AFLW West Coast Eagles Women's Team - Discussion Thread

[jatz14]

It may be a little early for 2020, but in reality, Eagles draft their womens team next year, and they are building towards it now. I am really interested in AFLW, and have been forced to follow Freo in the interim, and am really looking forward to an Eagles team to get behind. Yes, I know a lot of you don't give a *, so you don't have to tell me, there are plenty of threads for you to vent your absolute disgust at the AFLW in without trying to * up this one.

Eagles have started 2 female high performance academies 16 - 21 and 22 and over. Each academy runs in 2, 4 week blocks
http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2018-02-09/eagles-aflw-journey-off-to-a-flyer

Academies permanent staff, Drew Petrie, Adam Selwood, Steph Walding, Nikki Harwood and Kim Hannah.

First session assistants, Luke Shuey, Eric Mackenzie and Mark Hutchings, past players Drew Banfield, Chad Morrison, Ryan Turnbull and Sam Butler. Not sure if they will be regulars. Hopefully the keep consistency.

Issues the Eagles face.
Freo - they will have a 3 year head start, and its not clear what concessions will be made for the 2020 start ups. The 2019 expansion had a plan put forward by the AFL, but there is now talk that has been squashed. Not sure we will know what is going to happen until mid 2019, but how the 2019 expansion is handled later this year will give a clue.
WAWFL - Rumours abound of a womens football scene beset by infighting, short termism and protecting of patches (why should it be different to mens?). This may be a reason so many WA players left. The relatively small size of senior womens footy in WA despite the supposed huge boom, and the number of players that left gives some credence to the rumours. If true, it is holding womens footy in WA back big time, and limits the Eagles options.
The free academies could be an answer to this, if players can rock up and show the Eagles directly what they have got
Player depth - WA did have good depth, but effectively losing half a starting team East stretched that really thin. There are good players coming through, but they do not look outstanding compared to Vic and Qld young stocks. Freo is also going to get a free hit at a lot f them later this year. What the talent is like in the group becoming draft elligible in 2019 for the 2020 season, I am not sure. The Eagles womens team will depend a lot on the quality of these players, it is far more important than a corresponding mens draft. Firstly, Eagles not draft interstate, they are stuck with what WA has, they may need to trade draft picks to Freo to get decent experienced players, which depends on the draft players being attractive prospects. The WA U18 girls teams is REALLY important for the Eagles.

Hopefully the team gains some traction with Eagles fans. Some club forums have large and active sub forums devoted to their womens teams, some have a thread or 2. I would like to see people get on board, and am looking forward to a huge first WA derby.

ps A Womens foot thread prefix would be nice.

Womens Memberships avail here:

AFLW Memberships |

am.ticketmaster.com

 

[Cuzz09]

Yeah I half watch a qtr here or there but if Eagles had a team Id take more of an interest.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Yeah it sucks having to support Freo at the moment. Will be on board the Eagles team for sure.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

What is this infighting you're talking about? I always thought the Dockers going for a coach that already knew the players was a terrible decision. Should have got an outsider.

 

[Matera92]

Not really phased if we're in it or not tbh, it's not worth watching at the current skill level (Just being honest).


Watched The GWS v Adelaide game that was on between the two JLT games on Sunday, my god it was s**t. Granted it was raining and they are the bottom two teams but...wow.

19 all at the end of four quarters. Players who legitimately cannot kick the football, players struggling from 30m out to make the distance.

The league should have been grown at grass roots and amateur level before being broadcast to the nation because as a spectacle, it's a joke.

 

[donpyke92]

It is very important that we have a team in AFLW for future support of our club.
Talk of the standard of the game is inconsequential if the AFL maintains its support for this league, as it appears it is quite determined to do.
(and rightly so for the growth of the game, amongst many other reasons)
Would hate to see a generation coming through that support the purples because that was the only AFLW team in W.A.
The apparent lackadaisical proposal to the AFL by WCE for a team in the startup competition seems to be a big slip up that the club realises now.
Can't say I'd watch much of it, but a WCE AFLW side has my full support.

 

[jatz14]

What is this infighting you're talking about? I always thought the Dockers going for a coach that already knew the players was a terrible decision. Should have got an outsider.

I am not an insider, going by rumour.

With injury replacements, Freo have 31 players on their books, know how many come from the top 3 teams (Coastal, East Freo, Swans)? 29.
Add to that, Randall at Crows, Wuetschner and Frederick-Traub at Lions, Swanson and Forth at GWS, King and Edwards at Pies, all came from the big 3. Swanson and Frederick-Traub both started at Peel, but swapped clubs.

There is something close to 40 AFLW players that came from 3 WAWFL teams, and the other 6 clubs provided about 6 (most of whom went to Victoria).

All of the code hoppers that took up footy are in top 3 clubs.

18 year old Rachel Ashley, from Perth Angels apparently was going to nominate for the Vic draft as she didn't believe she would get a look in, but was persuaded by Freo to nominate for WA, then they didn't pick her. She managed to get picked up in free agency by the Dogs.

There are various stories about how this came about, all variations of the strong holding themselves aloft by holding the weak under.

As I said, all circumstantial, but the dominance of 3 teams, and the anaemic growth of senior womens footy in WA shows something is really wrong.

Whatever is going on, the Eagles cannot allow for a system where all the potential AFLW talent is coming through 3 clubs, it just isn't going to work.

I have already heard of restructuring as the WAWFL aligns more strongly with the WAFL, and I think it is going to entrench some clubs at the top, and show others the door. Currently 9 clubs, but they are going to a 6 team structure for games that will be played prior to WAFL games, so 3 clubs will be relegated to irrelevance (and hasn't the news of women playing before some of the WAFL games gone down well). Details coming some time in May I believe.
This again highlights an issue, the top tier of womens footy is effectively shrinking, in order to concentrate talent at the top and make a higher grade state competition. Not sure its the right approach, some talent over East has come from left field, but in WA, you have to get into one of 6 (more precisely 3) clubs to even get a look in.

 

[jatz14]

Not really phased if we're in it or not tbh, it's not worth watching at the current skill level (Just being honest).


Watched The GWS v Adelaide game that was on between the two JLT games on Sunday, my god it was s**t. Granted it was raining and they are the bottom two teams but...wow.

19 all at the end of four quarters. Players who legitimately cannot kick the football, players struggling from 30m out to make the distance.

The league should have been grown at grass roots and amateur level before being broadcast to the nation because as a spectacle, it's a joke.

Would rather that than a soulless and passionless AFLX. Footy has 2 aspects that gets people in, the passionate, committed, competitive side, and the skills and play side. Ideally you have both, but if you only get one, I know which I prefer.

Some of the other criticism is due to subconsciously comparing it to mens, which is irrelevant in my opinion. You are basically complaining they dont play like men. If you are watching a womens game looking for mens footy, your a bit lost. Dogs last weekend played one of the best games of womens footy ever, and they concentrated on short kicks. They went for the 20m pass to hit a target, and it looked good. A style to suite women will evolve, and it will be different to mens, just as committed, but unlikely to involve 60m passes from the backline.

 

[Matera92]

Would rather that than a soulless and passionless AFLX. Footy has 2 aspects that gets people in, the passionate, committed, competitive side, and the skills and play side. Ideally you have both, but if you only get one, I know which I prefer.

Some of the other criticism is due to subconsciously comparing it to mens, which is irrelevant in my opinion. You are basically complaining they dont play like men. If you are watching a womens game looking for mens footy, your a bit lost. Dogs last weekend played one of the best games of womens footy ever, and they concentrated on short kicks. They went for the 20m pass to hit a target, and it looked good. A style to suite women will evolve, and it will be different to mens, just as committed, but unlikely to involve 60m passes from the backline.

AFLX is trash, get rid of it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that money is being directed at woman's football because they absolutely deserve the right to play at a professional level, I just feel the current comp is no where near ready to be broadcast with an eye to develop a nationwide following with the current level of play. All the money they are pumping into it now would have been far better off being put into developing the juniors on up to the state comps, increasing the talent pool and building a strong foundation that has legitimate footballers all round the park.

The current setup unfortunately, as a spectacle is a real struggle to watch, which will turn off many viewers going forward.

 

[donpyke92]

Having an established professional league will likely attract more interest from the talented junior sportswomen who can see a direct path to playing at an elite level with national recognition, drawing them away from other sports.
The 'If you build it, they will come' approach'. The skill level & standard of play will improve in time, perhaps faster than investing a lot in underage comps before there was a national one.

 

[jatz14]

Having an established professional league will likely attract more interest from the talented junior sportswomen who can see a direct path to playing at an elite level with national recognition, drawing them away from other sports.
The 'If you build it, they will come' approach'. The skill level & standard of play will improve in time, perhaps faster than investing a lot in underage comps before there was a national one.

Yes, you can invest in all the underage comps you want, if the juniors dont turn up? AFLW gets numbers up hugely, which attracts the resources they require, just pumping in resources hoping demand expands to suite is backwards.

 

[Matera92]

Yes, you can invest in all the underage comps you want, if the juniors dont turn up? AFLW gets numbers up hugely, which attracts the resources they require, just pumping in resources hoping demand expands to suite is backwards.

It's an artificial boost to numbers which wont be sustainable long term. AFL grew from a strong grass roots base over time into the national competition it is today. The women's league is attempting to skip ahead to the professional stage, which to me seems short sighted.

 

[Moley27]

I'm looking forward to the Eagles joining, I've been to one of the Dockers games but it felt wrong to be cheering for them and I went kitted out in Eagles gear.

With regards to the level of talent, I genuinely think there has been a noticeable improvement this year with the teams having had another pre-season together. I watched the Bulldogs v Adelaide game a couple of weeks back and thought it was a cracking game, Erin Phillips is a class above.

 

[Eaglemaniac]

Eagles are well committed to AFLW and a womens team for 2020 and are putting a good amount of resources into it. I have had a little to do with what they are doing and been to one of the training sessions and they are really trying to help improve the level of players being available for 2020. Not only are they pushing to improve the level of the top players, they are helping to bring that back to the WAWFL to increase the standard of that comp too.

 

[jatz14]

It's an artificial boost to numbers which wont be sustainable long term. AFL grew from a strong grass roots base over time into the narional competition it is today. The women's league is attempting to skip ahead to the professional stage, which to me seems short sighted.

I am not sure how one way of getting a woman into footy can be natural, and another be unnatural.

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

 

[Beutbrute]

I've refused to follow the womens league until the eagles get a team, but plan on following closely after that. Looking forward to see how we go.

 

[Matera92]

I am not sure how one way of getting a woman into footy can be natural, and another be unnatural.

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

Clearly not what I was getting at.

 

[Ok Boomer]

A player with disposal efficiency above 50% in AFLW is a miracle.

 

[jatz14]

Eagles are well committed to AFLW and a womens team for 2020 and are putting a good amount of resources into it. I have had a little to do with what they are doing and been to one of the training sessions and they are really trying to help improve the level of players being available for 2020. Not only are they pushing to improve the level of the top players, they are helping to bring that back to the WAWFL to increase the standard of that comp too.

I hope, and think this is happening at all levels. My local club in the southwest is in its second season of womens football. Womens preseason started earlier, they are training longer and harder, and have some of the senior people from the mens side assisting this year. The comp also has 2 new teams. I am expecting a significant jump in standards.

 

[jatz14]

A player with disposal efficiency above 50% in AFLW is a miracle.

Going by the AFL stats site, there are 135 players with a disposal efficiency of 50% or more. If you ignore the players with 1 game and less than 10 disposals, its still about 100. there are 27 running at 70% or more. I think you have been taking to much notice of facebook.

 

[Monocle]

Can’t barrack for Fremantle as it’s just against my principles , I just can’t barrack for a Club with so many campaigners and tossers in its supporting troops.

I will follow the Competition with a lot more interest when we have our own team.
Currently I do watch and enjoy and until we get our own team I am following Carlton with a bit of a passing interest

Taylor Harris was the clincher ..... what a babe.

 

[Beutbrute]

I hope, and think this is happening at all levels. My local club in the southwest is in its second season of womens football. Womens preseason started earlier, they are training longer and harder, and have some of the senior people from the mens side assisting this year. The comp also has 2 new teams. I am expecting a significant jump in standards.

My wife is playing this coming season in a local comp, she's just spewing the AFLW didn't happen about 5 years ago, but its definitely an area for growth.

 

[FKASC]

Living in Melbourne it's a lot easier to see the games, also given they're free it's a nice way to spend the arvo. It's much more enjoyable to watch live than it is on TV.

I kind of agree with what Matera92 is saying that it would have been nice if the players had a lot of development in them (in terms of skills and decision making) but I don't think they would have had sufficient uptake at grassroots without the heavily promoted comp on TV.

The skills will come - and it'll be sick because the intensity and hardness (say what you want about smaller, lighter bodies) is often on par with the men - especially given there is almost no staging for frees or exaggerating contact like some of our blokes enjoy.

I agree that WC will lose out by allowing Freo to monopolise the market in WA but totally not surprised given how crusty and conservative the club is. Luckily Freo is s**t

 

[Biggie]

Can’t wait for the Eagles team and love watching AFLW with my middle daughter, whom herself has put on the boots herself this season.

Hopefully WCE can get a good team on the park and women’s footy can get to that next level. Pretty confident it will

 

[matt_bas]

Whilst I wish the eagles get a team. I don't think adding more teams is a good idea. Will dilute the talent pool too much by adding more teams.