driving this Bus over the Cliff?
 
Jul 9, 2013
10,675
12,662
AFL Club
Adelaide
Yep, I think the non-AFL NEAFL teams will be full of kids hoping to have a chance at getting drafted into the AFL and that is it. And from the few u/18 games I have seen, they don't have much to turn to. The divide will just become greater if the league continues along this path.
 

smy1305

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 27, 2011
6,354
2,587
Buderim
AFL Club
Gold Coast
Well it makes sense - NEAFL footy isn't really club footy and the comp is not really a comp. QAFL footy is good club footy albeit not quite as strong this year from my mail. The QAFL clubs engender loyalty and passion among their club because the comp isn't compromised to the same extent as NEAFL and it doesn't surprise that players are enjoying their QAFL footy more. I would not be surprised if the 4 AFL clubs eventually move into a comp with the VFL teams. Wont be next year but think it isn't too far away, especially as the Academy boys are now split and play a lot more footy vs TAC sides than years gone by.
 

Ally Craft

Senior List
Mar 20, 2016
157
17
AFL Club
Collingwood
since 2001 5 afl grand finals have been won by Sydney and Brisbane. and the swans have lost a couple more! All while their reserves were/are playing in QAFL or ACTAFL or SYDAFL or NEAFL.

Canberra coach and manager were in Adelaide last weekend to talk to a couple of ex Canberra players. they went to 2 games and were not overly impressed with the standard. both felt it has dropped off somewhat. Klemke played there a few years ago so i guess hed know.

i went to VFL (coll v Rich) on Sunday. it was very contested, quick and congested footy. lots of interchange and all players fit. Ex canberra coach Ben Waite is an assistant at Richmond and he was saying exactly the same things to those VFL boys that he said to the NEAFL boys last year! Difference is the VFL boys could all do what was asked!!

All this makes me think that there are opportunities to play more or less good footy in most states now. Yes this year noone can get near the swans at NEAFL level but i remember not long ago Aspley got them.
 
Jul 9, 2013
10,675
12,662
AFL Club
Adelaide
since 2001 5 afl grand finals have been won by Sydney and Brisbane. and the swans have lost a couple more! All while their reserves were/are playing in QAFL or ACTAFL or SYDAFL or NEAFL.

Canberra coach and manager were in Adelaide last weekend to talk to a couple of ex Canberra players. they went to 2 games and were not overly impressed with the standard. both felt it has dropped off somewhat. Klemke played there a few years ago so i guess hed know.

i went to VFL (coll v Rich) on Sunday. it was very contested, quick and congested footy. lots of interchange and all players fit. Ex canberra coach Ben Waite is an assistant at Richmond and he was saying exactly the same things to those VFL boys that he said to the NEAFL boys last year! Difference is the VFL boys could all do what was asked!!

All this makes me think that there are opportunities to play more or less good footy in most states now. Yes this year noone can get near the swans at NEAFL level but i remember not long ago Aspley got them.
If you are referring to the Aspley v Swans grand final, that is easily the best grand final I have ever watched. Awesome game !!
 

Lifes a Beach1

Team Captain
Jul 17, 2013
380
37
Northcliffe
AFL Club
Gold Coast
Well it makes sense - NEAFL footy isn't really club footy and the comp is not really a comp. QAFL footy is good club footy albeit not quite as strong this year from my mail. The QAFL clubs engender loyalty and passion among their club because the comp isn't compromised to the same extent as NEAFL and it doesn't surprise that players are enjoying their QAFL footy more. I would not be surprised if the 4 AFL clubs eventually move into a comp with the VFL teams. Wont be next year but think it isn't too far away, especially as the Academy boys are now split and play a lot more footy vs TAC sides than years gone by.
Smy this article will interest you, quotes from the AFLQ CEO.http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/natio...y/news-story/931f8081f30b8960f932fea9cd31fd23

“I think AFL Cairns have an aspiration to field a team at some point but it’s just a matter of when (it comes together).
“Discussions are ongoing. The current NEAFL clubs have just signed new five-year licence agreements so it is probably at least five years away.”

On the standard drop in QAFL, the AFLQ are actually considering more measures to bring the standard back as well, as they are not happy with Labradors achievements.
 
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billybunter

Team Captain
Mar 12, 2012
592
92
Caboolture
AFL Club
Fremantle
Smy this article will interest you, quotes from the AFLQ CEO.http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/natio...y/news-story/931f8081f30b8960f932fea9cd31fd23

“I think AFL Cairns have an aspiration to field a team at some point but it’s just a matter of when (it comes together).
“Discussions are ongoing. The current NEAFL clubs have just signed new five-year licence agreements so it is probably at least five years away.”

On the standard drop in QAFL, the AFLQ are actually considering more measures to bring the standard back as well, as they are not happy with Labradors achievements.

LAB1,
If Cairns think and move to put a side in the NEAFL, then IMO I think they would struggle big time, don't get me wrong and I am not bagging them as Cairns is a fairly strong AFL region of QLD, but again IMO I think they would struggle even more to compete with the 1 Canberra and 1 Sydney sides as well as the current 3 Brisbane sides, let alone the Thunder and the 4 AFL Reserve sides, with no AFL Reserve Sides in the NEAFL and this idea could work in time, I still think the Sydney region is big enough to support 2 Non AFL sides in the NEAFL comp (AFLNSW IMO are not working hard enough in this area) and maybe its time to have 2 Northern Territory Sides playing NEAFL, there is a lot of talent who play Footy in Darwin in our summer that would walk into another side at the top end!

Maybe to help the AFLQ curb the hard work and purple patch that Labrador have achieved over the past few years, the Sharks could swap with the tigers next year Ha, ha. I find this consideration (if it happens) crazy, no moves were put in place to curb the talent or the evenness of the comp when the Panthers were smashing it year on year.
 

justabaraker

All Australian
Mar 28, 2012
867
117
cherrybrook
AFL Club
GWS
.........I still think the Sydney region is big enough to support 2 Non AFL sides in the NEAFL comp (AFLNSW IMO are not working hard enough in this area)......
I cast my eye across Sydney and I'm buggered if I can see where the untapped talent is. Sorry.
In the past we had two NEAFL teams in Sydney but one of them was mostly interstate fly-ins and marginals from elsewhere looking to top up their superannuation a bit. Since then, there has been a sort of consolidation that is now called Sydney Uni but that's about all there is.
The better young kids of NSW are in the system and already play NEAFL for Swans or GWS where possible, or otherwise they play Sydney paddock footy. But there just aren't very many of them. A few go interstate to try their luck (Dane Rampe was one of them).
There just aren't many outstanding footballers playing in our Sydney comp and those that there are, are ineligible to play NEAFL.

The truth is that not a lot of Sydney kids want to play AFL, preferring soccer, or our outstanding talent bank of pretty girls or our outstanding beaches. Or else they have exhorbitant rents to pay so they are putting their attention to earning money.

The GWS was set up with the grand vision of tapping into the 2 million or so who live in Western Sydney, but they have now pretty much deserted the West and have moved their epi-centre close to the Swans catchment area. Where the low-hanging fruit is and where the business executives from Adelaide and Melbourne come to live and take their kids to OzKick on Saturday mornings.

It's a tough market, and that's why there are so many empty seats on the TV screen when the GWS is playing at home.
 

Ally Craft

Senior List
Mar 20, 2016
157
17
AFL Club
Collingwood
I cast my eye across Sydney and I'm buggered if I can see where the untapped talent is. Sorry.
In the past we had two NEAFL teams in Sydney but one of them was mostly interstate fly-ins and marginals from elsewhere looking to top up their superannuation a bit. Since then, there has been a sort of consolidation that is now called Sydney Uni but that's about all there is.
The better young kids of NSW are in the system and already play NEAFL for Swans or GWS where possible, or otherwise they play Sydney paddock footy. But there just aren't very many of them. A few go interstate to try their luck (Dane Rampe was one of them).
There just aren't many outstanding footballers playing in our Sydney comp and those that there are, are ineligible to play NEAFL.

The truth is that not a lot of Sydney kids want to play AFL, preferring soccer, or our outstanding talent bank of pretty girls or our outstanding beaches. Or else they have exhorbitant rents to pay so they are putting their attention to earning money.

The GWS was set up with the grand vision of tapping into the 2 million or so who live in Western Sydney, but they have now pretty much deserted the West and have moved their epi-centre close to the Swans catchment area. Where the low-hanging fruit is and where the business executives from Adelaide and Melbourne come to live and take their kids to OzKick on Saturday mornings.

It's a tough market, and that's why there are so many empty seats on the TV screen when the GWS is playing at home.
bloody oath JAB....couldn't agree more.

how many went to see Arsenal the other day? 80 000? watch out AFL.
 

Lifes a Beach1

Team Captain
Jul 17, 2013
380
37
Northcliffe
AFL Club
Gold Coast
In this article about the demise of the VFL development league:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...t-league-officially-goes-20170727-gxk759.html

It's understood there is some appetite at AFL house for a standalone reserves competition, but this would likely be a play for years down the track. There are concerns at some affected clubs about how players would transition from the under-18 TAC Cup to the VFL without the development league, but Reaper tried to allay those fears, citing the drafting of Geelong players Timm House and Ryan Abbott, who joined the AFL after playing local football in 2016."

So the evidence points that to the medium term at least no AFL Reserves competition and business as usual for the NEAFL.
 

billybunter

Team Captain
Mar 12, 2012
592
92
Caboolture
AFL Club
Fremantle
In this article about the demise of the VFL development league:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...t-league-officially-goes-20170727-gxk759.html

It's understood there is some appetite at AFL house for a standalone reserves competition, but this would likely be a play for years down the track. There are concerns at some affected clubs about how players would transition from the under-18 TAC Cup to the VFL without the development league, but Reaper tried to allay those fears, citing the drafting of Geelong players Timm House and Ryan Abbott, who joined the AFL after playing local football in 2016."

So the evidence points that to the medium term at least no AFL Reserves competition and business as usual for the NEAFL.

Which may mean DOOM for the NEAFL Competition as we know it and the current Northern AFL Reserve Sides may only be very competitive when they play each other and grow lazy in a weak competition, become show ponies and also over confident when they play the Non AFL Reserve Sides and pants them by over 100 Points + each week. Might be time to follow the AFLQ Competition for me, that is if they don't hobble Labrador for being a successful Club!!!!!!
 

billybunter

Team Captain
Mar 12, 2012
592
92
Caboolture
AFL Club
Fremantle
I cast my eye across Sydney and I'm buggered if I can see where the untapped talent is. Sorry.
In the past we had two NEAFL teams in Sydney but one of them was mostly interstate fly-ins and marginals from elsewhere looking to top up their superannuation a bit. Since then, there has been a sort of consolidation that is now called Sydney Uni but that's about all there is.
The better young kids of NSW are in the system and already play NEAFL for Swans or GWS where possible, or otherwise they play Sydney paddock footy. But there just aren't very many of them. A few go interstate to try their luck (Dane Rampe was one of them).
There just aren't many outstanding footballers playing in our Sydney comp and those that there are, are ineligible to play NEAFL.

The truth is that not a lot of Sydney kids want to play AFL, preferring soccer, or our outstanding talent bank of pretty girls or our outstanding beaches. Or else they have exhorbitant rents to pay so they are putting their attention to earning money.

The GWS was set up with the grand vision of tapping into the 2 million or so who live in Western Sydney, but they have now pretty much deserted the West and have moved their epi-centre close to the Swans catchment area. Where the low-hanging fruit is and where the business executives from Adelaide and Melbourne come to live and take their kids to OzKick on Saturday mornings.

It's a tough market, and that's why there are so many empty seats on the TV screen when the GWS is playing at home.

JAB, I hear your and I believe that you are right in many ways, I remember we had the same attitude here in Brisbane some years back and then just as the Bears franchise started on the Gold Coast, the AFL injected more funds and better leaders into Qld, to get that "we can't compete with the others Codes here, as we are a Rugby and Rugby League State" out of all involved, with those Leaders and the extra funds QLD turned it around. We really can't IMO currently sustain 2 AFL Sides here in QLD, by the numbers attending and thats showing at both the Gabba and Metricon as these numbers are going down at a constant rate, but nearly everyone up here know who the Lions and the Suns are. This is through the junior programmes that The QFLQ via their AFLQ Junior Bodies have adopted and promoted. Once these two Qld based AFL sides start to be a little more competitive, these slowing attendance numbers will change, IMO that is because Qld's like their AFL Footy, but they love it when their team is winning - Why do they love it? Because IMO, their Children and their Grand Children love it because it has been educated into them by their local available Junior Competitions, their schools participation programmes and the Auskick programmes that the various Qld regional managers work tirelessly at 12 months a year to promote and then which the grass root clubs fight tirelessly to achieve participation to enable their long term survival and keep stamping their skin on the game.

All the AFL have done IMO, is spend a bucket full of money in NSW to inject the Giants into the Competition without ensuring that their state programs were developing quickly enough to anywhere near the same the same that Qld originally pre the Gold Coast Suns starting up.

If you and all of the other AFL supporters in Sydney and around NSW don't want and more importantly the States based AFLNSW Body don't want to fight for the slice of the Pie in the region that Qld achieved, through hard work and a never give up attitude, then yes I agree NSW is a waste of time to promote another NEAFL side in NSW, but more importantly, if the AFL and AFLNSW don't keep promoting and giving the kids of the State a love for the game and an arena to play it in then who is going to support the game down there in the future??????? Is the NSWAFL doing enough to promote the game like the AFLQ do in Queensland? I can't answer that, but this question may be a fair indicator as to why NSW cant support another NEAFL Team currently and Qld can support 3 NEAFL Teams with muting's of a Cairns Region side joining in the Future.

It's not about who supports the Swans or the Giants currently IMO, it about how we educate the kids of tomorrow to firstly play the game at a very junior level, transitioning on to playing it at the highest Level they can and then through this, as we all have in the past, they then go on to love and own the game for life!!!!!!

Excuses don't work in my house or at my work and they shouldn't work in the game off AFL and especially promoting the game of AFL - Give up and you loose, fight hard and never give up and you just might win.
 
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justabaraker

All Australian
Mar 28, 2012
867
117
cherrybrook
AFL Club
GWS
Tipping ladder after Round 18

GRIMLOCK...............................59....4....63
STUYD....................................57....4....61
ALLYCRAFT..............................55....4....59
PEANUT..................................53....3....56
JUSTABARAKER........................49....3....52
 

justabaraker

All Australian
Mar 28, 2012
867
117
cherrybrook
AFL Club
GWS
We watched Sydney Uni v Aspley today and I was surprised at the gap between the two teams - Uni was crisp, fast-running and pressuring while Aspley looked a bit lethargic. Perhaps it's been a long year for everyone at Aspley and there was a long, annoying day on planes with nothing to play for. Perhaps the coach looked a bit like he was over it too.
Matt Payne impresses me every time I see him - he and Illett might be the two best non-AFL players in the NEAFL. Payne is so fit and enthusiastic and just goes all day, contests every issue. I went to the game partly because I wanted to see his skills at work.

It struck me after reading some of the posts this week just how much of a drag it must be to travel as these guys do. Henson Park is under the flight path so the poor buggers had plane early morning, plane late afternoon and couldn't get away from planes even on the footy field !
In a perfect world, the NEAFL comp would be run in just one city, played on grounds close enough together to avoid traffic hassles - then I reckon it would generate more interest and the wavering footballers would stick with it.
If only..............
 
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