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Academy Watch

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Academy U16/17 Boys regional games 2020

Game 1 = Wed 9th Sept:

Sun Coast vs. Bris North @ Maroochydore 6.30pm


Game 2 = Wed 16th Sept:

Bris North vs Bris South @ Zillmere (TBC) 6.30pm


Game 3 = Wed 23rd Sept:

Bris South vs. Sun Coast @ Coorparoo 6.30pm


Anyone have any news how the game went last night/team selections?

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Game 2, Bris south def Bris North 40 something to about 18. (no official scoreboard was kept) Bris south kicked a lot of behinds.

Bris south vs sun coast should be willing.
 

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This video came up on my youtube suggestions feed. Its an 'officialaflq' video so one would think its academy relevant? Anyone know more about this game?

 
Some changes to the Academy from their FB page.

BRISBANE LIONS HYUNDAI HELP FOR KIDS ACADEMY;
UPDATE 2021 & BEYOND
In periods of change and challenge, opportunities often present themselves. With uncertainty there is always scope to grow and improve; so it is with our Hyundai Help for Kids Brisbane Lions Academy. Over the past 12 months we have been undertaking a review of our resources, programs, infrastructure and outcomes to address & improve our strength’s and attack the areas we may have been deficient in.
Our Brisbane Lions Academy has seen enormous growth in the last few years in the program structure, in athlete acquisition and especially in the girl's space after the successful introduction of our AFLW team. Whilst the increase in numbers has been a great sign for our program, we will not sit idle and just hope that these numbers will continue to increase.
We want to provide an opportunity for all athletes, football and non-football, in a pathway that provides improvement, focuses on an athlete's weapons and creates opportunity at the highest level an athlete wants to aspire to. Fundamentally, our program will also have a clear focus on assisting local clubs and ensuring that when a player returns from our program, they will be better.
Change is inevitable. Through this period of shut down, there were some circumstances that escalated the review of our Academy program. As a result of the pandemic,
AFLQ
reduced its workforce in the talent space and our internal budgets were reviewed, reduced and re-distributed. An alignment in structures between AFL Queensland & the Academy occurred with more responsibility now given to us to coordinate a bigger program.
With this alignment, a change in roles and responsibilities was been made to the management of the Academy. The Academy Manager position was made redundant, and Luke Curran, a long-time servant of the Academy for over 10 years decided to leave the
Brisbane Lions
. I would like to acknowledge his massive contribution to this role and the level he has helped the program reach. Football is an engrossing emotional joy and the amount of sacrifice he & his family have made in those 10 years in growing the Academy has been enormous and we thank them.
With our focus now taking more responsibility of talent development and growth, we have added significant resources to the new direction of the Academy.
o Paul Henriksen will be the new Head of Academy
o Zane Littlejohn, the new Development Manager
o Bill Renner, the new Administration Officer
o Josh Hunt will remain as Head Coach and
o Chris Brennan will remain as Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Three Regional Manager roles have been created and appointments made,
o Dayne Frew – Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay (SC-WB)
o Steve Wearne – Brisbane South-Darling Downs (BS-DD)
o Scott Pyle – Brisbane North (BN)
The Regional Manager’s will operate with more autonomy in their region, being responsible for talent acquisition and growth. These roles will not be coaching roles, rather relationship roles with players, parents, clubs, schools, governments and organisations within their region to make sure our Academy program is at the cutting edge of athlete development.
Another exciting appointment is Lauren Arnell who will be Academy Development Coach for the girls on a part time basis. Lauren will balance this role as well as her teaching position and being a member of our AFLW team.
I would like to welcome all new staff to the Brisbane Lions Academy.
The club has also been working with the new Brisbane South State Secondary College (based at Dutton Park), to run an AFL program within its school curriculum. This is an exciting partnership for the club where we can assist the growth of talent through the school by having a connection through teaching and a link to the Academy.
You will see some significant changes in our program in the coming months, where our staff will spend more time with players and coaches within our regions, decentralising the initial part of our program. Paul, Zane, Josh and Bill will be more mobile and be actively engaged in supporting our regions.
The change will bring with it more challenges, but also opportunities to grow and get better. This is a very exciting shift and the resources we have put in place have expertise in the areas that will focus on growing our athletes, building relationships and looking for continuous improvement.
Exciting Times Ahead.
David Noble
General Manager - Football
 
Something is really odd and concerning with our academy. It has been up and going for a significant amount of time now and yet we currently have zero, nil, nada midfielders on our list who have come through the academy. The other three academy teams all have multiple mids in the squads but for some reason we do not have any. We have done alright on talls recently but we have developed no mids who have justified a list spot even as a rookie.

That is a pretty serious failure by our academy. Hopefully the changes we have implemented to the coaching staff over the last year will change things. the academy is one of our big advantages over the rest of the competition and wasting that advantage should call in question the competence of those in charge.
 
Quigley said:
Something is really odd and concerning with our academy. It has been up and going for a significant amount of time now and yet we currently have zero, nil, nada midfielders on our list who have come through the academy. The other three academy teams all have multiple mids in the squads but for some reason we do not have any. We have done alright on talls recently but we have developed no mids who have justified a list spot even as a rookie.

That is a pretty serious failure by our academy. Hopefully the changes we have implemented to the coaching staff over the last year will change things. the academy is one of our big advantages over the rest of the competition and wasting that advantage should call in question the competence of those in charge.
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Hopefully Will Ashcroft will be our first elite academy midfielder.
 

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Quigley said:
Something is really odd and concerning with our academy. It has been up and going for a significant amount of time now and yet we currently have zero, nil, nada midfielders on our list who have come through the academy. The other three academy teams all have multiple mids in the squads but for some reason we do not have any. We have done alright on talls recently but we have developed no mids who have justified a list spot even as a rookie.

That is a pretty serious failure by our academy. Hopefully the changes we have implemented to the coaching staff over the last year will change things. the academy is one of our big advantages over the rest of the competition and wasting that advantage should call in question the competence of those in charge.
Click to expand...
Wasn't Keays a midfielder from our Academy?
 
Quigley said:
Something is really odd and concerning with our academy. It has been up and going for a significant amount of time now and yet we currently have zero, nil, nada midfielders on our list who have come through the academy. The other three academy teams all have multiple mids in the squads but for some reason we do not have any. We have done alright on talls recently but we have developed no mids who have justified a list spot even as a rookie.

That is a pretty serious failure by our academy. Hopefully the changes we have implemented to the coaching staff over the last year will change things. the academy is one of our big advantages over the rest of the competition and wasting that advantage should call in question the competence of those in charge.
Click to expand...
Having spoken to a few different people/parents privately, and posters on the QAFL board, there were a lot of concerns raised about our academy, about those running it and identifying talent, and interactions between local clubs and the academy.

From what I’ve heard, I’d say our academy is a considerable distance behind the other three.
 

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I guess with the new Academy setup, we'll see if players continue to fall through the cracks.

The identification process has left something to be desired, highlighted by the fact that if not for some serious pestering by Aspley, Harris Andrews wouldn't have been added to the Academy. You speak to people around club-land and there's lots of grumblings that if players weren't identified early, they wouldn't get a look-in. Sure, there are always disgruntled parents and club officials, but there were definitely kids who stayed on in the academy far longer than performance warranted and kids who should've been added who weren't. The retort from the academy seemed to be "you don't know what we're looking for in terms of what makes a AFL player".

It feels like they're casting a wider net, but it remains to be seen how the development side of things goes from here. And hopefully the academy is more interested in listening to the clubs about who to keep an eye on.
 
The Flying Belgian said:
I guess with the new Academy setup, we'll see if players continue to fall through the cracks.

The identification process has left something to be desired, highlighted by the fact that if not for some serious pestering by Aspley, Harris Andrews wouldn't have been added to the Academy. You speak to people around club-land and there's lots of grumblings that if players weren't identified early, they wouldn't get a look-in. Sure, there are always disgruntled parents and club officials, but there were definitely kids who stayed on in the academy far longer than performance warranted and kids who should've been added who weren't. The retort from the academy seemed to be "you don't know what we're looking for in terms of what makes a AFL player".

It feels like they're casting a wider net, but it remains to be seen how the development side of things goes from here. And hopefully the academy is more interested in listening to the clubs about who to keep an eye on.
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I’ve heard and read this from many people now.
 
Ive heard people say the Academy doesnt listen to clubs. Also heard they talk to much with the bigger clubs where the most academy kids play. You cant have it both ways! Either you do want them talking to clubs, or you dont.

The bigger clubs offer div1 sides in club competitions, hence they attract most of the talent as parents want their kids competing in the best comp. So naturally most of the academy kids come from the bigger clubs. By necessity the academy must talk to these clubs as that's where the kids are attracted to, and reside. If a kid is on the cusp of being selected 'late' in the academy there is more chance of that happening if he is playing div1 (in one of the bigger clubs) as the club often talks with the academy.

Who is going to get the attention? The kid not in the academy carving up div4 for Zillmere, or the kids not in the academy carving them up for Grange in div1? Of course both should, but one would imagine the academy is going to take more notice of the kid in div1 up against decent opposition than 'imagining' how the div4 kid would do against better opposition.

Usually the academy kids are discovered early through school rep or AFLQ u14-16s. If a kid doesnt make rep sides early but blooms late, he isnt doing himself any favours playing in a lower division at a small club. He has to be playing in div1 or QAFL colts etc to prove he has the goods. Harris Andrews was lucky he was with Aspley, not a smaller club.
 
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Talent identification should be done earlier. Therefore such players you would deem to be playing at their 'local clubs' and therefore the need for greater and widespread communication across these lower tier clubs. Any boy that makes a representative team in these earlier years should be flagged as well. I am unaware of identification of players from other sporting disciplines being identified as well and thought that would be a main focus in a state such as Qld where Australian Rules is not the main sport.
 
Quigley said:
Sorry I meant we have no-one currently on our squad. There have been several mids previously come from the academy although none have done much with us.
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Possibly one of the problems 'mids' have in QLD is lack of exposure to the higher level of competition the the Vic kids have in the TAC cup. Where Vic kids have a whole season to 'get up to speed' with the 18-20 games they play during the season, with constant exposure to scouts, the Lions boys get 2-4 cracks at it to try and impress.

A Vic kid may compete pretty average for his first few games before adapting to the challenge, and go on and impress in the next 3/4 of the season, whereas the Lions kid doesnt get that chance, plays only 4 games if hes lucky, hasnt the time to adapt, looks average, and its over. Both the QLD kid and the Vic kid played average in the 1st 4 games, but the Vic kid has the rest of the season to adapt and impress.

What happens to the QLD kid? Doesnt get drafted, Life takes over for most of them, Job, debt, alcohol, Girls.
 
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Billyclub said:
Ive heard people say the Academy doesnt listen to clubs. Also heard they talk to much with the bigger clubs where the most academy kids play. You cant have it both ways! Either you do want them talking to clubs, or you dont.

The bigger clubs offer div1 sides in club competitions, hence they attract most of the talent as parents want their kids competing in the best comp. So naturally most of the academy kids come from the bigger clubs. By necessity the academy must talk to these clubs as that's where the kids are attracted to, and reside. If a kid is on the cusp of being selected 'late' in the academy there is more chance of that happening if he is playing div1 (in one of the bigger clubs) as the club often talks with the academy.

Who is going to get the attention? The kid not in the academy carving up div4 for Zillmere, or the kids not in the academy carving them up for Grange in div1? Of course both should, but one would imagine the academy is going to take more notice of the kid in div1 up against decent opposition than 'imagining' how the div4 kid would do against better opposition.

Usually the academy kids are discovered early through school rep or AFLQ u14-16s. If a kid doesnt make rep sides early but blooms late, he isnt doing himself any favours playing in a lower division at a small club. He has to be playing in div1 or QAFL colts etc to prove he has the goods. Harris Andrews was lucky he was with Aspley, not a smaller club.
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There was a kid in my grandsons side last season, under12 who is a pretty special talent, he was asked to change to one of the "bigger clubs" this season for the under14 season (there is no under13 comp) but said no as he wanted to keep playing with his mates.

This kid is not in the Lions academy and is a definite better talent than some of the kids I saw who are.... IMO.
 

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