2016 Draft

[TOT70]

The main rort is that most of their so-called Academy picks are actually TAC Cup kids from the Sandringham Dragons, the Murray Bushrangers and the Bendigo Pioneers, basically ready made players who already have established pathways to the AFL. Of all the kids who have qualified for GWS's Academy these last three years, exactly how many of them have been players who were more likely to play another sport without the intervention of the Academy?

Zero? One? Two?

Zero is the answer most likely to be correct.

On the other hand, how many have been cherry-picked opportunistically from the established heartland?

So, how has this abomination grown the game in a barren zone? Basically, a team of fly-ins, ring-ins and flag-chasers will win a couple of flags. What will it represent? What will it achieve?

 

[Harry]

The academy is about making GWS strong not about developing kids in those areas

 

[TOT70]

The academy is about making GWS strong not about developing kids in those areas

Yep.

The problem with that is that it will just become another liability, like Brisbane and Sydney. These clubs don't have grassroots support. Brisbane was gifted three flags to get them up and running. Eventually, the AFL left them to stand alone and it all turned to crap. Sydney is two bad years away from being in the same boat so they have been propped up every year, virtually since inception. There was a brief period in the early 90s when they were left to their own devices and they immediately became a basket case.

These four Northern clubs are liabilities until they can stand alone and they will never stand alone. They will always be made up of Victorian players and will need to always be successful on the field, just to protect the AFL's growing investment.

Sad thing is they are doing nothing to grow the game. Just taking all our players away.

 

[Dyer'ere]

We may have to look for improvement in his kicking elsewhere, TM. Although I do hope you're right and we see some rapid improvement on the back of the quad healing fully. Thankfully it's not his job to kick. He'll be in the mix for senior selection from the start and all he is to do is buy land from the confines of the stoppage or dish to our glamour mids. And if the opposition gets the pill at the fall, Graham is a bloke who can actually stick a tackle. Laid 16 of them in a SANFL reserves game in the backend of the year.

What was the quad injury, Gyps?

 

[Willo]

What was the quad injury, Gyps?

Tore it off the bone last November 2015,recovered then had a bad strain In September 2016,back running now.
So really he had an interrupted and limited preseason heading into his draft year, played some good footy obviously, but plenty of room for improvement. Plenty of upside.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Tore it off the bone last November 2015,recovered then had a bad strain In September 2016,back running now.
So really he had an interrupted and limited preseason heading into his draft year, played some good footy obviously, but plenty of room for improvement. Plenty of upside.

Yep, actually one hell of an effort to win the Larke medal as best overall player in the national U18 comp.
Hopefully our fitness n medical gurus make absolutely certain that they look after him in his first pre season n make sure he has no further issues with his quads.

 

[turk-d-tiger]

Are there any AFL players that have suffered the same injury ?

Nobody comes to mind and what are the long term implications with this type of injury , And how the hell do you tear a quad totally off the bone

 

[Dyer'ere]

Tore it off the bone last November 2015,recovered then had a bad strain In September 2016,back running now.
So really he had an interrupted and limited preseason heading into his draft year, played some good footy obviously, but plenty of room for improvement. Plenty of upside.

Brutal, willo. He's an unusual specimen. Let's hope we keep him sound.

 

[Sintiger]

But lets hope it happens aftef we get Naish into the club lol

and Lambert(s) and Weightman(s) and Rioli jnr

 

[Jonesracing82]

The GWS Academy should be in and around Bankstown. That's it. It's purpose is to promote AFL in a barren zone, not to build a super team.

Go to Bankstown, drop a line 10 km in each direction, make it a circle, find an oval near the middle of your circle, letter bomb the neighbourhood, run an Auskick clinic every Saturday for 20 years, find a few Lebanese kids, a couple of Tongans, keep a few Bogan kids off Ice. That is your Academy.

Sorry if that all sounded a bit racist. I guess us elitist, sexist, racist white males have become a bit emboldened lately, given recent World events.

one of the Academy's kids they had locked in is from Broken Hill & my Uncle played footy there in the 70's.....

 

[Willo]

one of the Academy's kids they had locked in is from Broken Hill & my Uncle played footy there in the 70's.....

GWS academy boys (listed at some time) from or originally from Broken Hill

Kobe Mutch, moved to Gol Gol (Mildura/Sunraysia area) to get on the Bendigo Pioneers list. Ended up at Essendon.
Lachlan Tiziani, moved to Albury, played with Bushies
Isaac Cumming, played some games (maybe one) for GWS NEAFL, the Allies and Nth Adelaide
So these lads became GWS academy players merely by being in one of the Centres of Excellence gifted to GWS. Hardly a developing area.
With the likes of Dean Solomon, Brent Staker, Taylor Walker (all BH boys) all managed to get on an AFL list without GWS involvement.
It's ridiculous the concessions the AFL have handed GWS. It should be about growing and developing the game, not just having the ability to pick the eyes out of talent and prelisting them

 

[easy_tiger]

and Lambert(s) and Weightman(s) and Rioli jnr

theres a Flea Jnr?

 

[mrposhman]

so they get to upgrade later picks for top 10 picks, with a discount, but they also get to use the leftover points change to upgrade later picks? That is beyond stupid, the very least they could do would be that if there is some change after pulling off a rort you do your change dough. Who came up with this system? santa?

In all seriousness its beyond a joke. The entry requirements for the academy should be strictly Rugby League territory, points re-structured and discounts wound in. The main rort, which is buttressed by a heap of smaller rorts, is the parcelling-up of low percentage picks for a banker.

The competition is brutal, the GWS are already looking depressingly good, and we have to cop this sh!t.

Unfortunately the damage has already been done. There was talk about losing the discount if you don't have a pick left in that round of the draft. For example, they woyuld have got Setterfield but would have had to pay full price for Cumming, which would have impacted their ability to get Tiziani. Damage is well and truly done as they pretty much have a squad of guns, 1 gets injured, another gun replaces them.

The system needs to be changed to a lower discount, remove the discount if you don't have a pick in that round a dramatic reduction in the size of the GWS academy zone.

 

[bullus_hit]

Unfortunately the damage has already been done. There was talk about losing the discount if you don't have a pick left in that round of the draft. For example, they woyuld have got Setterfield but would have had to pay full price for Cumming, which would have impacted their ability to get Tiziani. Damage is well and truly done as they pretty much have a squad of guns, 1 gets injured, another gun replaces them.

The system needs to be changed to a lower discount, remove the discount if you don't have a pick in that round a dramatic reduction in the size of the GWS academy zone.

The discount needs to be removed full stop, even for F&S. The fact they also got Sproule without defaulting to the rookie draft is another free hit. The concessions GWS keep receiving are a disgrace.

 

[Jonesracing82]

GWS academy boys (listed at some time) from or originally from Broken Hill

Kobe Mutch, moved to Gol Gol (Mildura/Sunraysia area) to get on the Bendigo Pioneers list. Ended up at Essendon.
Lachlan Tiziani, moved to Albury, played with Bushies
Isaac Cumming, played some games (maybe one) for GWS NEAFL, the Allies and Nth Adelaide
So these lads became GWS academy players merely by being in one of the Centres of Excellence gifted to GWS. Hardly a developing area.
With the likes of Dean Solomon, Brent Staker, Taylor Walker (all BH boys) all managed to get on an AFL list without GWS involvement.
It's ridiculous the concessions the AFL have handed GWS. It should be about growing and developing the game, not just having the ability to pick the eyes out of talent and prelisting them

i have no issue with the Academy's but all Clubs need to be able to have an even crack at Drafting these kids as well as Vic kids etc.

 

[Willo]

i have no issue with the Academy's but all Clubs need to be able to have an even crack at Drafting these kids as well as Vic kids etc.

I don't have an issue with the Academies either. As long as they're in non traditional football heartland areas. They can attract some discount on those players nominated and who they can show they've nurtured and supported during those formative years.
Just being able to nominate anyone and everyone with a smidgen of talent, do sfa and then draft them with a hefty discount, even if they come from strong, traditional, grass roots areas like the Riverina or live and go to school in Melbourne ( yeah I know one kid was deemed not GWS eligible, tokenism) etc is so absolutely a *smile* concept it smacks of collusion and corruption, from AFL House of course.

 

[TOT70]

I don't have an issue with the Academies either. As long as they're in non traditional football heartland areas. They can attract some discount on those players nominated and who they can show they've nurtured and supported during those formative years.
Just being able to nominate anyone and everyone with a smidgen of talent, do sfa and then draft them with a hefty discount, even if they come from strong, traditional, grass roots areas like the Riverina or live and go to school in Melbourne ( yeah I know one kid was deemed not GWS eligible, tokenism) etc is so absolutely a *smile* concept it smacks of collusion and corruption, from AFL House of course.

Most would feel this way. These kids are not kids that have been discovered through the existence of the Academies. They are kids who are already in the system who have been deemed eligible to be made available to GWS.

Where is the even playing field?

Personally, I think the best way to develop talent around the country is to give each club a metropolitan and a rural zone and make them responsible for growing the game in their area. All players should be able to automatically move onto the senior list of their AFL club, if they are good enough. Divide WA, SA, NSW and Queensland into two zones each and Victoria into ten zones. Let each club progress up to say 4 players each year into their AFL list from their zone.

The draft can then be for Tasmanian, NT and any players who were not taken by their club in their zone.

Of course, do this and the Sydney and Queensland clubs will plummet to the bottom of the ladder and probably stay there for years.

Let’s make no mistake. These Northern zones are purely about giving the Northern clubs an advantage over the rest of the competition to make keep them successful.

 

[Harry]

What areas are sydneys brisbanes and gold coasts zones?

Seems GWS has the better deal.

 

[Brodders17]

What areas are sydneys brisbanes and gold coasts zones?

Seems GWS has the better deal.

Nah, they just run their academy better.

 

[Tigers of Old]

and Lambert(s) and Weightman(s) and Rioli jnr

If they can play I'm all for it but not interested in the romance. We've been down that path with Raines & Roach.
Just pick the best kids available.