Swans Academy and player watch

[Auntie.Gerald]

Brisbane lost its retention allowance at the end of 2003, not least due to pressure from Eddie McGuire, after the Collingwood was thrashed in the decider for the third of the Lions? famous ?three-peat?. Concessions to the club were deemed no longer required.

Read more: Leigh Matthews says AFL does not fathom it has four expansion clubs in Queensland and NSW

[giant]

This is what is being missed by so many who are ignorant of the purpose and set up of the scheme. It is not about cherry picking a handful of promising 15 and 16 year olds. It is about giving hundreds of youngsters from around age 10 or 11 the chance of high level training (appropriate to their age group). If you read about the Academy's philosophy on the Swans' website, it is also about encouraging them to play many other sports, at least until their mid teens, and also about encouraging them to keep playing football at their local junior club. It is therefore about engaging a far, far wider group of young boys in AFL and raising the standards right across the board. If the odd Heeney or Mills emerges from the system, great. If the state eventually provides another half dozen or so draftable kids each year, even better. But it is about so much more of that.

You would think that McGuire, having lived up in Sydney for a couple of years and having a son of junior footballing age, he would have learned something about how limited the development opportunities are compared to those for kids in other states.

Of course, this argument would be much stronger if they opened the academy to girls as well. Not quite sure why they've chosen to block access to the academy to 50% of the population.

[Matt80]

What we do know is that Eddie always gets what he wants eventually.

I think in Richard Colless we had a president who had the capacity to hold Eddie at bay and fire a couple of good shots back at Eddie.

I'm not sure who we have in our administration with the strength to resist Eddie? Peter Gordon was easy to pick off, but not Eddie.

I don't think Eddie would try it on with someone like David Koch. Koch has the confidence and the platform to launch stinging counter-attacks at Eddie if required.

He tries it on with us with no fear what so ever!

[Auntie.Gerald]

just ask eddie what he would do if he managed the swans

or better still imagine if he managed teh Melbourne Storm who have had their Living Away from home Allowance for some 16yrs or more and it aint going away........why because it was the same deal ie it is bloody hard to encourage footballers to leave their home/friends/family

at least the mighty swans have the best city in the world as their destination when recruiting !!!!

[Ludwig]

I don't think Eddie would try it on with someone like David Koch. Koch has the confidence and the platform to launch stinging counter-attacks at Eddie if required.

Eddie McGuire would eat Kochy for breakfast, on Sunrise!!

But Leigh Mathews is another story. Glad he's on our side.

[Melb Blood Bro]

Caro just gave it to Eddie good and proper on Footy Classified. She raised everything from the top teams playing on certain days to the interstate academies. She said that he AFL had to stop reacting to his demands and put him back in his place. :-)

[Matt80]

Caro just gave it to Eddie good and proper on Footy Classified. She raised everything from the top teams playing on certain days to the interstate academies. She said that he AFL had to stop reacting to his demands and put him back in his place. :-)

That is not going to happen. Eddie will
always get the hearing that he wants with the AFL. An AFL administrator who puts Eddie back in his place is an administrator living on borrowed time!

[Reggi]

I think Eddie loses far more than he wins

I think Lethal will get quite a bit happening foe the Lions. For all of his hullabaloo there is a luxury tax, cola is staying.

I tgink his outburst is more to do with trying to disteact from his team losing

[Melb Blood Bro]

I just read another article about Lethal; Leigh Matthews' hard call on Lions' leavers - AFL.com.au. Theres some interesting facts which Im sure that McGuire will ignore. Lethals a smart man and knows footy as well as anyone (and is far less bias than McGuire). I'm very happy to have Lethal on NSW and Qlds side.

[Red]

A good wrap and some footage of Issac Heeney (from Eyecatchers, afl.com.au):

Starts at 4:15 -

http://www.afl.com.au/video?guid=658179

[troyjones2525]

A good wrap and some footage of Issac Heeney (from Eyecatchers, afl.com.au):

Starts at 4:15 -
http://www.afl.com.au/video?guid=658179

Typical of the AFL site this doesn't seem to be working! Using my phone to try and watch it but it keeps coming up with an error message! Anyone else have the same problem?

[707]

A good wrap and some footage of Issac Heeney (from Eyecatchers, afl.com.au):

Starts at 4:15 -
http://www.afl.com.au/video?guid=658179

Just watched it. Wow, that is some wrap. "Elite decision making, elite skills" and they suggest he is as good as any midfielder in the draft.

Eddie will go bananas seeing that.

This really is a potential embarassment of midfield riches in the next few years given the relatively young midfield we currently have. I can see a lot of making midfielders into back and forward flankers creating huge midfield rotational depth.

And Eddie will go bananas - did I already say that?

[annew]

Just watched it. Wow, that is some wrap. "Elite decision making, elite skills" and they suggest he is as good as any midfielder in the draft.

Eddie will go bananas seeing that.

This really is a potential embarassment of midfield riches in the next few years given the relatively young midfield we currently have. I can see a lot of making midfielders into back and forward flankers creating huge midfield rotational depth.

And Eddie will go bananas - did I already say that?

Now Eddie has the AFL saying our academy must be looked at as it is not fair we have access to the talent and that it is unfair. There really is lots of hatred for swans in Victoria.

[Melb Blood Bro]

Now Eddie has the AFL saying our academy must be looked at as it is not fair we have access to the talent and that it is unfair. There really is lots of hatred for swans in Victoria.

Actually most Vics like the Swans. It's only Eddie who hates us. He's just a vindictive type of person. As an example most non-Hawthorn supporters were barracking for is in the 2012 GF. More-so in 2005.

[annew]

Actually most Vics like the Swans. It's only Eddie who hates us. He's just a vindictive type of person. As an example most non-Hawthorn supporters were barracking for is in the 2012 GF. More-so in 2005.

I think the feeling is different since we secured Tippett and Buddy.