Forfeits

[beameup]

Most senior clubs do nothing for junior development they just take the recruits after under 16's, pick the ones they want and use the rest at there convenience or discard them. Those clubs that do help out with juniors is only minor and dare i say it lip service rules the day (oh look we are helping our junior clubs). In essence a traning session here and there is the best i have seen. Picking on the uni's is probably not the right thing here. Under the pathway system the uni's need to be accomodated as well. Even if it gives juniors a choice of where to go after junior footy. If we are going to spread the game we need to spread the talent available. 18's should play 18's not 1st, 2nd 3rd or 4th grade. If an under 18 is good enough to play 1st's or 2nd's then they should play there and not be allowed to play 18's. Club's with 18's should be limited to say 30-32 players any excess over that should be sent to other clubs BY THE AFL this will in turn stop forfeits because clubs will have numbers. If the game is going to go anywhere you cannot have the SUPER CLUBS NS, Penno, ECE and St George having huge lists of players and other clubs forfeiting because of poor numbers.

Sorry but will never agree that footy can tell unpaid 16 and 17 year olds that you cannot play for your local club with your mates but have to play in another club down the road. This would be quickest way to reducing numbers playing AFL you could imagine. This is sport played for fun. Besides which there really is no legal way of sying to someone sorry you have to play for a different team in a lower standard league.

Loaning of excess players on permit is the way to do it. If they enjoy it they can always transfer later.

[Junior]

Club's with 18's should be limited to say 30-32 players any excess over that should be sent to other clubs BY THE AFL this will in turn stop forfeits because clubs will have numbers.

So you want to tell a kid who might live 5 minutes from his local ground that he can't play there and he has to travel 40 mins to another ground to train and play... I know what the kid will say: "stuff that, I'll play soccer."

You might want to change your spots on this one...

[tara]

So you want to tell a kid who might live 5 minutes from his local ground that he can't play there and he has to travel 40 mins to another ground to train and play... I know what the kid will say: "stuff that, I'll play soccer."

You might want to change your spots on this one...

Mate you know that will never happen and anyone with half a brain knows why the zoning was introduced, I know your a pretty intelligent bloke, do you really think a kid from Penrith travels all the way to SU to play with his mates.

[Junior]

Mate you know that will never happen and anyone with half a brain knows why the zoning was introduced, I know your a pretty intelligent bloke, do you really think a kid from Penrith travels all the way to SU to play with his mates.

We're talking about two different kids here Tara. One kid is the tallented young footballer from out west that inner city clubs might try to entice to play for them. That's the kid that the zoning laws are trying to protect. The other kid is kid number 33 on Snow Leopard's roster that the AFL 'should' tell to go and play for another team. I agree whole heartedly with you mate on the issue of zoning.

What The Spotted One is trying to say is that player number 33 who was not on any club's radar should have to go to another club to make up numbers there. Essentially he is saying that once East Coast for instance has 32 players on their list, the next kid who walks through the door will have to go and play for Campbelltown because they haven't got enough numbers yet, regardless of the fact that this kid lives right next to Bruce Purser. I'm just using these two clubs as an example, please no one get precious or offended...

[unconfuseme]

Clubs in the western suburbs in particular have a hard time attracting players as most young people in the area regard AFL as an Alien sport.
Do you know how perilous the state of the junior competition in the South West is? At this stage our club only has in reality 7 kids available to attempt to attract to our 18's next year primarly due to our current pathway?
Are you aware that Bankstown Juniors are they only club that is viable for us to look at has been zoned to GWS and this may see one of the better run junior clubs decimated with departures to to the fact that almost 100% of the parents there want nothing to do with it?Bankstown is also a feeder club to three PD clubs as well as another 3 lower div clubs at present.

I could go on for ever but are you able to answer one last question? Why did Paul Roos and the Swans get so uptight about the way you went about things?

... aah yes, "the ticking bomb" ... watch this space!!! It will be interesting to see how the AFL's Nero impersonation works out for them

[The Student]

Mate you know that will never happen and anyone with half a brain knows why the zoning was introduced, I know your a pretty intelligent bloke, do you really think a kid from Penrith travels all the way to SU to play with his mates.

He might want to play at a club that has a team in a higher division than 3rd if he is good enough to play Senior football? Or he might want to aim at getting a sporting scholarship and making something of his future. Either way, the choice is his - nobody at SU holds a gun to anyone's head and says "you must play here". Maybe you could ask, say, our current first grade captain if he thinks he'd be better off at SU or Penrith and see what response you get? Despite what you might think, SUANFC is a great club and a fantastic place to play football - this is why you rarely see anyone leave (disregarding those who relocate interstate or overseas).

[tara]

He might want to play at a club that has a team in a higher division than 3rd if he is good enough to play Senior football? Or he might want to aim at getting a sporting scholarship and making something of his future. Either way, the choice is his - nobody at SU holds a gun to anyone's head and says "you must play here". Maybe you could ask, say, our current first grade captain if he thinks he'd be better off at SU or Penrith and see what response you get? Despite what you might think, SUANFC is a great club and a fantastic place to play football - this is why you rarely see anyone leave (disregarding those who relocate interstate or overseas).

If it came to playing at a higher division the why not East Coast they are at least as well run as yours and he certainly wouldnt have to travel the distance - As for your scholarships I thought they were almost impossible to obtain - that is the only benefit I can see and Im unsure where you are coming from regarding making something of his future? Do you mean sporting future or career wise? Given these kids hadnt even completed their HSC and in most cases would have only been in yr 11 how could they possibly know Uni they would get accepted in.

[DLH]

Maybe you could ask, say, our current first grade captain if he thinks he'd be better off at SU or Penrith and see what response you get?

I'd be surprised if Mark has a bad word to say about Penrith, although no doubt he's enjoying his time at Sydney Uni, good luck to him.

Certainly we take some pride in the fact that we've produced a couple of very fine Premier Division footballers and captains in Eags and Richo.

[ShortHalfHead]

Either way, the choice is his - nobody at SU holds a gun to anyone's head and says "you must play here". .

That would be all but the Collingwood scholarship players, I imagine.

[The Student]

I'd be surprised if Mark has a bad word to say about Penrith, although no doubt he's enjoying his time at Sydney Uni, good luck to him.

Certainly we take some pride in the fact that we've produced a couple of very fine Premier Division footballers and captains in Eags and Richo.

I don't think he would either - no doubt he wouldn't be the footballer he is today without Penrith. My point was that if a young guy is a very talented young footballer and he has an opportunity to play at a PD club such as Uni, ECE or wherever, he would probably benefit from making the jump at some stage.

[The Student]

If it came to playing at a higher division the why not East Coast they are at least as well run as yours and he certainly wouldnt have to travel the distance - As for your scholarships I thought they were almost impossible to obtain - that is the only benefit I can see and Im unsure where you are coming from regarding making something of his future? Do you mean sporting future or career wise? Given these kids hadnt even completed their HSC and in most cases would have only been in yr 11 how could they possibly know Uni they would get accepted in.

I am referring to career wise - if a young bloke is interested in going to Uni and has the opportunity to play at our club why wouldn't he have a crack at obtaining a scholarship? I wouldn't necessarily say that they are impossible to obtain but they aren't handed out like lollies.

I'm not going to respond to your other comment about ECE because it's fairly obvious that they are the benchmark that all Sydney clubs should aspire to emulate. From what I see of them they are a professional unit on and off-field.

[The Student]

That would be all but the Collingwood scholarship players, I imagine.

And Fremantle ones too, apparently?

[unconfuseme]

Big day for the 'towners today ... wtf is going on down there???

[The Student]

Big day for the 'towners today ... wtf is going on down there???

They are obviously going through a bit of a rough patch but turning up to a Premier Division match with one on the bench is shambolic. Especially when that single bench player is older than time. Don't get me wrong, he was probably a great player in his day and a club legend but the whole thing was ludicrous.

[unconfuseme]

ROUGH PATCH ... is it right that their 18's AND their Div 3 side both forfeited? ... and still could only get a token bench player for PD???

Sorry, time to take a good hard look at what you are doing, 'cause it ain't working!

Swallow your pride and ask for help from the clubs around you who are going from strength to strength, before it's too late (if it's not already)!!!