AFL to launch 2nd team in Sydney

[SimonH]

Excellent points. They're just trying to slice what is still a very small (but growing) pie-- local NSW/ACT young talent-- far too many ways.

To really give the new side a flying start and a local flavour, the AFL would have to say the following:

'With the exception of overage players taken in open competition in the ND, we are drawing a line through the whole of the NSW/ACT starting today, as a zone for the new western Sydney side-- that means no new scholarships, no more Swans local rookies-- and putting the new club on the field in 2013.'

And what are the chances of that happening?

[Robbo]

The under 18s things is a good idea.

With two new teams coming in, we will need to find another 88 players. So it's important to increase the talent pool, which is exactly what this will do. If the talent pool doesn't increase in Sydney and the Gold Coast over the next few years then the SANFL, VFL and WAFL will suffer when the new clubs come in.

[Pace To Burn]

I think that there is enough talent out there and the scholarship system has shown that over the last two years with a number of players making it onto lists. I think the problem in the past was that if the kids playing in NSW were not desirable for the SWANS then they didnt really get a look in with the other clubs unless they had an outstanding carnival as noone really saw them play any other time.Even if a kid was braining it every week there wasnt any focus on footy in Nsw at a junior level with even the Rams only playing a few games a year. Now that clubs have been forced to put kids on scholarships they track the kids performances over a greater amount of time and people like Ryan Davis Etc end up on a list when if he wasnt with the program he no doubt wouldnt have been picked up by West Coast. IMHO i think having another side in sydney will give more opurtunity to Kids and also more appeal to maybe a kid who is gifted in more than one sport to stick with Footy if they have a better chance of getting into programs and getting drafted.

[sfan]

How about making the NSW/ACT Rams the feeder club for both Sydney AFL teams. Starting next year they could play in the Vic TAC cup for several years and allow the new western sydney club to start drafting from 2009 and play in the NSW/Rams side. The swans could also put several young kids in the squad as well.

A draft from the side could be worked out where the new side gets 3-4 in the early years and the swans get a lesser number. It would mean nsw/act kids would get better coaching and a chance to stay in a NSW.