So, where to from here?

[justabaraker]

Asking pekay about baulko not sure how close he is to club, big promotion for amon from reports from players big loss.

Be interesting season ahead for the eagles.... What will they try pull out of the hat with recruits now.

I was asking Pekay about how the Jets cope with it....you're right, he may not be close to Baulko these days but I wasn't asking about them anyway.

Yes, an interesting season ahead for the Eagles but I'm not too worried for them as they seem to be positioning themselves very nicely for what's to come. But, like any organisation growing quickly, they need to deal with some issues that come with expansion - flogging the guts out of their volunteers, keeping up the dream when most of their teams are on the bottom of their comps, focussing on the elite team at the expense of the rest, and the shenanigans about where the junior club is being pushed.
But, if you saw the way the club ran the finals at BISP, and how many helpers they were able to muster, then you'd think that they are well placed to be ok.

[chatovadafloor]

I was asking Pekay about how the Jets cope with it....you're right, he may not be close to Baulko these days but I wasn't asking about them anyway.

Yes, an interesting season ahead for the Eagles but I'm not too worried for them as they seem to be positioning themselves very nicely for what's to come. But, like any organisation growing quickly, they need to deal with some issues that come with expansion - flogging the guts out of their volunteers, keeping up the dream when most of their teams are on the bottom of their comps, focussing on the elite team at the expense of the rest, and the shenanigans about where the junior club is being pushed.
But, if you saw the way the club ran the finals at BISP, and how many helpers they were able to muster, then you'd think that they are well placed to be ok.

Agree on the eagles part a fair bit, finals were well run be a select few, many years ago help would of been even better but all in all the ones who were there did a great job, the gm of the club worked tirelessly on it all. Club need to focus on the club not one team that is for sure

[Pekay]

Pekay,
I read today that Amon Buchanan has been appointed to the coaching panel at GWS, and I'm pretty sure that it's actually a promotion within "GWS/Baulko Inc." GWS/UWS needs somewhere to fatten up their yearlings and Baulko is becoming the place of choice for GWS to do that......for players AND budding coaches !
GWS needs a team below the main one where they can promote, drop down and bring guys back from injury. And a team below the second team for the same purpose and a team below that again. It's the model that they are now going to use in the SANFL.

But, Pekay, how does a club get on when it doesn't have a lower team for fattening up, promoting new blood and dropping poor performers ? How does your club keep the fringe players interested and fit when there's only 22 spots available each week ?

It was a struggle maintaining a squad of nearly 40 with only 22 spots per week. I went through the same issues in 2006 as coach, and now my brother did this year, and handled it well. We'd rest blokes with niggling injuries some weeks, and usually rotate players through the team but keep the core of experienced players in the team. A few dropped off, but they were new to the game and realised they weren't in the best 22. Naming 3 emergencies and having them warm up in their kit helped, and those blokes would then run boundary or water to help out, which counted towards selection the following week.

We will struggle to field two teams next year and beyond, more so owing to the need for resources, coaches, managers, field umpires etc. We could probably get enough cattle together to field a Div 5 team made up of old boys and the newer players, but it's the off field help that is the problem.

Fact is, there's no-one out here to recruit. Until 35 Squadron is set up and functional, there won't be new RAAF blokes coming in to Richmond. There's very little housing development due to flood plains covering the district. We actually were made up up local kids this year, and in the last game there was only 5 ADF personnel in our team. Compare that to 2012 when we played ST George in the Div 2 final, it was 11. Times have changed.

[justabaraker]

I suppose that every club has issues that it has to deal with, and yours sure must be tough ones. We read about the dramas at different clubs through this forum and there's always something going on.
Baulko sounds like they are battling hard to get through theirs, and Balmain surely must be due for an AGM within the next month or so....that will be worth watching out for !

Pekay, it's a credit to your people that you can hold it together at all - all the best for 2014 as you try to put a viable team on the park each week again.

[Coastal Boy]

Pekay, I guess if you knew your 2s would play before your 1s at the same venue it would make the prospect of an extra team much more doable.

[Mug Punter]

Exactly!

[Pekay]

Pekay, I guess if you knew your 2s would play before your 1s at the same venue it would make the prospect of an extra team much more doable.

There's no question it would ease the burden, but would only add one piece to the puzzle.

[Norris Lurker]

Nothing official, but I'm hearing around the traps that two teams will be cut from Premier Division - a 10-team comp next season. That could potentially create a knock-on effect as to who gets promoted and relegated from other divisions.

[Pekay]

Bottom 3 are SHEagles, Illawarra & Balmain. Makes Div 1 interesting if its true.

[justabaraker]

I don't think anything would be decided until it's clear as to what Balmain will be doing next year.

I wouldn't want to pre-empt any conversation on this after Norris asked us to zipp up until end-October.
Perhaps all will be revealed after the end of the month - Norris, you're in the know with the SFL (and no doubt earning the big bucks for your work) - what can you tell us ?

[Mug Punter]

Nothing official, but I'm hearing around the traps that two teams will be cut from Premier Division - a 10-team comp next season. That could potentially create a knock-on effect as to who gets promoted and relegated from other divisions.

Even 10 is too many with Baulko and Uni in the NEAFL. 8 would be ideal, meaning 4 down down.

Baulko and Uni should no longer be able to ridicule our premier state league by fielding their reserves in it and Illawarra and Balmain (if they still exist) need to go down.

Surely the success of Manly this season should see the introduction of promotion and relegation...

[Norris Lurker]

Surely the success of Manly this season should see the introduction of promotion and relegation...

I tend to agree with that.

Nothing kills the morale around a club more than when you're getting belted every week, and have been for years. But if there's an automatic mechanism for going back up; being relegated while a club is bottoming out, and allowing them a winning chance of being competitive, can work wonders.

[Jupiter]

How times change...fairly quickly really. Only a few years ago so many railed against one club being promoted to Prems which had an obvious case and then again when sensible suggestions were made around the lower divisions it took too long for real positive change to happen - wonder whether a look at Prems now is again later than it ought to have been for the Gong and Balmain in particular (all parties in denial over Campbelltown of course).

Mug Punter - wake up and smell the coffee and all that. The NEAFL is the state league (2nd tier or whatever) and its been well debated on here that given that reality its either some local clubs or a rep style team (what I would call a GWS frankenstein style approach) so Sydney based players can feature - opinion is divided on that I know. The AFL jettisoned its plan to get Premier Division up to state league level (and get Swans Ressies back into it etc) quite some years ago. I think that was/is the wrong approach personally but I guess Sydney AFL would say the talent pool never got big enough locally and they couldn't wait for all the Prem Clubs to get up to scratch (their view of what that is of course) given GWS entry etc. Maybe in a few years there will be relegation from NEAFL and promotion from Premier Division, who knows. The issue was always that Clubs (especially in a philistine state) need a two directional pathway where feasible.

[Tom Wills]

An early start, based on what I saw in 2013, ladder position and Grand Final results what about this for the 2014 Divisions.
Would love to hear your thoughts of where it is wrong from the Division you are most closely aligned with.

Premier Division - 10 Teams
1. Manly Warringah Wolves
2. North Shore Bombers
3. St George Dragons
4. Pennant Hills Demons
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs
6. Western Suburbs Magpies
7. Campbelltown Blues
8. UTS Bats
9. Sydney University
Promoted from lower Division
10. Southern Power

Division 1 - 12 Teams
1. UTS Bats
2. Holroyd Parramatta Goannas
3. UNSW/ES Bulldogs
4. St George Dragons
5. Penrith Rams
6. Pennant Hills Demons
7. Macquarie University
Promoted from lower Division
8. Manly Warringah Wolves
9. Sydney University
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Balmain Dockers
11. Illawarra Lions
12. Sydney Hills Eagles

Division 2 - 10 Teams
1. Western Suburbs Magpies
2. Moorebank Magpies
3. Camden Cats
4. UNSW/ES Bulldogs
5. UTS Bats
6. Illawarra Lions
Promoted from lower Division
7. Blacktown Magic
8. Randwick City Saints
Relegated from Higher Division
9. North Shore Bombers
10. Sydney Hills Eagles

?
Division 3 - 10 Teams
1. Gosford Wildcats
2. Nor-West Jets
3. Sydney University
4. Western Suburbs Magpies
5. Penrith Rams
6. Southern Power
7. Macquarie University
Promoted from lower Division
8. Pennant Hills Demons
Relegated from Higher Division
9. Balmain Dockers
10. Auburn Tigers

Division 4 - 10 Teams
1. UTS Bats
2. Moorebank Magpies
3. Sydney University
4. Holroyd Parramatta Goannas
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs
6. Sydney Hills Eagles
7. Manly Warringah Wolves
8. North Shore Bombers
Promoted from lower Division
9. Randwick City Saints
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Campbelltown Blues


Division 5 - 10 Teams
1. Camden Cats
2. UTS Bats
3. Sydney University
4. Blacktown Magic
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs
6. Holroyd Parramatta
7. Penrith Rams
8. Southern Power
9. Moorebank Magpies
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Macquarie University

[Pekay]

If you could put the grade next to the team IE Div 2 Balmain (2) that would make it easier for those new to this.

- - - Updated - - -

An early start, based on what I saw in 2013, ladder position and Grand Final results what about this for the 2014 Divisions.
Would love to hear your thoughts of where it is wrong from the Division you are most closely aligned with.

Premier Division - 10 Teams
1. Manly Warringah Wolves (1)
2. North Shore Bombers (1)
3. St George Dragons (1)
4. Pennant Hills Demons (1)
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs (1)
6. Western Suburbs Magpies (1)
7. Campbelltown Blues (1)
8. UTS Bats (1)
9. Sydney University (1)
Promoted from lower Division
10. Southern Power (1)

Division 1 - 12 Teams
1. UTS Bats (2)
2. Holroyd Parramatta Goannas (2)
3. UNSW/ES Bulldogs (2)
4. St George Dragons (2)
5. Penrith Rams (1)
6. Pennant Hills Demons (2)
7. Macquarie University (1)
Promoted from lower Division
8. Manly Warringah Wolves (2)
9. Sydney University (2)
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Balmain Dockers (1)
11. Illawarra Lions (1)
12. Sydney Hills Eagles (1)

Division 2 - 10 Teams
1. Western Suburbs Magpies (2)
2. Moorebank Magpies (1)
3. Camden Cats (1)
4. UNSW/ES Bulldogs (2)
5. UTS Bats (3)
6. Illawarra Lions (2)
Promoted from lower Division
7. Blacktown Magic (1)
8. Randwick City Saints (1)
Relegated from Higher Division
9. North Shore Bombers (2)
10. Sydney Hills Eagles (2)

?
Division 3 - 10 Teams
1. Gosford Wildcats (1)
2. Nor-West Jets (1)
3. Sydney University (3)
4. Western Suburbs Magpies (3)
5. Penrith Rams (2)
6. Southern Power (2)
7. Macquarie University (2)
Promoted from lower Division
8. Pennant Hills Demons (3)
Relegated from Higher Division
9. Balmain Dockers (2)
10. Auburn Tigers (1)

Division 4 - 10 Teams
1. UTS Bats (4)
2. Moorebank Magpies (2)
3. Sydney University (4)
4. Holroyd Parramatta Goannas (2)
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs (2)
6. Sydney Hills Eagles (3)
7. Manly Warringah Wolves (3)
8. North Shore Bombers (3)
Promoted from lower Division
9. Randwick City Saints (2)
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Campbelltown Blues (2)


Division 5 - 10 Teams
1. Camden Cats (2)
2. UTS Bats (5)
3. Sydney University (5)
4. Blacktown Magic (2)
5. UNSW/ES Bulldogs (4)
6. Holroyd Parramatta (3)
7. Penrith Rams (3)
8. Southern Power (3)
9. Moorebank Magpies (3)
Relegated from Higher Division
10. Macquarie University (3)

Couldn't help myself!