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BARASSI LiNE

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Gigantor said:
That is an interesting development - the equivalent of finding a Heeney in Newcastle.
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Until having a look i did not realise how big Toowoomba was ( 165,000 ), the league has only been going since the 1970's started by it appears people employed in aviation, i also seem to remember reading somewhere fruit pickers working there way up North following the seasons also contributed to the league.

DD AFL has 11 senior clubs which across any code is quite impressive in that part of the world.
 

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Rob said:
Not sure it's *that* impressive given the AFL teams generally top up with under 18s in the NEAFL. i.e they're not picked entirely on merit.
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True, still, anytime a 16 year old hold his own in any senior footy comp, it's a pretty good achievement. That fact that he's from the Black Diamond League makes it a extra special I reckon.
 
Rob said:
Not sure it's *that* impressive given the AFL teams generally top up with under 18s in the NEAFL. i.e they're not picked entirely on merit.
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You play senior footy at 16 it is pretty good, the Black Diamond league has a reputation of being pretty physical, less about skill and more about physicality, sometimes the higher level you play the less physical it can become.

This kid appears to have decent skills as well.
 
Another take on the Barassi line through basically the Riverina - obviously this guy has really put some time into it.

barassi1web.jpg


barassi2a.jpg



barassi3a.jpg


http://mahercup.com.au/blog/2015/08/11/jim-keys-line/
 
2015

Int#3 – Callum Mills – Sydney Swans (North Shore/QBE Sydney Swans Academy)
#7 – Jacob Hopper – GWS GIANTS (NSW/ACT RAMS/PM CAPITAL GWS GIANTS Academy/Leeton)
#13 – Matthew Kennedy – GWS GIANTS (Collingullie Ashmont Kappoka/PM CAPITAL GWS GIANTS Academy)
#16 – Harrison Himmelberg – GWS GIANTS (Eastlake/PM CAPITAL GWS GIANTS Academy)
#41 – Matthew Flynn – Sydney Swans (Narrandera/PM CAPITAL GWS GIANTS Academy)
#68 – Michael Hartley – Essendon (Collingwood- Penrith)
*Rookie upgrades: Aaron Vandenberg (Melbourne Demons/ Merimbula), Sam Naismith (Sydney Swans/Gunnendah)eresting about the last 14 players drafted from NSW ....

2016
  • Will Setterfield (Albury/Sandringham Dragons) Pick 5 – GWS GIANTS
  • Harry Perryman (Collingullie) Pick 14 – GWS GIANTS
  • Todd Marshall (Deniliquin Rams) Pick 16 – Port Adelaide Power
  • Isaac Cumming (North Broken Hill) Pick 20 – GWS GIANTS
  • Kobe Mutch (Gol Gol) Pick 42 – Essendon Bombers
  • Harrison Macreadie (Henty) Pick 47 – Carlton Blues
  • Lachlan Tiziani (Albury) Pick 54 – GWS GIANTS
  • Ryan Garthwaite (Corowa-Rutherglen) Pick 72 – Richmond Tigers
  • Ben Davis (UNSW) Pick 75 – Adelaide Crows
Interestingly none of the 2015 players drafted live within 1 hour of the Vic border, yet in the 2016 crop 6 basically live on the NSW side of the Murray.
 
Rob said:
Not sure it's *that* impressive given the AFL teams generally top up with under 18s in the NEAFL. i.e they're not picked entirely on merit.
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Gets a write up, but unless he has grown 5 or so cm going to be a tough gig, might have been a man /child, every junior football comp has them

Jack Hardman
Small Forwad (Warners Bay Bulldogs/NSW-ACT)
31/12/1999 | 173cm | 72kg

Jack Hardman is one of the few NSW/ACT players who are tied with the Sydney Swans academy. Hardman is an exciting small forward who has impressed for NSW/ACT. Hardman averaged 17 disposals and kicked five goals in the two TAC Cup games for the Rams earlier this year. Despite not playing a match for NSW/ACT in the Division Two championships, he is the leading goal kicker for his club team (Warners Bay Bulldogs). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Hardman play a game with the Sydney Swans NEAFL team at some point this year. Hardman’s X-Factor is exciting and is a tough opponent for any defender in the pocket.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/2017-national-draft.1153101/#post-47938850
 

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telsor said:
I think you need to factor in support not just raw population. If only 10% of kids in QLD play AFL, then producing 9.8% of players is massive...If it's 50%, it's poor. (I'd suggest it's closer to the former)
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I don't think that kind of granularity is really relevant or beneficial to the analysis and leads to incorrect conclusions.

e.g. If you take the statement you made of "if only 10% of kids play AFL in QLD" on it's own.

Is that good or bad or needs improvement?

I think you'll agree that is extremely poor.

But if you combine that with 10% of the drafted kids are from QLD. That you go on to say "is massive".

I think paints the exact opposite picture of what the situation actually is.

10% of kids playing AFL in QLD

Do you see what I mean?

You'd expect/want the drafted percentages to align somewhat with the total population, that in itself points to the health and growth of the game.
 
sataris said:
I don't think that kind of granularity is really relevant or beneficial to the analysis and leads to incorrect conclusions.

e.g. If you take the statement you made of "if only 10% of kids play AFL in QLD" on it's own.

Is that good or bad or needs improvement?

I think you'll agree that is extremely poor.

But if you combine that with 10% of the drafted kids are from QLD. That you go on to say "is massive".

I think paints the exact opposite picture of what the situation actually is.

10% of kids playing AFL in QLD

Do you see what I mean?

You'd expect/want the drafted percentages to align somewhat with the total population, that in itself points to the health and growth of the game.
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That would only happen if/when the game was as popular in QLD as it is in Vic/WA/SA, and while that can be considered a laudable aim, it's hardly realistic in the foreseeable future.

and BTW, I wouldn't see 10% (or any individual number) as good or bad. The good or bad would be more to do with the trend ... i.e. is it going up or down.
 
Just thought i would quote a website which has some interesting takes on towns around the Barassi line and whether they were strong Rules or League towns.

The Maps are on this page a few post up.

North-west of West Wyalong along the road to Lake Cargelligo was an island of Australian Rules including localities such as Girral, Ungarie, Weja, Tullibigeal, Burgooney and Naradhan, with ‘The Lake’ itself being a 50/50 town.

Down south of Wagga, in solid Aussie Rules territory, Lockhart was another 50/50 town, while Henty and Holbrook had strong League followings.

The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area fell below the line, but the Victorian game was not as dominant as it was in the smaller towns and villages of the wheat belt to the east – Coolamon, Marrar, Ariah Park, Ganmain, Grong Grong and we shouldn’t forget Matong.

The above can be partly explained by the difference between town and country.

Around the Jim Keys border, town dwellers tended to have settled from the east (Rugby country), while between the 1890s and 1920s thousands of farming families came up from Victoria (and some also from South Australia) to take up closer settlement blocks in the wheat and sheep country which opened up as the rail lines were built. Thus the more rural the area the more likely it was to be a Rules place.

Where League grounds were usually in town and close to a pub, there were many Australian Football teams that played on a stock route or paddock cleared by (and often owned by) local farmers. They could only dream of a pub. Such teams included Four Corners near Kikoira, Sandy Creek between Weethalle and Tallimba, Kildary south of West Wyalong, and to the southwest of Temora – Winchendon Vale, Rannock and Bectric.

Whether or not the line has moved from Maher Cup days, I don’t know. I’d be very interested in your thoughts.


Results by town or village

Very Rugby League towns without any significant Australian Rules presence:
Boorowa
Grenfell
Cowra
Condobolin
Gundagai
Barmedman
Euabalong
Adelong
Harden
Young (Young was not searched due to obvious problems restricting the search)
Batlow
Tumut

Very Rugby League place with a small Australian Rules presence:
West Wyalong
Cootamundra
Tumbarumba
Tallimba

Rugby League was the dominant code but significant Australian Rules presence:
Temora
Tarcutta
Ivanhoe
Hillston
Rankins Springs
Kikoira/Gibsonvale
Weethalle
Junee

Rugby League and Australian Rules were evenly balanced:
Lockhart
Lake Cargelligo
Goolgowi

Australian Rules was the dominant code but significant Rugby League presence:
Merriwagga
Leeton/Wamoon
Ardlethan
Yanco
Holbrook
Wagga
Barellan
Henty
Griffith
Hay
Narrandera
Albury
Darlington Point
Ungarie
Ladysmith
Tullibigeal

Very strong Australian Rules town but with a small Rugby League presence:
Culcairn
Ariah Park
Coolamon

Very strong Australian Rules places without any significant Rugby League presence:
Grong Grong
Yerong Creek
Ganmain
Marrar

http://mahercup.com.au/blog/2015/08/11/jim-keys-line/
 
Just on a few of those towns i know something about.

Tumbarumba won the premiership in 2015 ( ?) first one ever, plays in the Upper Murray FL ( Corryong) which is Vic based, the RL side plays in group 9 which is primarily Wagga based, the RL team seems to rely on imports from NZ and PI's as many clubs seem to in the Riverina to stay relevant.

Temora has had a bit of a rules resurgence, probably still a 50/50 town - won a couple of premierships in a row recently.

Hay RL club is in no mans land really, a long way out by itself, players have to travel a fair distance for games, while the towns footy team plays in the border based Golden Rivers league and a much closer journey.

Cootamundra has just a senior footy team but for a small town has a RL team, RU team and soccer team, no junior footy, if kids want to play they head south to Wagga.
 
upload_2017-2-26_21-17-47.png

Just having some fun on my computer, when i should be invoicing, but my take on the Barassi line.

Not really a straight line IMO.

Griffith and Leeton both have reasonably strong RL and footy teams/towns and are definitely not inside the Barassi line but on the edge of it.

The ACT is a little island of footy and has been since before WW1 but is surrounded by RL territory, the Barassi line has crept up the South Coast of NSW in the last 50 years and now stops at about Batemans Bay, doesn't go much inland though.

Wilcannia about 2 hours NE of Broken Hill is a dyed in the wool RL town
 
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Garlic muncher said:
Just on a few of those towns i know something about.

Tumbarumba won the premiership in 2015 ( ?) first one ever, plays in the Upper Murray FL ( Corryong) which is Vic based, the RL side plays in group 9 which is primarily Wagga based, the RL team seems to rely on imports from NZ and PI's as many clubs seem to in the Riverina to stay relevant.

Temora has had a bit of a rules resurgence, probably still a 50/50 town - won a couple of premierships in a row recently.

Hay RL club is in no mans land really, a long way out by itself, players have to travel a fair distance for games, while the towns footy team plays in the border based Golden Rivers league and a much closer journey.

Cootamundra has just a senior footy team but for a small town has a RL team, RU team and soccer team, no junior footy, if kids want to play they head south to Wagga.
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Your knowledge of the statewide NSW sporting scene is exceptional.

The Tumbarumba"...RL team seems to rely on imports from NZ and PI's, as many clubs seem to in the Riverina to stay relevant...".
Do these Kiwis & Islanders live in Tumarumba (& similar question for other rural RL teams where they play RL) permanently; or only for the RL season; or only drive in to the towns on Fri. evenings, then drive out on the weekend?

I read an amazing comment recently, which I would like your view ie 52% of NRL players are either whites or Islanders from NZ/other areas of the Pacific (even though the NRL Warriors , 1 team/16, represent 6.5% of the NRL players).
Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are citizens of NZ or other Pacific nations?

Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are Aust. citizens(ie born here/ became naturalized), but whose parents are from NZ/Pacific nations?

I am aware that NZ has defeated the Aust. RL team several times in recent years -suprising since RU is easily the biggest code in NZ.
 
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BringBackTorps said:
Your knowledge of the statewide NSW sporting scene is exceptional.

The Tumbarumba"...RL team seems to rely on imports from NZ and PI's as many clubs seem to in the Riverina to stay relevant...".
Do these Kiwis & Islanders live in Tumarumba (& similar question for other rural RL teams where they play RL) permanently; or only for the RL season; or only drive in to the towns on Fri. evenings, then drive out on the weekend?

I read an amazing comment recently, which I would like your view ie 52% of NRL players are either whites or Islanders from NZ/other areas of the Pacific (even though the NRL Warriors , 1 team/16, represent 6.5% of the NRL players).
Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are citizens of NZ or other Pacific nations?

Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are Aust. citizens(ie born here/ became naturalized), but whose parents are from NZ/Pacific nations?

I am aware that NZ has defeated the Aust. RL team several times in recent years -suprising since RU is easily the biggest code in NZ.
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Can't comment on a lot of that ATM as I am out and about but in 2015 I know Tumbarumba RL team had 3 kiwis and 4 Fijians playing, I would question how that for a country football team is anywhere near representative of a quite small country community.

It is a similar situation around much of RL in the Riverina.
 
BringBackTorps said:
I read an amazing comment recently, which I would like your view ie 52% of NRL players are either whites or Islanders from NZ/other areas of the Pacific (even though the NRL Warriors , 1 team/16, represent 6.5% of the NRL players).
Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are citizens of NZ or other Pacific nations?

.
Click to expand...

Don't know the %.

I did read somewhere where it is about 40% for Kiwis, probably higher % of the NRL when you factor in Islanders from the SP.

BringBackTorps said:
Are you able to comment on % of NRL players who are Aust. citizens(ie born here/ became naturalized), but whose parents are from NZ/Pacific nations?

.
Click to expand...

Have no idea, but i did read a couple of years ago that around 40/50% of all juniors in the biggest RL junior comps in WS are from NZ or Pacific Nations

BringBackTorps said:
I am aware that NZ has defeated the Aust. RL team several times in recent years -suprising since RU is easily the biggest code in NZ.
Click to expand...

Think it is swings and round-a-bouts ATM, but you would have to conclude that unless we get our share of PI's then the balance of power in the RL world could cross the Tasman, pretty sure that would not be a good thing for RL.
 

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