Opinion Sydney Swans Academy and Rebuild

Academies, friend or foe


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Jul 25, 2019
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I have no doubt the Swans wouldn't have hesitated to use the full legal arsenal at their disposal.

After all, isn't that everyone's complaint, that back in '05 we used a QC to read the AFL's rules back to them to show that Barry Hall had no case to answer for and was free to play in the granny?

Nah, the trade ban was pure and simple the AFL sending a very clear message to the Swans to get back in our box.

Of course we have been on the receiving end of concessions to help grow the game in NSW (the most notorious of which was signed off on by all other AFL club presidents), but the relationship is far more complicated than the simplistic Golden Child crap you read about us on BF. Power in any high-stakes relationship is exercised on multiple levels, in both directions.

Wasn't it a bit of spite/revenge from Mike Fitzpatrick for the Swans pinching Buddy from under the Giants noses ? Fitzy was a stakeholder in the Giants stadium at the time or something I believe.
 

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Feb 21, 2006
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Garbage. You don’t think there is an advantage for Essendon in being able to house their players 5 minutes from the ground in a nice leafy suburb when for the same price Sydney players would be housed 40 minutes away in an industrial suburb?

Maybe Sydney should move their training base somewhere in the outer suburbs where it's more affordable 🤔
 
Feb 21, 2006
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Don't bother mate.

Didn't you realise when you sign a Swans rookie contract it entitles you to a swank new terrace with a big backyard in Paddington, or a waterfront apartment with 180 degree views in Bronte?

Anything else is borderline homelessness.


10's of thousands of full time UNSW students manage to live and rent in the area for multiple years, absolutely no problem. I did it myself for over 5 years.

But I'm somehow led to believe that it's impossible for a full time professional footballer to do it, even on those on a base wage with all of their food, medical etc provided to them during their work hours?

Lol.

Don't forget Xavier Richards who had to leave the Swans in 2016 due to cost of living in Sydney being too high. Poor bloke got no interest in Melbourne and had burnt his bridges with the Swans but went on to play for Sydney Unis reserves at what I assume was a higher salary than he was earning at the Swans considering he was able to maintain the extravagant Sydney lifestyle

 
Well there's no academy required in WA, SA or Victoria, so is there a plan to reach that level in NSW/Qld?
Yes there actually are. The NGAs
 
It’s funny how all the NGA’s are lumped in together

You could do 2 laps around the outside of Victoria and still not take as long as driving from Perth to where our NGA regions are


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Population density is definitely a factor, but I really do think NGAs are one of the good things to come out of AFL house in the past two decades. Anything that gets more talented kids into the system (and/or stop them choosing other sports) is a positive.
 
Trade ban wasn't about COLA, but instead the AFL wanted to stop us from another big signing


The AFL even relaxed the trade ban after we challenged it. Rumour is we were after Ryder

The trade ban was pretty harsh I have to admit. If your going to get an advantage than why not use it? Punishing someone for following rules (regardless of how dodgy they are) the AFL put in place was a bizarre move.

Lets just be clear that Sydney never actually did anything with COLA allowances, they just followed dodgy framework given to them. It was a Bullshit system put in place by AFL to give Sydney a leg up to compete and be successful to draw fans from NRL to AFL. You cant argue it worked, but at determent to the rest of the league.

COLA should have just been phased out over contracts and than replaced with a system only for rookies and players below the average AFL wage.
 
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Correct I’m surprised the Ryder to Sydney talk has been forgotten about and swept under the carpet by the whole industry.

I have it on good authority that the Swans and Ryder were threatening to challenge a clause in Ryder’s Essendon contract basically voiding his playing contract due to the drug scandal. Essentially this would have made Ryder a free agent for the Swans.

The AFL obviously didn’t want it to get to that point since they basically cleared Essendon of wrongdoing in their kangaroo court. Not only that but Ryder had legal grounds to void his contract due to what took place in the drug scandal.

In addition the AFL and other clubs were still fuming after the Buddy and Tippet sagas. This would have been the third instalment of “abusing” COLA in the eyes of many. Hence the trade ban which was the AFL’s nonsensical way of stopping Sydney from doing this. Keep in mind this all occurred pretty early days of free agency when in was not really embraced by the clubs or fans.

This is exactly what he did to get to Port Adelaide anyway.............thats why we accepted peanuts for him when we let him go.
 
Population density is definitely a factor, but I really do think NGAs are one of the good things to come out of AFL house in the past two decades. Anything that gets more talented kids into the system (and/or stop them choosing other sports) is a positive.

LOL. I doubt JUH would have found his way on to an AFL list without Footscray's huge efforts supporting its NGA.
 

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LOL. I doubt JUH would have found his way on to an AFL list without Footscray's huge efforts supporting its NGA.
He was from a small town with no previous drafteees, and was a talented basketballer.
The NGAs are as much about competing with alternate sports as providing an elite pathway.
 

momentbymoment

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 9, 2014
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OMG.

You don't want to think you did anything wrong, i am saying if you didn't then why did you take the punishment?

Is the club weak or something?
Or did the club actually do something wrong?

The later seems more obvious to me, not some sooky swans supporters who don't want to think their club could ever do anything wrong.
Hahaha
Collingwood fan not realising that not every club has a president with his own media platform. With Eddy on his soap box cutting the Swans down every week, the club decided to pull its head in and focus on what it could control.
 

momentbymoment

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 9, 2014
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I think the academy program is fantastic and all clubs should have similar programs. At the moment the traditional footy states only get access to father sons and certain groups. Anything that improves the overall standard of the game is a positive and should be embraced and in this case expanded.
Is there a lack of local AFL players in Victoria?
If so I agree 100%
 
He was from a small town with no previous drafteees, and was a talented basketballer.
The NGAs are as much about competing with alternate sports as providing an elite pathway.

That genuinely made me laugh. I know the community and the sfa Your mob pout into his development. JUH's scholarship had zilch to do with basketball or your Club.

Still like every one else I am looking forward to his career.
 
That genuinely made me laugh. I know the community and the sfa Your mob pout into his development. JUH's scholarship had zilch to do with basketball or your Club.

Still like every one else I am looking forward to his career.
I highly doubt you do, given what I know.
 
Hahaha
Collingwood fan not realising that not every club has a president with his own media platform. With Eddy on his soap box cutting the Swans down every week, the club decided to pull its head in and focus on what it could control.

The swans didn't do any wrong per say, they operated within rules the AFL gave them.............but surely you can admit is that the COLA system was bullshit and needed to be changed drastically., as it was......
 
On COLA I think there is a case for a small rental adjustment for players on (relatively) small pay. Players in Melbourne and Sydney would receive a small adjustment if they are not living with parent(s) and maybe Perth. Players in Adelaide, Brisbane and Tas (post new/relocated team) would not.
 

momentbymoment

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 9, 2014
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The swans didn't do any wrong per say, they operated within rules the AFL gave them.............but surely you can admit is that the COLA system was bullshit and needed to be changed drastically., as it was......
The COLA system was put in place because Victorian kids don’t like to be away from their mums. Once NSW gets enough local talent we won’t need COLA or academies. We will draft local kids and pay them market rates.
 
Jan 13, 2007
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The swans didn't do any wrong per say, they operated within rules the AFL gave them.............but surely you can admit is that the COLA system was bullshit and needed to be changed drastically., as it was......
The COLA was necessary when it was put in place, and there was broad agreement even on the Swans board that once player salaries are mostly $200+ it becomes difficult to justify. That said, even when it was removed, the cost of living differential was twice the allowance.

As you (I think) said though, the just thing would have simply been to rule a line under existing contracts and phase it out of new contracts.

That they required it’s immediate removal or trade ban was bloody vengeance and the whole AFL should really have been up in arms about that abuse of power.

But I sit and coach Under 10s and watch as the local league just dishes out thousands of dollars in fines against not for profit clubs for “compliance breaches” that have * all to do with the welfare of young children so I guess it’s just the world we have come to accept.
 

Tedeski

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Oct 2, 2006
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It’s funny how all the NGA’s are lumped in together

You could do 2 laps around the outside of Victoria and still not take as long as driving from Perth to where our NGA regions are


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Some reward for Melbourne & Collingwood for the hard work & money they've spent on developing these boys.
Not to mention a few others aligned to other clubs who are in traditional AFL states.
Surely people aren't seriously questioning our academy without questioning this real rort!

 
Jan 13, 2007
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Some reward for Melbourne & Collingwood for the hard work & money they've spent on developing these boys.
Not to mention a few others aligned to other clubs who are in traditional AFL states.
Surely people aren't seriously questioning our academy without questioning this real rort!


You know irrespective of whether the Dogs or anyone else put time into certain prospects, if there’s a mechanism whereby culturally diverse players, including and especially indigenous but also African and Central Asian players who might have had difficulties in childhood, can be kept close to families and home in the early years of their career I think that’s a good thing. I don’t give a stuff if Footscray get an advantage out of it.
 
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