Swans reserves to join VFL as a stand alone outfit

[reigning premier]

A Werribee official was quoted in the front page of the Werribee Banner saying that they would be happy to talk to Sydney about an affiliation. Would be brilliant for me - I could just wander down to the ground every couple of weeks to see the Swans kids running around.

I still remember the days of watching Gerrard Bennett tearing up the VFL a few years back. Wonder what happened to him...

They'll love that....

Going from harbourside to sewerage side every weekend....

That should be motivation enough for them to try and break into the seniors!

[ugg]

Bennett's in the SANFL with South Adelaide along with a few other ex-Swans.

[Layby]

Gerrard Bennett, now that boy could play.

Travesty he was delisted, travesty

[dimelb]

They'll love that....

Going from harbourside to sewerage side every weekend....

That should be motivation enough for them to try and break into the seniors!

Now there's an opportunity missed - shoulda bin "sewerside".

[Xie Shan]

Now there's an opportunity missed - shoulda bin "sewerside".

It's definitely the off-season

[Bloody Hell]

How is thrashing sides each week and ridding the competition of unpredictability "developing" the league?

Have you watched a game in this comp?...you seem very negative.

[reigning premier]

Now there's an opportunity missed - shoulda bin "sewerside".

Nah... Actually changed it from "sewerside".... Thought that might be drawing the bow just a little to far!

[Glenn]

Have you watched a game in this comp?...you seem very negative.

Don't see it as neagitive just realist, you have a professional side vs at best semi amatures.
This improves the competition how exactly, and more importantly how does this improve the Swans players.

[Robbo]

Have you watched a game in this comp?...you seem very negative.

Not being negative, just wondering how people can say our presence is "improving" the competition? All we do is make the competition extremely predictable - How is that good for a competition?

[hammo]

Not being negative, just wondering how people can say our presence is "improving" the competition? All we do is make the competition extremely predictable - How is that good for a competition?

I was going to paraphrase, but I think ROKL said it best here:

You might be surprised. it is generally considered a good thing. For instance, a young fellow at work plays for the Queanbeyan Tigers. He is pretty confident that they can win (I certainly think that are not without a chance). But he is busting a gut toplay against Grundy, Vogels, Barlow, Moore et al. Knowing that you can have a go and test yourself against guys that have played AFL - or in the case of the genuine reserves have been identified as potential AFL footballers - is a huge buzz for a lot of the guys here. While the inclusion of the Swans has lop-sided the comp it probably has raised the standard of 2 or 3 of the teams and the football generally. A combined ACT/Sydney and maybe Wollongong/Newcastle league would be a fantastic thing - possibly played in divisions or structured in some way to minimise travel and costs. I am looking forward to this week end's GF. Best bit will be that there will be less than 500 there, it will cost $7 to get in and nothing to park, the sun will be warm(ish) the beer will be cold and chances are the pies will be Villies!

[Robbo]

So basically, what ROKL is saying is that having a team of gun players in the competition lifts other sides because they want to try and match it with AFL players, using that as motivation to play well.

But wouldn't the prospect of winning a premiership motivate these other sides more?

[cos789]

The simple solution is to divide the ressies into two sides .
Bolsters Sydney's strength and makes the ACTAFL more interesting
and competitive.

.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

But don't you think if the Swans put their hand up and helped develop the Sydney AFL to standard good enough to help develop younger players (a relative standard that it was at prior to the Swans arriving in Sydney), that would be just as good as putting them anywhere else???

No, I don't. We saw how laughable the matches against SFL teams were a few seasons ago. Cricket scores worse than what we are having now & even less pressure than what is placed on our up & coming players than they now face in the ACTAFL.

It is NOT the job of the Swans to bring the standard of the SFL up. The reverse effect will occur. The SFL will bring the Swans reserves players down to their level. They will still be in 2nd gear yet will be racking up 40 possessions & kicking 6 goals a game. They will get sloppy & injured players will not be seriously tested.

I'd rather we stay in the ACTAFL than move to the SFL again. But when you consider the club made a $500000 profit this season & playing in the VFL would cost at least that, it is the Catch 22 as to what is most important-saving cash or providing fridge & injured players a chance to rebuild properly.

the Sydney Swans are a $52M industry these days. I feel the investment in playing in the VFL would bear fruit in the short to mid term, if not long term as well.

JF

[Foreign Legion]

Spot on JF.

We can't be trying to develop leagues while trying to develop our younger players to be ready to play at the BEST level.

Sydney league is best left to the AFL to throw a bit of cash at to maybe develop a semi-pro league. You can list the Swans players who have played 20+ games since we left the VFL on one hand I'm sure.

We reaped the benefit of several players getting experience in the VFL and helped us win the 2005 GF. Rejoining at this level is actually more important than who we draft this year.

The rookie list is our secret weapon.

[Layby]

No, I don't. We saw how laughable the matches against SFL teams were a few seasons ago. Cricket scores worse than what we are having now & even less pressure than what is placed on our up & coming players than they now face in the ACTAFL.

It is NOT the job of the Swans to bring the standard of the SFL up. The reverse effect will occur. The SFL will bring the Swans reserves players down to their level. They will still be in 2nd gear yet will be racking up 40 possessions & kicking 6 goals a game. They will get sloppy & injured players will not be seriously tested.

I'd rather we stay in the ACTAFL than move to the SFL again. But when you consider the club made a $500000 profit this season & playing in the VFL would cost at least that, it is the Catch 22 as to what is most important-saving cash or providing fridge & injured players a chance to rebuild properly.

the Sydney Swans are a $52M industry these days. I feel the investment in playing in the VFL would bear fruit in the short to mid term, if not long term as well.

JF

Sorry JF

But if i remember correctly you championed the SFL and bemoaned the Swans lack of interest in the comp when you lived in Sydney.

Why the sudden change of heart ?