The Annual Player & Coach Merry-Go-Round

[Pekay]

Greg, we can't even make a splash in Div 3 finals, Div 2 we'd be up to our lungs in water.

[red dragon]

Rumour is that Camden have in addition to Chris Hughes picked up 3 Ctown prems players one being an academy kid with huge potential.
What's happening in the Macarthur region?

[Coastal Boy]

I don't understand. If SHE are reported to be keeping all of their players why are they pulling out of the NEAFL? The league pays for all travelling expenses(I assume) and gives NEAFL teams a grant which they now won't get. So what's to be gained by playing in the PD rather than the NEAFL? Net expenses should be the same or more expensive. IMO The SydneyAFL should prevent an entire NEAFL team from playing PD in the interests of the competition

[ShortHalfHead]

I don't understand. If SHE are reported to be keeping all of their players why are they pulling out of the NEAFL?

Not all their players.....
Randwick City appoint Marc Dragicevic as Coach for 2015 - AFL Sydney - FOX SPORTS PULSE

[saviour01]

But they have bought Karl Merson.

[chatovadafloor]

He just went home, didnt want to play with u??

[saviour01]

$350 a game.

[Nuttsy]

$350 a game.

At least he will get whatever he is promised there

[often_confused]

At least he will get whatever he is promised there

I am struggling with this. I do not understand how SHE can be playing additional players when I understood the primary reason they dropped out of NEAFL was cost overruns and Club Debt. The rumours say they are keeping their playing list, which must have cost, but can still go out and pay for more players ? Who is funding the final years of players on the SHE list or can they afford to meet those payments and acquire more players ?

I guess like all of the popular detective shows the answer will be found in the money trail.

Merson will be a loss to the Dragons. Maybe the SHE intend to buy Premiership in 2015, after being found just off the pace in NEAFL ?

[Footy Barista]

I am struggling with this. I do not understand how SHE can be playing additional players when I understood the primary reason they dropped out of NEAFL was cost overruns and Club Debt. The rumours say they are keeping their playing list, which must have cost, but can still go out and pay for more players ? Who is funding the final years of players on the SHE list or can they afford to meet those payments and acquire more players ?

I guess like all of the popular detective shows the answer will be found in the money trail.

Merson will be a loss to the Dragons. Maybe the SHE intend to buy Premiership in 2015, after being found just off the pace in NEAFL ?

I agree how can they be in debt but still offer other players $350 a game? who is funding the debt then? surely they cannot afford to obtain all the players and go and approach others whilst they are in debt?

seems all good to be true to me?

[justabaraker]

... I understood the primary reason [ECE] dropped out of NEAFL was cost overruns and Club Debt....

OC, it's a big call to make this claim - I haven't heard it anywhere else but from you, and it's not my understanding of why they are bailing from NEAFL. But perhaps it is.
I'd be interested to know where you picked up your info.

[Tim Freedman]

As much as I love a good rumor from Saviour, I would take what he says with a grain of salt. I think he will find that Karl is actually training with and trying to make the list of 35 with Sydney Uni NEAFL and I have no doubt he will. He has committed to play with the Eagles if he doesn't get a game though but I doubt we would see him.

As far as I am aware he enjoyed his time at St.George but he didn't enjoy the 120km round trip to training a few times a week. We would be more than happy to have him back where he played his junior and U18s footy prior to him moving to Perth. In fact we thought he was going to play NEAFL for us last year but the offer he got from St.George was too good to pass up and we wished him all the best. I could be wrong though Saviour so feel free to correct me.

We are also happy to welcome back other 6-7 other returning players who have returned now that we are back in the Sydney competition.

[Oscar]

I agree how can they be in debt but still offer other players $350 a game? who is funding the debt then? surely they cannot afford to obtain all the players and go and approach others whilst they are in debt?

seems all good to be true to me?

Looks like it's time to return to this Message Board after a pleasant six year absence.

In the years before East Coast won their three Premierships in a row, I needed to defend the Eagles on here numerous times against outlandish, and slanderous allegations. None of which ever turned out to be true. Just search for threads under the name of Oscar to satisfy yourself.

To those who have questioned how we could return our senior team to the Sydney AFL with debts galore and still retain players and attract new ones, let me tell you how that happens.

Firstly I am not permitted to tell you the amount of debt run up by the previous Board of Directors. Nor can I reveal how it happened. But the incoming Board under my leadership as President have worked damn hard to get the Club back into a position where it can compete with pride back in a competition it perhaps should never have left.

The Club was 99% dead in the water but a group of dedicated people put their nose to the grindstone to ensure that AFL footy stayed alive in the Norwest. A further group of people, commonly known as NEAFL players, were all given every opportunity to play football elsewhere. Some have chosen to train at Sydney Uni in an attempt to continue their NEAFL careers. We have encouraged them to do that. Some have decided to play elsewhere in Sydney, whilst others have retired, or moved interstate / overseas.

The balance have chosen to remain with the Eagles to play AFL Sydney footy in 2015. And for the right reasons. It is definitely not money, let me reassure all readers. We couldn't possibly replicate the player cost of the NEAFL years and even if we could, we would not do so within the Sydney AFL. We do have some dignity.

To drag Karl Merson's name into this thread and suggest that he is receiving $350 a match is as disgraceful as it is dishonest. I see that Tim Freedman has correctly pointed out tonight that Karl is returning to his own club, but we hope for his sake that he makes the Sydney Uni NEAFL squad of 35. If he doesn't, he wants to play with East Coast as the new rules surrounding the Syd Uni NEAFL club now permit.

Karl, like those former NEAFL players who have chosen to stay an Eagle, simply like the joint and the people involved. Is it a crime to build a club culture that encourages people to stay? That culture nearly died during the three years in the NEAFL, but the moment it was announced that the East Coast Eagles were being resurrected, life instantly became fun again at Bruce Purser Reserve. Players contacted us to find out what it was all about.

Whilst the Sydney Hills Eagles have died and gone to heaven, it doesn't mean that we regret what happened in 2012, 2013 & 2014. "If we didnt have a go we would have never, never known" is a line that is very apt in our case. We learned heaps from it, but at the same time it crippled us financially.

One contributor on here helpfully suggested that it would be dearer to compete in the Sydney AFL than the NEAFL given the removal of AFL subsidies and transport funding. I'm not quite sure how your maths arrived at that figure but I sincerely promise you it is totally incorrect. We will be competing in 2015 responsibly and well within our means, but saddled with payment plans to creditors that will take years to fulfil.

There is still lots more to be done to restore East Coast back to what it was pre NEAFL and stories put around here on Red & White Online don't help at all. Particularly when there is not a shred of truth associated with any statement uttered so far.

We are really looking forward to a fun and enjoyable 2015 playing against all Clubs in all our allotted Divisions. We hope that we are always competitive and can provide quality entertainment for fans of AFL football in Sydney.

With best wishes,

Peter Physick
President
East Coast Eagles AFL Football Club

[Nuttsy]

Looks like it's time to return to this Message Board after a pleasant six year absence.

In the years before East Coast won their three Premierships in a row, I needed to defend the Eagles on here numerous times against outlandish, and slanderous allegations. None of which ever turned out to be true. Just search for threads under the name of Oscar to satisfy yourself.

To those who have questioned how we could return our senior team to the Sydney AFL with debts galore and still retain players and attract new ones, let me tell you how that happens.

Firstly I am not permitted to tell you the amount of debt run up by the previous Board of Directors. Nor can I reveal how it happened. But the incoming Board under my leadership as President have worked damn hard to get the Club back into a position where it can compete with pride back in a competition it perhaps should never have left.

The Club was 99% dead in the water but a group of dedicated people put their nose to the grindstone to ensure that AFL footy stayed alive in the Norwest. A further group of people, commonly known as NEAFL players, were all given every opportunity to play football elsewhere. Some have chosen to train at Sydney Uni in an attempt to continue their NEAFL careers. We have encouraged them to do that. Some have decided to play elsewhere in Sydney, whilst others have retired, or moved interstate / overseas.

The balance have chosen to remain with the Eagles to play AFL Sydney footy in 2015. And for the right reasons. It is definitely not money, let me reassure all readers. We couldn't possibly replicate the player cost of the NEAFL years and even if we could, we would not do so within the Sydney AFL. We do have some dignity.

To drag Karl Merson's name into this thread and suggest that he is receiving $350 a match is as disgraceful as it is dishonest. I see that Tim Freedman has correctly pointed out tonight that Karl is returning to his own club, but we hope for his sake that he makes the Sydney Uni NEAFL squad of 35. If he doesn't, he wants to play with East Coast as the new rules surrounding the Syd Uni NEAFL club now permit.

Karl, like those former NEAFL players who have chosen to stay an Eagle, simply like the joint and the people involved. Is it a crime to build a club culture that encourages people to stay? That culture nearly died during the three years in the NEAFL, but the moment it was announced that the East Coast Eagles were being resurrected, life instantly became fun again at Bruce Purser Reserve. Players contacted us to find out what it was all about.

Whilst the Sydney Hills Eagles have died and gone to heaven, it doesn't mean that we regret what happened in 2012, 2013 & 2014. "If we didnt have a go we would have never, never known" is a line that is very apt in our case. We learned heaps from it, but at the same time it crippled us financially.

One contributor on here helpfully suggested that it would be dearer to compete in the Sydney AFL than the NEAFL given the removal of AFL subsidies and transport funding. I'm not quite sure how your maths arrived at that figure but I sincerely promise you it is totally incorrect. We will be competing in 2015 responsibly and well within our means, but saddled with payment plans to creditors that will take years to fulfil.

There is still lots more to be done to restore East Coast back to what it was pre NEAFL and stories put around here on Red & White Online don't help at all. Particularly when there is not a shred of truth associated with any statement uttered so far.

We are really looking forward to a fun and enjoyable 2015 playing against all Clubs in all our allotted Divisions. We hope that we are always competitive and can provide quality entertainment for fans of AFL football in Sydney.

With best wishes,

Peter Physick
President
East Coast Eagles AFL Football Club

Well said Peter. Always easy for un-educated people to comment when they dont know the full story. Sour Grapes from Mudge after promising the world and delivering an Atlas once again. It is fine to chase every young player in Sydney and tell them all that they will play seniors and get paid money or travel$$ but to then not pay up is ordinary to say the least. The younger generation are quite easily manipulated to leaving their own clubs with these shallow promises but hopefully they are starting to realise that the grass isnt always greener

[saviour01]

Tim it would be a shame if the AFL didn't honor your staying neafl players contracts. It must be hard on the players but good on them for staying to build your culture for nothing. It also says a lot about your coaching Tim. Didn't understand how bad the situation is with your debts. P.S. it may be beneficial for you to communicate with Peter about the offerings you and your offsider are making to players. Don't you think? Makes your chairman look silly imo.