Callum Mills is a good AFL Academy story being poached from rugby union right?

[Pessimistic]

Not exactly. has AFL background

Wikipedia

Mills was born in Sydney and grew up on the Northern Beaches. His grandfather, Ray Mills, played Australian rules football for the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and represented Western Australia through the 1960s.[1] Callum was an avid Sydney Swans supporter as a child and idolised Swans' forward Tony Lockett.[2] He began playing Australian rules football at the age of four through the Auskick junior program, but gave the game away at seven years of age to play rugby union with his school friends.[3] In 2010, aged 13, Mills was approached by then-Sydney Swans chairmanAndrew Pridham to fill in for the Mosman Swans junior Australian rules football team. He impressed enough to be placed in the Sydney Swans talent academy later that year and gave up rugby union. Mills later revealed the Swans' academy was the major influence in his decision to play Australian rules football instead of rugby union when he was a teenager.[4] He won the under 16's best and fairest at fourteen years of age for the Mosman Swans and he was ultimately named club champion in 2012. In 2014–15, he was cleared to play in the TAC Cup competition as a member of the NSW/ACT Rams and during this period he also played four games for North Shore in the premier division of the Sydney AFL competition.

 

[coniglio_number1]

Your research states that he would've played Union if not for the academy.

So is your argument pro academy?

 

[FlowersByIrene]

More of a story of the Swans poaching a player from the rest of the competition.. that's allowed if you run a club in a s**t city that isn't interested in footy though.

 

[SizeMatters]

What's the point of this thread?

 

[DHepp21]

Not exactly. has AFL background

Wikipedia

Mills was born in Sydney and grew up on the Northern Beaches. His grandfather, Ray Mills, played Australian rules football for the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and represented Western Australia through the 1960s.[1] Callum was an avid Sydney Swans supporter as a child and idolised Swans' forward Tony Lockett.[2] He began playing Australian rules football at the age of four through the Auskick junior program, but gave the game away at seven years of age to play rugby union with his school friends.[3] In 2010, aged 13, Mills was approached by then-Sydney Swans chairmanAndrew Pridham to fill in for the Mosman Swans junior Australian rules football team. He impressed enough to be placed in the Sydney Swans talent academy later that year and gave up rugby union. Mills later revealed the Swans' academy was the major influence in his decision to play Australian rules football instead of rugby union when he was a teenager.[4] He won the under 16's best and fairest at fourteen years of age for the Mosman Swans and he was ultimately named club champion in 2012. In 2014–15, he was cleared to play in the TAC Cup competition as a member of the NSW/ACT Rams and during this period he also played four games for North Shore in the premier division of the Sydney AFL competition.

I'm guessing your not the most popular bloke around.

 

[SwampCreature]

What's the point of this thread?

A tassie fan still audibly sooking over 2012.

 

[Crawb]

"Mills later revealed the Swans' academy was the major influence in his decision to play Australian rules football instead of rugby union when he was a teenager." Mentions he played Rugby Union exclusively for 6 years too.

Hmm. Would seem that story mentioned in the thread title actually is the exact case and indeed correct, OP.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Swans Academy is great for the Swans

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Actually if you'd bothered to delve a little deeper you'd find it could almost be said he was poached from BMX.

 

[GuzzLG]

Can my club start an academy in Sydney? We'd be happy to grow the game there and try to entice the best athletes to play footy.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

BTW who said he was poached from rugby union anyway?

The point of the academy is to develop talent in NSW, a non-traditional breeding ground for Aussie Rules, for the greater good of the national comp. Whether this talent is "poached" from another career path is a secondary matter at best, surely?

 

[HPKS]

Not exactly. has AFL background

Wikipedia

Mills was born in Sydney and grew up on the Northern Beaches. His grandfather, Ray Mills, played Australian rules football for the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and represented Western Australia through the 1960s.[1] Callum was an avid Sydney Swans supporter as a child and idolised Swans' forward Tony Lockett.[2] He began playing Australian rules football at the age of four through the Auskick junior program, but gave the game away at seven years of age to play rugby union with his school friends.[3] In 2010, aged 13, Mills was approached by then-Sydney Swans chairmanAndrew Pridham to fill in for the Mosman Swans junior Australian rules football team. He impressed enough to be placed in the Sydney Swans talent academy later that year and gave up rugby union. Mills later revealed the Swans' academy was the major influence in his decision to play Australian rules football instead of rugby union when he was a teenager.[4] He won the under 16's best and fairest at fourteen years of age for the Mosman Swans and he was ultimately named club champion in 2012. In 2014–15, he was cleared to play in the TAC Cup competition as a member of the NSW/ACT Rams and during this period he also played four games for North Shore in the premier division of the Sydney AFL competition.

What's your view on Tarryn Thomas

http://www.themercury.com.au/sport/...s/news-story/50d20133cf3e04d311e9c55db0e072c9

 

[GuzzLG]

BTW who said he was poached from rugby union anyway?

The point of the academy is to develop talent in NSW, a non-traditional breeding ground for Aussie Rules, for the greater good of the national comp. Whether this talent is "poached" from another career path is a secondary matter at best, surely?

Why can't all 18 clubs set up academies in NSW/QLD? Surely that will result in even more talent being developed from these non-traditional footy playing areas.

 

[Gavin Excell]

BTW who said he was poached from rugby union anyway?

The point of the academy is to develop talent in NSW, a non-traditional breeding ground for Aussie Rules, for the greater good of the national comp. Whether this talent is "poached" from another career path is a secondary matter at best, surely?

"greater good of the competition"

Please.

 

[HPKS]

Why can't all 18 clubs set up academies in NSW/QLD? Surely that will result in even more talent being developed from these non-traditional footy playing areas.

Because it was tried and failed. In my view the main reason a lot of these kids are turning to AFL in the northern states is that they are able to stay living at home. If you'd said for the AFL to take over or for both sides from NSW & Qld to contribute money and then they have the bidding rights to their particular state zones. So e.g AFL running it and GWS able to bid on Mills well then yes I could see that working. Mind you I'm of the opinion that every side should have an academy.

 

[King Wavo]

Heard some people are trying to get this Sydney hashtag going:

#freekidsydney

 

[Mr Mediocracy]

Here we go. Another academy bashing thread from those in AFL States where kids are born with a Sherrin.

Apologies NSW and QLD have to compete with League as well and that the AFL wants more quality players for the competition instead of just cherry picking from the traditional States.

 

[GuzzLG]

Here we go. Another academy bashing thread from those in AFL States where kids are born with a Sherrin.

Apologies NSW and QLD have to compete with League as well and that the AFL wants more quality players for the competition instead of just cherry picking from the traditional States.

Didn't realise Sydney weren't allowed to draft kids from Victoria.

 

[coerced]

I would prefer academies used for kids who love footy in NSW and QLD and play it as juniors as opposed to it being used as a funnel for talented juniors from other sports who would normally have no love for footy. The latter does nothing for the game at a grassroots level.

Even better would be no academies.

 

[PhatBoy]

I'm not a swans fan but I live in the guts of NSW.

It's incredible how s**t footy is here. Outside of the Riverina around Wagga, and the towns near the border, footy here is just garbage. In the central west first grade comp I would guess that maybe 50 per cent of players can kick a proper drop punt.

Sydney and GWS having the pick of this area is hardly a massive leg up

 

[DemonTim]

Surely those whinging about academies also discount any flag won under the VFL zoning rules, yeah?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

"greater good of the competition"

Please.

Actually I've paid very little attention to the setting up of the academy but I understand we largely pay for it and everyone gets access to it. Sounds like we're getting shafted.

Anyway if I'm wrong, it looks like Phatboy's post above sets the record straight about footy life in NSW, for outsiders whose default kneejerk position is that the AFL gives the Swans their every earthly desire at the drop of a hat.

 

[Farm Boy]

Academies are unfair.

 

[Membling]

Why can't all 18 clubs set up academies in NSW/QLD? Surely that will result in even more talent being developed from these non-traditional footy playing areas.

Would not mind that.

Set up a zone for each club, afl gives funds to run academy, hard cap on academy spending to not disadvantage less well off clubs, minimum intake of kids per year at each age group.

Can effectively set up grass roots league using academies. Players not selected would potetnially help strengthen local footy.

 

[Garlic muncher]

His story is why the AFL have pushed so hard to get into the prestigious private schools in Sydney, rugby for 100 years besides soccer more recently was the only school football code available, so if you went to school there you played rugby.

He was not poached from rugby, it looks remarkably to me like the other way around.

http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=0-10806-0-0-0

4 or 5 years ago this comp did not exist, it now has around 45 teams basically all payed for by the AFL - as it was the only way to get a foot in the door.

When i say payed for i think they pay for half the jumper, umpires, grounds fees etc , no other code does that, but it is the price of doing business trying to get your foot in.