Season 2016 - early days

[The Runt]

UTS div 5 to be promoted to Div 6

[Benchwarmer]

UTS div 5 to be promoted to Div 6

They should be in Div 3 next year where they should have been this year after winning D4 flag last year.
And regardless of how their thirds go next week they should put into D2 where they should have been this year.

Let's see if the Syd AFL team have what it takes to get the lower grades back to fair competitions.

[Pmcc2911]

You would have think Penno will be a force for the next couple of years:
Winners in Prems
R/Up in Div 1
Finalists in Div 3
5th in div 5
Top of the table in U/19's Div 1
2nd 19's team
17's Div 1 winners by 90+ points

[andreww1]

They appear to be a good model for all clubs of building a sustainable club based on sound financial management, a positive and inclusive culture, and developing players and engagement through their local area.
There appear to be other clubs in this competition that look for a quick fix of buying a premiership, without enough focus on long term sustainability.

[justabaraker]

Someone told me that Baulko has already re-appointed their coach for next season - that's just 72 hours after the debacle.
I reckon they will be going hard to make up for what happened last weekend.

[Footy Barista]

Now the dust has settled on all GF results where do we think teams will (should move up & down) - Prems had 9 teams which obviously means a bye which no one wants. I doubt whether Campbelltown will be returning anytime soon. So what do they do?? We need 10 teams up there. But who?? Syd Uni & Penno played off in Div 1 & they both have teams up in Prems, so no one is knocking down the door....So no one can go based on performance (I know the criteria in Prems is more than just winning Div 1) - They will definitely want a Western Sydney team in there sooner rather than later

I hear that they are looking to promote both Blacktown & Camden from D2 to D1 next year. I know Camden have big plans for the future & logistically they fit the profile for what they are looking for in Prems but are they ready right now?? They would likely finish mid table in Div 1 & get thumped by the big boys in Prems.

Surely UNSW comes down from D1 after going winless. But that means if 2 go up & only 1 come down (Hard to drop Parra to Div 2) One would think they have to promote UTS & Syd Uni up to Div 2 from Div 3 (especially after the stink that was kicked up about UTS dropping from Div 2 & dominating all year in Div 3) so that makes it 9, 11, 9 which cant happen can it??? as I doubt they will demote Randwick as they were somewhat competitive in Div 2....I dunno maybe they will, just looking at the ladder they did finish 2 games last

Wollondilly will likely come up to Div 3 possibly for a straight swap for bottom of the ladder UNSW - Then it starts to get tricky with some teams already having teams in Div 4 & Div 5.

For all I know my predictions & thoughts could be way off the mark, I honestly have no idea. All in all it'll be very interesting to see where everything falls once all the trees get shaken.

[Mug Punter]

You would have think Penno will be a force for the next couple of years:
Winners in Prems
R/Up in Div 1
Finalists in Div 3
5th in div 5
Top of the table in U/19's Div 1
2nd 19's team
17's Div 1 winners by 90+ points

You can see them having six senior clubs and two very good U19 teams within 3 seasons.

The model of inclusiveness has been shown by Sydney Uni to be an absolute winner. Penno were one of the early adopters of this amongst the district clubs and it is showing through. North Shore on the other hand clung to their elitism about people being "good enough" to wear their jersey for too long and are now paying the price, they'll catch up but it will take time.

[saviour01]

True, but the U19's div 2 comp is a joke.

Penno does look the goods as a club. Seems like they do more for juniors than the uni teams too.

UNSW div 1 down, no one else to prems. Surely they can't put both camden and blacktown up into div 1. Would love to see Camden try prems, ece would put 300 on them.

[Chicken Legs]

True, but the U19's div 2 comp is a joke.

Penno does look the goods as a club. Seems like they do more for juniors than the uni teams too.

UNSW div 1 down, no one else to prems. Surely they can't put both camden and blacktown up into div 1. Would love to see Camden try prems, ece would put 300 on them.

Camden? That's interesting they'd probably be even stronger if they had a 19's and didn't have to rely on blokes like Withers and their President to play in their first grade side.

Actually spoke to their President on Sunday and he said they are pushing hard for a 19's again next year and reckons there is heaps of junior talent to come through if they get one. Also said they have a few lined up for next year including Edwins?? Questionable thought he was done and hasn't played for two years plus has he??

Surely the 10th spot will go to a Western Sydeny team in due course? We have to get rid of the bye it's just not professional. Not sure if anyone is in a position for this next year though.

[andreww1]

True, but the U19's div 2 comp is a joke.

Penno does look the goods as a club. Seems like they do more for juniors than the uni teams too.

UNSW div 1 down, no one else to prems. Surely they can't put both camden and blacktown up into div 1. Would love to see Camden try prems, ece would put 300 on them.

UNSW will be an interesting one for the AFL to decide on. I think they will stay up based on their strong juniors. Plus whenever a side drops out of Prems they invariably lose a bunch of players to other clubs, which would only make the existing clubs nearby stronger, which will make it even harder for UNSW to ever get back in to Prems. This also would make it harder for any new teams from western Sydney to come in and be competitive in Prems, which I assume is a goal of the AFL's. But I do hear that UNSW may have problems with their ground in the next year few years which if true complicates matters.

Requirement for any club to enter Prems should be a Div One U19s. Strong juniors is the only way to achieve long term sustainability. The AFL should give UTS notice that they need an U19s team within the next 2-3 years if they wish to stay in Prems. Otherwise they are susceptible to the UTS board pulling funding in a tight fiscal environment at some stage in the future.

[tara]

UNSW will be an interesting one for the AFL to decide on. I think they will stay up based on their strong juniors. Plus whenever a side drops out of Prems they invariably lose a bunch of players to other clubs, which would only make the existing clubs nearby stronger, which will make it even harder for UNSW to ever get back in to Prems. This also would make it harder for any new teams from western Sydney to come in and be competitive in Prems, which I assume is a goal of the AFL's. But I do hear that UNSW may have problems with their ground in the next year few years which if true complicates matters.

Requirement for any club to enter Prems should be a Div One U19s. Strong juniors is the only way to achieve long term sustainability. The AFL should give UTS notice that they need an U19s team within the next 2-3 years if they wish to stay in Prems. Otherwise they are susceptible to the UTS board pulling funding in a tight fiscal environment at some stage in the future.

Do that and you will have the AFL reintroduce pathways as UTS will go outside of their area and recruit kids will will in turn have a flow on effect to the clubs they would normally have gravitated towards. I keep hearing that the approach towards growing the game which hasnt worked for the past 20 years is in the process of change for the better however am yet to see any evidence of this nor the alleged contact I was supposed to receive.

Really want to grow the game be 100 open and transparent about where the resources are being used and what KPIs are used to measure success.

[ZaccyJ]

Requirement for any club to enter Prems should be a Div One U19s. Strong juniors is the only way to achieve long term sustainability. The AFL should give UTS notice that they need an U19s team within the next 2-3 years if they wish to stay in Prems. Otherwise they are susceptible to the UTS board pulling funding in a tight fiscal environment at some stage in the future.

UTS tried hard for 4+ years to get an U/19 side (18s back then) but were denied year after year because the view was there aren't enough local players and they would simply be taking players from existing clubs in the area (UNSW & Sydney Uni).

The only team you could imagine being even slightly competitive in PD would've been Balmain before they lost the "Bruise Brothers". Without them in 2016, they would be stretching to play finals in Div 1.

Both Blacktown & Camden should go up to Div 1 - need to get the West moving up the grades & both would be very competitive. UNSW to drop from Div 1 to 2.

If Randwick were to drop from D2 to D3 next year, they would win the flag by more than they did last year (130+ pts).

[Pekay]

Moorebank seem to be the healthiest of the clubs out west, with Penrith pretty much on par. Multiple grades, womens footy teams, 19s, strong off field.

Rosedale already the best ground in the Sydney area, so Penrith would need to grease the palms of the belligerent councillor that keeps kyboshing their plans to play on Howell (not sure if it's still in the plans)

Blacktown would need to stabilise the juniors in the area. I know my junior club at Quakers isn't in the best shape at present, so it'd take more than one club under their catchment, and outside of their catchment would encroach on Penrith's area (St Clair etc)

Now, I expect a Facebook message from a Blacktown rep, who recently found a post of mine from 2006! And subsequently, baseball cap is on the menu tonight by default.

[tara]

Simple solution UTS and SU up from Div 3 to Div 2. Randwick stay. Blacktown as premiers up to div 1 and UNSW down.

Better solution would be PD firsts and reserves as a 9 team comp and Div 1 firsts and reserves as a 10 team comp. Allow for PD to become a 10 team comp in 2 -3 years and ensure promotion and relegation exists to provide an incentive for up and coming clubs. Place strict registration controls on any club competing in both PD and division 1 to ensure no manipulation of results as has been the case in the past hence the introductions of the division system in the first place.

[Norris Lurker]

An odd number of teams in Premier Division isn't ideal. I think the optimum number would be 10 teams, meaning in an 18-round season everyone plays everyone else twice. But at the moment there's no one club that's putting up an irrefutable case to go up like UTS and then Manly did. We could be stuck with nine teams and a bye for a few years yet.