Semi Final: Sydney Swans v North Melbourne Kangaroos

[Levii3]

Jed Lamb on Twitter: "Get around the rooster ????! Still has a modelling career ahead of him @IMGmodels @RohanGary #openyoureye #pirate http://t.co/V6bMbU0iaf"

[Meg]

Well North Melbourne did better than I expected but the Eagles ran over them in the second half. Don't much like the Eagles (or at least their fans) but I hope they can take home the big one next week ("anyone but Hawthorn").

But please tell me that I heard incorrectly. Did the TV commentators really say, in relation to Nic Nat late in the last quarter, "get 'the boy' off the ground"?

[0918330512]

Don't much like the Eagles (or at least their fans) but I hope they can take home the big one next week ("anyone but Hawthorn").

WC supporters might be a little more savoury than some Freo fans ATM

But please tell me that I heard incorrectly. Did the TV commentators really say, in relation to Nic Nat late in the last quarter, "get 'the boy' off the ground"?

Muhammad Ali might have something to say about that

[Swansinger]

I'd just like to see some recruiting sanctions applied to the Hawks. While money was freed up from Buddy, the have raped & pillaged talent from other clubs like the Vikings of yester year. Sure we picked up a couple of bona fide stars (Buddy & arguably Tippet) most of our other recruits were recycled discards. The Hawks cherry pick top end talent, all too often from bottom end clubs.

One of Hawthorn's premiership players,known to us,was a recycled discard :Matt Spangher.

[swannymum]

Spangher is originally from Victoria and played for West Coast. On his Wikipedia page it states he wanted to return to Victoria in 2009. Seems like the Swans picked him up but he never would have wanted to stay there. Still a go home factor involved by the looks of it.

Would have to agree with the previous comment: whereas Swans tend to pick up under utilised players from other clubs, the Hawks raid the struggling clubs of their better players.

When you hear about some player not achieving their potential due to personal issues, the media routinely suggests Swans could sort them out.

If a 'star' is in the offing, there is outrage if the Swans should be successful in obtaining their services, I.e. Buddy or Tippett.

[R-1]

The problem with the NEAFL, in terms of developing our players, is that the team is made up of 1/3, sometimes 1/2, with top ups.

This is a product of our list size, not where our reserves play.

[ernie koala]

This is a product of our list size, not where our reserves play.

Don't agree. It's both standard and list size.

I wasn't meaning to target the NEAFL as the sole problem, just that playing in the NEAFL, with the relatively poor standard of 'top ups' our reserve players play

along side (compared to playing in the VFL, WAFL, SANFL) hinders development....

A reserves team, in a national reserves comp, is what would be best, but due to cost of increasing list size , for all clubs, unfortunately it won't happen.

[Primmy]

Another problem is that the NEAFL don't take the competition seriously. They keep changing the venues as a start. I have watched the ressies religiously since about 2000, but over the last couple of years its been a nightmare. Is it just el nino? or is it a matter of making the Swans Ressies paaayyy...... Hard enough with the small available number of our players, let alone twitching the top ups from here to there.

[barry]

Why?

Because the long term prosperity of the Swans (and Giants) and therefore AFL in Sydney is by developing the local market.

When the quality of NSW players entering the AFL is enough to populate the 2 AFL teams. (Give or take a few playing elsewhere, and few non-nsw playing for us), then we will be self sufficient and untouchable.

The NEAFL is a vehicle for that. If its not strong enough, make it stronger.

Bolstering the VFL with our reserves players does nothing for NSW footy.

[Mug Punter]

Because the long term prosperity of the Swans (and Giants) and therefore AFL in Sydney is by developing the local market.

When the quality of NSW players entering the AFL is enough to populate the 2 AFL teams. (Give or take a few playing elsewhere, and few non-nsw playing for us), then we will be self sufficient and untouchable.

The NEAFL is a vehicle for that. If its not strong enough, make it stronger.

Bolstering the VFL with our reserves players does nothing for NSW footy.

I think they might finally be on the right track with the NEAFL so I tend to agree with your post from a long term perspective even if short term we would be better in the VFL or SANFL.

I think there needs to be a further rationalisation of the NEAFL to increase the quality. The ACT Teams need to become one team (Ainslie you'd think) that becomes a defacto ACT rep team that draws on the Riverina as well.

That will leave a 10 team comp that should be fine for our development purposes. Over time as the academy players come through to senior football the top ups should become better and the overall standard should improve.

Reckon in 5 years the NEAFL will be quite a lot stronger than it is now

[liz]

There will be just one Canberra team in the NEAFL from next year. I think it is actually Eastlake, not Ainslie. Ainslie has withdrawn from the competition.

I don't really see what is wrong with the current set-up. A couple of the non-reserves teams are quite strong. and most of the teams have been successful in attracting ex-AFL players, even the weaker ones. I don't see much evidence that the NEAFL isn't developing players to come in and play senior footy. Most of our debutants have equipped themselves reasonably well. I don't see we are lagging that far behind - if at all - the other clubs.

A national reserves competition might be seen as the ideal, but the costs would be prohibitive - not just the travel but the need for extended lists or, at least, higher paid top-ups. We and the other northern clubs are relatively fortunate in that we have pools of academy youngsters to use, and while all four teams do the same, the teams balance out reasonably well. If we were to participate in a national reserves completion, most of the academy players wouldn't be up to competing if the other clubs had more seasoned supplementary players. And the Victorian teams don't have pools of young players to pick from. For the competition to work, I reckon you'd have to align TAC cup squads with Victorian reserves teams to provide them with a bigger pool choose from, even if the base lists were larger.