Indigenous Talent

[Cotcho]

What's our deal with our indigenous centre? Is it actually a football academy? If so, do we get first access to the talent from it like Sydney do with their academy? If not could we maybe start a proper academy and try and bring in talent that way to give us an advantage? Would be nice to have first access to guys like Rioli, Franklin, etc in the future.

And yes I know we did have first access to Franklin...shhhhh In the future!!

 

[Bojangles17]

What's our deal with our indigenous centre? Is it actually a football academy? If so, do we get first access to the talent from it like Sydney do with their academy? If not could we maybe start a proper academy and try and bring in talent that way to give us an advantage? Would be nice to have first access to guys like Rioli, Franklin, etc in the future.

And yes I know we did have first access to Franklin...shhhhh In the future!!

My understanding is no it isn't a football academy as such. It's for disadvantaged indiginous youth , football is little more than a vehicle for the programs ran there . I could be completely wrong , someone else please chip in

 

[SdKfz 181]

I would of thought it has very little to do with actual football development, its more about life skills..

 

[Ned_Flanders]

My understanding is no it isn't a football academy as such. It's for disadvantaged indiginous youth , football is little more than a vehicle for the programs ran there . I could be completely wrong , someone else please chip in

yep, teaches leadership and other training programs

not a footy academy

 

[Cotcho]

Oh ok, well in that case maybe we could pioneer and actually make one. Would be a nice excuse to get an advantage over the rest of the comp and might help some of these talented indigenous kids coming through...just a thought.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Oh ok, well in that case maybe we could pioneer and actually make one. Would be a nice excuse to get an advantage over the rest of the comp and might help some of these talented indigenous kids coming through...just a thought.

Other clubs would never allow it - they are already pushing back on QLD/NSW academies

 

[Cotcho]

Other clubs would never allow it - they are already pushing back on QLD/NSW academies

Yer you're probably right, maybe if we got it at the right place and time...maybe it was time 2 years ago before the COLA debacle etc and just after the Matt Rendell thing....fuuu imagine if we had the foresight to jump in there and strike when that iron was hot. Could've set us up quite nicely, especially if it had already yielded a guy like Jack Martin....ah well.

 

[NZ_Tiger]

I hope we put in an football academy. It's a good central location and it would make better use of the facilities.

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

I hope we put in an football academy. It's a good central location and it would make better use of the facilities.

Problem I see with having our own academy is we would invest a lot of money into young players only to see them possibly get picked up by the poor arse clubs (Doggies, Saints etc) for nothing.

 

[NZ_Tiger]

Problem I see with having our own academy is we would invest a lot of money into young players only to see them possibly get picked up by the poor arse clubs (Doggies, Saints etc) for nothing.

Sometimes it pays to do the right thing. The institute was a way to rort some Govt money to fund the new building, it doesn't mean we can't do something pro-active. Plus most private academies charge, we can rort some more govt money as a course provider and charge Rich kids parents.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

It's actually also a pretty good vehicle for some of our own young players to develop themselves as people and as leaders.
Probably the best thing any of them have done in their lives by putting others before themselves and focusing on helping others.
Some kids come into AFL with absolutely no idea about real life and therefore cannot cope. They've had people doing everything for them all their lives.
People at Richmond will tell you it's been awesome for Martin.
Sure it's been great for the indigenous kids too .
I think it's a great idea. Wouldn't hurt to nab a player or two from it though!

 

[SpudsLoveChild]

Problem I see with having our own academy is we would invest a lot of money into young players only to see them possibly get picked up by the poor arse clubs (Doggies, Saints etc) for nothing.

Yeah, but it's also great to see the club doing more than focusing on narrow self-interest. There is a lot of goodwill that comes from investing in these types of programs and in the long run that's good for the club.

 

[CHIMP MAGNET]

I think if FJ decides to ever draft another indigenous player they will spend time at the KGI developing their off field lives, which hopefully will lead to us developing indigenous players better. Something we stink at. I also think through the KGI and the Laguntas we can eye ball talent under the radar. Should be a win/win for RFC and the indigenous community.

I'll be surprised if we do not draft/trade in at least 2 indigenous players this year.

 

[Cotcho]

Lol Chimp Magnet. Get's me every time. Best name on Bigfooty

 

[TJTIGER]

Yeah, but it's also great to see the club doing more than focusing on narrow self-interest. There is a lot of goodwill that comes from investing in these types of programs and in the long run that's good for the club.

Sums it up nicely SpudsLoveChild ....I was very proud when the club got the KGI up & running. Indigenous players will want to come to RFC because of the "Goodwill" you talk about & the relationships developed through the KGI. But that will be a bonus (side issue) to wanting to give back to the community....Go Tiges !!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Don't know a great deal about the KGI or how it's run but from what I understand, it's more for helping teach, motivate and inspire young people from Indigenous backgrounds. As has been noted, it's great that our players (Martin and Morris I believe do quite a bit of work through it as well as Aaron Davey from our VFL side) which in turn helps them become better people themselves. The club also gets a lot of goodwill and recognition for trying to improve the lives of young people so they can help contribute to society in future.

If you want to consider it from a football perspective, it may help the club market itself to younger Indigenous people and potentially lead them to supporting Richmond in future. You might even see some of the free agent Aboriginal players prefer to come to Richmond down the track because they might be excited by the prospect of wanting to help mentor young people and the KGI gives them perhaps a better platform to do that.

 

[Albert Ross]

From a football perspective it was largely about addressing the issue of why Vic Indigenous kids don't get drafted. It was intended to address a gap after the under-15 Kickstart program ""We have identified a gap that exists for Indigenous players aged between 16 and 19, so one of the aims of the program is to increase opportunities for young Indigenous players to enter AFL Victoria's talent pathway including the TAC Cup competition."

They have 3 weekend training camps, and 3 scratch matches a year. The players are basically kids who have missed TAC Cup squads, or are on the fringes of them. It is operating at the level of trying to help get kids into the TAC Cup system or providing an alternative for those who missed. Some of the guys who are actually playing TAC Cup participate in the leadership stuff but not the footy stuff.

Considering the player numbers and records of the Vic indigenous players talk of Franklin's and Rioli's is a bit extravagant.

 

[CHIMP MAGNET]

yr talking about the Laguntas not the KGI

 

[Albert Ross]

yr talking about the Laguntas not the KGI

The Laguntas is the football program of the KGI and this thread is about using the KGI as an a academy.

 

[CHIMP MAGNET]

so yo r talking about the Laguntas

 

[Albert Ross]

so yo r talking about the Laguntas

Which is a program of the KGI http://www.kgi.org.au/programs/laguntas-program/

 

[Cotcho]

Considering the player numbers and records of the Vic indigenous players talk of Franklin's and Rioli's is a bit extravagant.

Why?

 

[CHIMP MAGNET]

Which is a program of the KGI http://www.kgi.org.au/programs/laguntas-program/

I know what it is

 

[Albert Ross]

Why?

Because at 0.7% of the population the Indigenous population of Victoria is the smallest in the country, and account for only 7% of the total Indigenous population.

And then whether an academy on this model would have access to the TAC players or only those outside the system would make the odds fairly low, particularly when there are other programs like Kickstart and Collingwood's Barrawarn program to 'compete' with. If Jarman Impey is playing with the Murray Bushrangers is he elligable, or do they have to be outside the TAC Cup system?

 

[Harmichael]

Rookie that Waylon Manson kid.