2nds Official Swans Academy Thread (Player News and Discussion)

Two young kids at the footy.
873d43adf3f6bf5592b235cd4a50555a.jpg


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What is this? It's half time, 9.30 at night, what the hell are they flipping a coin for? Hmmm... looks fishy to me...
 
Might be worth keeping an eye on the kids from the 2022 crop selected to play up an age group in the u18 Futures V GWS in Wollongong last year and same 3 boys in u18 v GWS in Canberra. B King, C Webster, J Nicholls.
Pretty sure both King and Nicholls are tall prospects but don't quote me.

idk anything about Webster
 
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I’ve had a few days off to calm because I’d had enough over the years regarding the academy. I find the majority of supporters in Melbourne who follow vic clubs uneducated dumb ignorant pricktoreans who have no understanding about aussie rules outside of the Melbourne cbd.

Seriously the solution regularly advanced is give elite development back to the AFL who going by their track record are pathetically terrible at running junior development. It’s why WA/SA hold onto their system with dear life knowing what could happen by looking at the barren waistland that is Tasmania now.

Also Why would some kids parents living in Cronulla even consider putting their kids in an academy that possibly takes their child away from them when they’re older. All the work & training to say good bye to them. Ffs you’d rather encourage their schooling and have them stay in the same state as you. Or the alternative, if they’re so good at sport they’ll put them in another sport. Like I said on the MB....a bunch of DiPs.
I agree with your views on Victorian fans of Aussie rules. They want to get every advantage they can get from the non vics. Victorians at least can get local Victorian talent in the VFL and the TAC or what is now known as the NAB cup. That NAB cub is essntially a country league funded by the AFL. There is not country leagues in South Australia or Western Australia.

Yep South Australians and Western Australians hold on and want to keep the SANFL and WAFL alive for a good reason. The moment when AFL branded Tassies state League as AFL tasmania, you knew the state league was dead or on a system the locals wont accept.

I am from South Australia. The moment the SANFL is Branded as AFL south Australia, thats it with me with the SANFL.

It's worth looking at what the AFL is doing at the current elite development pathways. They are being gutted left & right. Pathways in Vic are being run by the private schools and unless you have access to send your boys to a private school their chance of being drafted is getting smaller and smaller. The AFL is not interested in supplying pathways to the AFL - only TV ratings
I have been on the main board about the Swans Academy and my thoughts on it.

I dont mind it and heres why..... I see it as a good pathway for AFL players. Good on the swans on paying 2 million a year to do it. I mean thats enough to fund the WAFL or any State league.

For 2 million a year. You could have a local state league and give them a salary cap of $200,000 each for 10 sides or $250,000 for 8 teams.

Lets look at the NSW state leagues. Lets look at the Sydney AFL. How strong is it? How many players get drafted from that league every season? Not many.

Hell, Look on how the NEAFL has been changed, its merged with the VFL. How is that going to work if theres another out break of covid like last season?

I look at Queensland. Sure the QAFL isnt a strong local state league compared tothe WAFL, SANFL, VFL, NAB Cup or even the TSL. At least the QAFL gets the occasional draftee or 2 each year.

Brisbane and Gold coast suns need their academies too. I dont know if they can fork out $2 million a year to do it. Maybe $500,000-$1,000,000 a year could produce some players.
 

Kiama Chris

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I agree with your views on Victorian fans of Aussie rules. They want to get every advantage they can get from the non vics. Victorians at least can get local Victorian talent in the VFL and the TAC or what is now known as the NAB cup. That NAB cub is essntially a country league funded by the AFL. There is not country leagues in South Australia or Western Australia.

Yep South Australians and Western Australians hold on and want to keep the SANFL and WAFL alive for a good reason. The moment when AFL branded Tassies state League as AFL tasmania, you knew the state league was dead or on a system the locals wont accept.

I am from South Australia. The moment the SANFL is Branded as AFL south Australia, thats it with me with the SANFL.

I have been on the main board about the Swans Academy and my thoughts on it.

I dont mind it and heres why..... I see it as a good pathway for AFL players. Good on the swans on paying 2 million a year to do it. I mean thats enough to fund the WAFL or any State league.

For 2 million a year. You could have a local state league and give them a salary cap of $200,000 each for 10 sides or $250,000 for 8 teams.

Lets look at the NSW state leagues. Lets look at the Sydney AFL. How strong is it? How many players get drafted from that league every season? Not many.

Hell, Look on how the NEAFL has been changed, its merged with the VFL. How is that going to work if theres another out break of covid like last season?

I look at Queensland. Sure the QAFL isnt a strong local state league compared tothe WAFL, SANFL, VFL, NAB Cup or even the TSL. At least the QAFL gets the occasional draftee or 2 each year.

Brisbane and Gold coast suns need their academies too. I dont know if they can fork out $2 million a year to do it. Maybe $500,000-$1,000,000 a year could produce some players.
Seen a post on here (sorry I can't remember the author) that made the very good point about improving the "footy IQ" in NSW (outside of Wagga and Albury etc) so that the kids who don't make it still become the bedrock of early skills growth and coaching in future generations. It's too late at under 16's, I know coz that's where I started and I reverted back to league. So you need coaches at Auskick etc. How academies fit there or AFLNSW I don't really know but it needs to be grass roots run with expert advice, not the AFL. Seen it with League and Union and it doesn't work.
 

tombomb

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I think it's really only a matter of time until the academy rules are changed. I personally wouldn't have a huge issue with the 1st round being uncompromised, and then bids can be placed from the second round onwards.

Problem would be what the AFL does about GWS and Gold Coast.
 
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I think it's really only a matter of time until the academy rules are changed. I personally wouldn't have a huge issue with the 1st round being uncompromised, and then bids can be placed from the second round onwards.

Problem would be what the AFL does about GWS and Gold Coast.
The AFL introduced the rule that you could only use as many picks to match as you have open spaces in your list. They changed this last year due to the reduced list sizes but under normal circumstances the Bulldogs wouldn't have been able to match JUH with a bunch of 2nd-3rd round picks without also dropping 5 players from their list

Increase the points and remove the discount. I don't like the idea of Lions finally producing a top 5 talent but not being able to match
 
The most successful academy player has been Steele since he left the Giants. Pretty sure he's the only AA academy player

The most successful academy player is Michael Dickson in the NFL.
 
The talk around academies and the arguments raised by primarily VFL supporters is legitimate bang your head against a wall stuff. It is funny in these discussions that you don't hear as much from supporters from WA and SA. Its because there are a few influential Vic media personalities who peddle this stuff constantly.

The narrative is always the same. Unless we can have some advantage above and beyond no one else should get anything. They don't want equality. Whenever you raise solutions such as allowing all clubs to have zones in Qld and NSW you get crickets. It is all about sustaining systemic advantages that Melbourne based clubs have. In effect they want us to pour money into grass roots football, develop thousands of kids, grow the game and then at the end of all that, for the less than one percent of kids who are good enough to get onto a list, these VFL clubs want to have equal access to the kids that make it through.
 
Feb 28, 2007
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I think it's really only a matter of time until the academy rules are changed. I personally wouldn't have a huge issue with the 1st round being uncompromised, and then bids can be placed from the second round onwards.

Problem would be what the AFL does about GWS and Gold Coast.

Hopefully it is just a points change, rather than any fundamental change to the academy system.
 

losty199

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I think it's really only a matter of time until the academy rules are changed. I personally wouldn't have a huge issue with the 1st round being uncompromised, and then bids can be placed from the second round onwards.

Problem would be what the AFL does about GWS and Gold Coast.


Won't work as removes incentivise to run academy if you know any top quality talent is very low chance of getting picked the money to run academy would better spent in other areas. keep eye on NGA clubs interest in running them is going to fall off cliff only large clubs will be able justify keeping them long term now as they can afford to do so if same rules get attached to Swans academy they would probably continue to run it but to lesser extent as money spent has to justified to how helps club on the field.

The big Vic clubs and WC have won 14/21 grand finals since 2000 and 14/16 if remove COLA wins by swans and lions as a lot vic fans love to do that anyway. the draft isn't what keeps afl even its the salary cap and large clubs get 3-4 times more 3rd party sponsorships paid outside the cap which makes a lot bigger difference than few cheap draft picks on academy players.
 
The Academies

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has lashed out at critics of the club’s academy system, adamant the league would have to disband the father-son system before it watered down the Swans’ talent pathway.
Pridham told the Herald Sun Victorian clubs bleating about Sydney’s development were always silent about the huge advantages of their own father-sons and next generation academies.

He said Geelong and Collingwood had accepted huge concessions regarding the draft and cost of living without complaint from rival sides.

Sydney must bid for their players in the same way as the father-son system, having injected $10 million into their own academy over 11 years.

The Swans have only drafted or rookied 13 of the 3000 players to go through that system, with Pridham saying the criticism was tired and predictable.

“Collingwood have five father-sons and another on the way and two next generation academy picks,” he told the Herald Sun.

“We have outrageously rookied a kid like Sam Wicks who no one else picked. Go figure. As for Geelong if you talk about advantages, my god they have (Patrick) Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron, (Gary) Rohan, (Isaac) Smith, they are in a town that houses the Geelong Falcons. They have players keen to play there and it’s so cheap to live there. They are spending 300 bucks a week to live in an eight-bedroom house. The bottom line is it has never been a level playing field.

...
Pridham said the only reason the academy system was introduced a decade ago was because there were barely any players being produced from out of NSW.

Carlton’s Luke Parks made his AFL debut this week having graduated from the Sydney academy.

“No kids were getting drafted from NSW or Queensland. So you have got to develop talent. They go into the draft and people can pick them up and if they don’t, they forever hold your peace,” he said.

“We have 780 kids in the academy. 480 are boys and the rest are girls. We have had 3000 kids through academies. And less than half of one per cent make their way to the AFL. So the rest go to local leagues, they umpire, some go to play SANFL or WAFL. Everyone has an academy and we actually do something for our kids.

“Strategically it’s pretty important and there was noise about it which is why the AFL brought in a bidding system. We have had some very limited success in winning three games and then clubs start throwing stones.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

“So anyone who is attacking us and wants to see anything happen to the academies, you could say goodbye to the father-son system.”


 

HPKS

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Apr 6, 2012
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The Academies

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has lashed out at critics of the club’s academy system, adamant the league would have to disband the father-son system before it watered down the Swans’ talent pathway.
Pridham told the Herald Sun Victorian clubs bleating about Sydney’s development were always silent about the huge advantages of their own father-sons and next generation academies.

He said Geelong and Collingwood had accepted huge concessions regarding the draft and cost of living without complaint from rival sides.

Sydney must bid for their players in the same way as the father-son system, having injected $10 million into their own academy over 11 years.

The Swans have only drafted or rookied 13 of the 3000 players to go through that system, with Pridham saying the criticism was tired and predictable.

“Collingwood have five father-sons and another on the way and two next generation academy picks,” he told the Herald Sun.

“We have outrageously rookied a kid like Sam Wicks who no one else picked. Go figure. As for Geelong if you talk about advantages, my god they have (Patrick) Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron, (Gary) Rohan, (Isaac) Smith, they are in a town that houses the Geelong Falcons. They have players keen to play there and it’s so cheap to live there. They are spending 300 bucks a week to live in an eight-bedroom house. The bottom line is it has never been a level playing field.

...
Pridham said the only reason the academy system was introduced a decade ago was because there were barely any players being produced from out of NSW.

Carlton’s Luke Parks made his AFL debut this week having graduated from the Sydney academy.

“No kids were getting drafted from NSW or Queensland. So you have got to develop talent. They go into the draft and people can pick them up and if they don’t, they forever hold your peace,” he said.

“We have 780 kids in the academy. 480 are boys and the rest are girls. We have had 3000 kids through academies. And less than half of one per cent make their way to the AFL. So the rest go to local leagues, they umpire, some go to play SANFL or WAFL. Everyone has an academy and we actually do something for our kids.

“Strategically it’s pretty important and there was noise about it which is why the AFL brought in a bidding system. We have had some very limited success in winning three games and then clubs start throwing stones.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

“So anyone who is attacking us and wants to see anything happen to the academies, you could say goodbye to the father-son system.”



Pretty much what I’ve said on this forum for a while. Got kicked out of the academy thread for mocking someone who thought Mum giving Gulden a footy was enough development. Well done Pridham bout time we called out the hypocrites
 
Pretty much what I’ve said on this forum for a while. Got kicked out of the academy thread for mocking someone who thought Mum giving Gulden a footy was enough development. Well done Pridham bout time we called out the hypocrites
I was going to "tag" you after the word tradition :)
 

HPKS

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I was going to "tag" you after the word tradition :)

yeh it was so bloody good for a higher up administrator to say it. Imo the veil of the Victorian hypocrisy was lifted during lockdown last year when clubs, administrators & players started to call out the huge advantages Victorian clubs and how vic centric the comp was.
 

momentbymoment

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The Academies

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has lashed out at critics of the club’s academy system, adamant the league would have to disband the father-son system before it watered down the Swans’ talent pathway.
Pridham told the Herald Sun Victorian clubs bleating about Sydney’s development were always silent about the huge advantages of their own father-sons and next generation academies.

He said Geelong and Collingwood had accepted huge concessions regarding the draft and cost of living without complaint from rival sides.

Sydney must bid for their players in the same way as the father-son system, having injected $10 million into their own academy over 11 years.

The Swans have only drafted or rookied 13 of the 3000 players to go through that system, with Pridham saying the criticism was tired and predictable.

“Collingwood have five father-sons and another on the way and two next generation academy picks,” he told the Herald Sun.

“We have outrageously rookied a kid like Sam Wicks who no one else picked. Go figure. As for Geelong if you talk about advantages, my god they have (Patrick) Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron, (Gary) Rohan, (Isaac) Smith, they are in a town that houses the Geelong Falcons. They have players keen to play there and it’s so cheap to live there. They are spending 300 bucks a week to live in an eight-bedroom house. The bottom line is it has never been a level playing field.

...
Pridham said the only reason the academy system was introduced a decade ago was because there were barely any players being produced from out of NSW.

Carlton’s Luke Parks made his AFL debut this week having graduated from the Sydney academy.

“No kids were getting drafted from NSW or Queensland. So you have got to develop talent. They go into the draft and people can pick them up and if they don’t, they forever hold your peace,” he said.

“We have 780 kids in the academy. 480 are boys and the rest are girls. We have had 3000 kids through academies. And less than half of one per cent make their way to the AFL. So the rest go to local leagues, they umpire, some go to play SANFL or WAFL. Everyone has an academy and we actually do something for our kids.

“Strategically it’s pretty important and there was noise about it which is why the AFL brought in a bidding system. We have had some very limited success in winning three games and then clubs start throwing stones.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

“So anyone who is attacking us and wants to see anything happen to the academies, you could say goodbye to the father-son system.”


Personally ...
I agree with this.
We need to play hard ball.
If we agree to negotiate the academy system it will be diluted out of existence.
 
Last edited:

HPKS

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This right here is the line in the sand moment. It’s an ultimatum of we’ll fight this till the end. If the academies go this goes as well.


“So anyone who is attacking us and wants to see anything happen to the academies, you could say goodbye to the father-son system.”

 

tombomb

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As for Geelong if you talk about advantages, my god they have (Patrick) Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron, (Gary) Rohan, (Isaac) Smith, they are in a town that houses the Geelong Falcons. They have players keen to play there and it’s so cheap to live there. They are spending 300 bucks a week to live in an eight-bedroom house.

Anyone paying that much to live in Geelong is getting ripped off.
 
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