The 'Recruit' - 2016

[lionshine]

For those interested: https://www.foxtel.com.au/got/whats-on/foxtel-insider/fox8/the-recruit.html

FOXTEL has revealed the 15 players who will battle it out in Season 2 of FOX8’s hit sports reality series THE RECRUIT.

THE RECRUIT is a new 10-part series that follows a group of “Recruits” who live and play together as a team while competing against each other for a guaranteed place on an AFL list. S2 starts July 20 on FOX8.

These Recruits are: Darren Allen (21, VIC); Fabian Brancatisano (22, VIC); Rhett Coots (21, VIC); Daniel Cox (21, WA); Jack Dimery (23, NSW); Matt Eagles (26, SA); Brady Egan (21, VIC); Dillan Jones (23, QLD); Jayden Kelly (27, NSW); Jeconiah “Jay Jay” Peni (20, PNG); Jackson Sketcher (24, VIC); Shylo Smith (25, VIC); Jordan Treloar (23, VIC); Jason Williams (22, VIC) and Justin Van Unen (25, VIC).

Leading the Recruits as Head Coach on this incredible journey is former AFL player and record-breaking coach Mick Malthouse.

 

[Pea Nut]

Looking forward to this years series. Will be interesting to see what Malthouse brings. Bring on 2006 football structures !!

 

[coniglio_number1]

Should've been a bunch of 18-20 yr old elite international athletes

 

[lionshine]

Should've been a bunch of 18-20 yr old elite international athletes

Agreed.

 

[TwentyNine]

Wouldn't the complete and utter failure of the first "Recruit" give you some sort of indication? I'll be absolutely floored if this series produces even a single player capable of making their AFL debut (discounting internationals).

 

[coniglio_number1]

Can't see the clubs wanting to put a Chris Moreland or jo Wagner on their lists. These guys have been in the system for years.

I'd rather it focus on the next Pearce Hanley and mason cox.

Get the most promising guys from the Irish, American, European, NZ, Chinese, South African and PNG combines

 

[lionshine]

Wouldn't the complete and utter failure of the first "Recruit" give you some sort of indication? I'll be absolutely floored if this series produces even a single player capable of making their AFL debut (discounting internationals).

They really should focus the show around international prospects with crazy athletic ability. Would be much more interesting in my opinion. Imagine a young Ronaldo and a young LeBron James on the recruit. International prospects who have always had the athletic ability to become professional athletes but for one reason or another never pursed a sporting dream or didn't quite make it in a sport like basketball or soccer. It would be interesting watching them hone their AFL skills and I'd imagine they'd have a better chance that way of unearthing a few gems e.g. Pearce Hanley and Mason Cox like coniglio_number1 suggested.

 

[TwentyNine]

They really should focus the show around international prospects with crazy athletic ability. Would be much more interesting in my opinion. Imagine a young Ronaldo and a young LeBron James on the recruit. International prospects who have always had the athletic ability to become professional athletes but for one reason or another never pursed a sporting dream or didn't quite make it in a sport like basketball or soccer. It would be interesting watching them hone their AFL skills and I'd imagine they'd have a better chance that way of unearthing a few gems e.g. Pearce Hanley and Mason Cox like coniglio_number1 suggested.

The tricky thing is that a recruiting mechanism for those kinds of players already exists - and the truly exceptional ala Ronaldo or James are going to stick with making 100 times as much in other sports as they can in the AFL.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Wouldn't the complete and utter failure of the first "Recruit" give you some sort of indication? I'll be absolutely floored if this series produces even a single player capable of making their AFL debut (discounting internationals).

It certainly would have helped give the series credibility if Wagner had done a little better. Even if he had done some semblance of something that they could spin into a success story, perhaps just playing one AFL game. But being on a list for a year, never playing an AFL game, and then being delisted as soon as possible wouldn't give a lot of hope to the competitors, or to anyone watching that the show will produce some diamond in the rough player.

The reception the international prospects garnered from the Australians in the last series was fairly poor, but the reality is that clubs are a lot more likely to look at and give development time to those types (as seen by the fact that the Irishman is the only one still on a list) than they are to people who have grown up playing the game but haven't been good enough to make it into the state league system.

 

[master bate]

Might be wrong but on average that seems a little younger than last season.

There's a few guys running around in the AFL who at some stage or another would've been eligible for the recruit.

Sam Lloyd is probably the most obvious one. Kicks 100 goals for Deniliquin, then goes to Frankston and on to Richmond.

 

[Adelaide Docker]

Imo the show NEEDS to be either focused on aboriginal players from remote or regional locations who have unbelievable talent but he never had the infrastructure in place to actually take their footy to the next level, there'd be some unbelievable talent out there no doubt. The problem with this is they may not have great English so character development wouldn't be great and it probably wouldn't work as a TV show.

The other option is for people who were elite talents as juniors but for whatever reason didn't go on to play afl, be it drugs, alcohol, lost the passion or got imprisoned. Your Dayle Garlett types basically, again I think there would be a number of blokes out there who would fit this demographic, the character development would be very good and some of the stories would be unbelievable. Obviously though you'd have the issue of convincing the clubs that you've actually changed and convincing them to give you a second chance.

I'd be very surprised if the current format ever produces a half decent AFL player. There's a reason these guys have been overlooked as teens, if they were good enough as mature age recruits they'd be playing in the state leagues and dominating. They've got to think outside the box a bit

 

[ydraw]

The tricky thing is that a recruiting mechanism for those kinds of players already exists - and the truly exceptional ala Ronaldo or James are going to stick with making 100 times as much in other sports as they can in the AFL.

That's why they are targeting basketball players. There are plenty of excellent young athletes who nevertheless never make it because the flaws of the sport mean that if you aren't tall enough you aren't good enough.

AFL is quite unique in that all body types can excel at it, which means there is a big pool of players from other sports who could play AFL.

 

[Bokonon]

Will go to GWS for marketing purposes

Naaah, we'll keep our academy in Riverina and with a heavy heart, reluctantly allow another club to take up this incredible opporrunity.

 

[Taylor]

So are they skipping the first episodes where we follow the story of chubby guys getting delisted with a tap on the shoulder?

 

[passmark]

Can't watch the show as seeing Malty has a negative effect on my PTSD therapy.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Watching the first series Wagner was such a standout and easy winner, the fact he still was so far away from making the grade at AFL level just shows what a waste of time the thing is.

I agree that it should have more of an indigenous flavour to it as some of these guys genuinely have not had enough exposure to be selected at AFL level, but anyone from Victoria has had ample time to show enough at TAC or VFL level. The exception might be some of the young Sudanese and African kids who start playing the game late.

 

[Taylor]

Wagner's back was a problem wasn't it?

I was amazed he won when he was so hobbled.

 

[Coaster2012]

Do it with the US guys!

Follow them around the camps over in the States and then bring the top 18-20 over to compete.

Each week they do a challenge/training at each AFL club culminating in joing the previous season's premiers for a match simulation.

Then at the end a winner is declared and he can sign to whichever team he likes while the rest go into the draft to take their chances.

Should be the show right here. Make a show about scouting the US for players. i'd actually watch that

 

[Jeremias]

How old was Wagner when he won it a few years ago?

Looks like a relatively young group of contestants this time around - from memory most in the first season were a little older.

 

[00Stinger]

Shylo Smith is a gun

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

 

[grouse mate]

Van Unen is a bit of local legend in the Mornington Peninsula league. Think he had a year at Vermont as well. Sketcher rings a bell from somewhere but cant think of where.

 

[Engimal v2]

****ing Papua New Guinea got a contestant before Tasmania.

Dropped.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

There is already a competition where you can win a spot on an AFL list. It is called the draft.

Would actually be a brilliant show if a club allowed a "Year of the Dogs" style documentary to be done on their recruiting team. Follow them for a season as they track players, observe matches, hone down their lists. What they look for, the background research they do (family, school teachers, social media of draft prospects).

 

[big78sam]

Isn't Lucey still on the Geelong rookie list. The series wasn't a complete failure.

 

[ajdude]

Van Unen is a bit of local legend in the Mornington Peninsula league. Think he had a year at Vermont as well. Sketcher rings a bell from somewhere but cant think of where.

Sketcher won the morrish medal a few years ago, think the same year as Heppell.