2015 academy discussion thread (with some FS thrown in for good measure)

[Conor_Dillon]

Geez I hope you're right 707! In recent memory though I can't remember any 16 year olds having the impact that he had in an AFL reserves team. He put up some ridiculous numbers.

[Mug Punter]

Not so, plenty of players who were touted early as No.1 slipped a number of places and plenty have come from no where to the very pointy end. If you read the commentaries, there are a number of players that will have recruiters salivating before Mills even gets a game. Midielders are the most numerous types in a draft, KP players always command more attention as do X factor types like Bontempelli so Mills is no certainty to atract a high bid.

It will also depend on who finishes in the bottom part of the table. Brisbane and GC being fellow academy holders won't cut our lunch, Carlton will go for a KP. Glad to see Melbourne win on the weekend, puts the spoiling Roos further up the ladder.

Quietly confident we'll be ok, providing Mills doesn't absolutely rip it up when he does play. Surely he knows the state of play :-)

Without tanking surely Mills can take it easy this season a little

- - - Updated - - -

Don't know if this has been raised already but here goes.
Is it possible that we take both Mills and Dunkley this year, therefore mortgaging the next few years' draft because we know that there are no top draft picks coming through the academy in the next couple of years?

Doesn't sound likely but anything is possible.

I am surprised at the reaction of the club though. I thought we would have fought a little harder.

Absolutely the ability to pick and choose which drafts it goes hard at for top picks and which drafts it stacks mid draft talent around the 30-40 mark is a HUGE advantage

[707]

More good news, KPF Schache kicked 8.4 for Vic Country in their win over WA today. Got to love these kids racing up the draft ladder. More good news, Dunkley not playing either - all good!

[Conor_Dillon]

I don't place too much importance on what he has to say but Terry Wallace had Mills being pick 4 and Dunkley being pick 10 in his mock draft on TAC Cup Future Stars yesterday.
Interestingly he had Hopper from the GWS Academy ahead of Callum.

[Mug Punter]

I don't place too much importance on what he has to say but Terry Wallace had Mills being pick 4 and Dunkley being pick 10 in his mock draft on TAC Cup Future Stars yesterday.
Interestingly he had Hopper from the GWS Academy ahead of Callum.

Must admit that I do have concerns about phantom bidding from Melbourne clubs but I do believe this will ease over time.

[Conor_Dillon]

I think with a player of Callum's ability we will definitely see a club bid with a top 2 or 3 pick simply because they know he is too good for us to let slide. Dunkley's draft range means clubs should be less likely to put in a bid unless they genuinely think he's worth it.
It's been mentioned before but our best scenario is Carlton bottom then Brisbane and the Suns making up the rest of he bottom 3. It's highly unlikely that a northern club would bid on another northern clubs academy prospect given we're all fighting the same fight.

[707]

U16 RAMs squad named, 9 Swans, 16 GWS, shows the zoning bias towards GWS that will have to be sorted out sooner rather than later given the way the GWS list is looking - being able to field a full team of top ten picks means it's looking bloody ominous!

[Mug Punter]

U16 RAMs squad named, 9 Swans, 16 GWS, shows the zoning bias towards GWS that will have to be sorted out sooner rather than later given the way the GWS list is looking - being able to field a full team of top ten picks means it's looking bloody ominous!

At the risk of seeming a hypocrite I do think that the idea of the Academy System is to develop the code in developing areas.

So, areas with a strong AFL presence such as the Riverina might well be not be suitable long term, especially where the investment by GWS is not substantial. I also find it hard to see how that someone playing for the Murray Bushrangers can also be drafted under the academy system.

I also see an absolute neglect of the GWS zone in Sydney and indeed their "investment" in Manly is surreal as I would think Manly is in the Swans zone.

A nibbling back of the GWS zone may well be in order.....

[unconfuseme]

At the risk of seeming a hypocrite I do think that the idea of the Academy System is to develop the code in developing areas.

So, areas with a strong AFL presence such as the Riverina might well be not be suitable long term, especially where the investment by GWS is not substantial. I also find it hard to see how that someone playing for the Murray Bushrangers can also be drafted under the academy system.

I also see an absolute neglect of the GWS zone in Sydney and indeed their "investment" in Manly is surreal as I would think Manly is in the Swans zone.

A nibbling back of the GWS zone may well be in order.....

All perfectly logical thinking there MP ... but this is AFL.

Wont happen before GWS wins a flag and the franchise is entrenched in the Western Sydney Psyche (though I'm tipping it will take more than that).

Whilst you are top dog, you must never be seen to bite the hand that feeds you (even if you have been catching and killing your own for years!) ... Swans have (quietly) protested the zoning for nigh on 7 years now, (it was only to be for 4 years).

Irony is that the most successful GWS Academy Graduate is Harry Cunningham ... proving once again that success has little correlation to the draft picks you get, or where you get them from, but how you build and maintain your list (ask Mick Malthouse about it!).

It's all a moot point if Eddie keeps pushing and the benefits of an Academy are further diluted ... why pump perfectly good money in, to benefit the league - there simply won't be any Academys.

[Mug Punter]

All perfectly logical thinking there MP ... but this is AFL.

Wont happen before GWS wins a flag and the franchise is entrenched in the Western Sydney Psyche (though I'm tipping it will take more than that).

Whilst you are top dog, you must never be seen to bite the hand that feeds you (even if you have been catching and killing your own for years!) ... Swans have (quietly) protested the zoning for nigh on 7 years now, (it was only to be for 4 years).

Irony is that the most successful GWS Academy Graduate is Harry Cunningham ... proving once again that success has little correlation to the draft picks you get, or where you get them from, but how you build and maintain your list (ask Mick Malthouse about it!).

It's all a moot point if Eddie keeps pushing and the benefits of an Academy are further diluted ... why pump perfectly good money in, to benefit the league - there simply won't be any Academys.

Swans - Sydney East, North Shore, Shire and Hills districts plus northen NSW

GWS - Canberra, Illawarra and south coast, NSW south of Sydney to Canberra and Westerm Sydney

Seems a fair split to me

The thing that really really annoys me is that GWS have not embraced the academy system in its spirit.

They treat the Riverina as a recruitment zone and not a develpoment area and are negligent in their duty to develop Western Sydney club who are in dire need of help.

Take it off them and force them to use the academy to develop players

[stevoswan]

Interesting opinion and quote from Leon Cameron, while defending the GWS Academy(and zone size) on afl.com.au, Cameron believes it's the club's positive on-field results that have thrust the academy debate into overdrive this year. (Sound familiar?)

"People just look at it because of where the club is at. This time last year if the Sydney Swans had finished last, would we be talking about Isaac Heeney?" Cameron said. Too true........but Fathead would argue otherwise, of course.

[Mug Punter]

Interesting opinion and quote from Leon Cameron, while defending the GWS Academy(and zone size) on afl.com.au, Cameron believes it's the club's positive on-field results that have thrust the academy debate into overdrive this year. (Sound familiar?)

"People just look at it because of where the club is at. This time last year if the Sydney Swans had finished last, would we be talking about Isaac Heeney?" Cameron said. Too true........but Fathead would argue otherwise, of course.

I can see the Melbourne clubs point of view re this.

Our argument is that we need the academies to

(1) Drive development on areas that are underdeveloped
(2) Provide community engagement for the clubs

It is not to provide recruitmenmt zones

The Riverina region for GWS is tenuous on both of those points and they have done themselves no favours with their approach to the academies so far

[Pmcc2911]

I see Jake Veale is making his NEAFL debut this weekend.

[Reggi]

Gws zone is just a rort

[Mug Punter]

Gws zone is just a rort

Especially when they get plain neglect their Sydney region.

I just hope there is a decent period to illustrate how un-even the split is so we don't have too much of our zone given to them.

All we ask for is fairness and I reckon Canberra plus half of Sydney, including the fastest growing, is more than fair.