Academy Talent for 2016

[Mug Punter]

We went through the TAC option for our son who is an under 18s swans academy. We found there are pros and cons with both options. Given some 65% of players get drafted from the TAC cup it does seem to be attractive. On the other hand sending a boy to board, during his HSC and draft year, adds a significant amount of pressure. He has to effectively start again in a new city, alone.

On the other hand the swans program is elite. It is genuinely linked to a very successful AFL club, whereas the TAC teams are apparently not well linked and have lower standards than the swans. The addition of the NDS program at the swans and the opportunity for boys to play a significant number of games in Neafl is very positive as well.

On balance we felt that if our son is good enough the swans program would get him there. We felt that the fact our son understood the personnel, standards and processes at the swans was a distinct benefit, coupled with a stable home environment and good school as well.

In the end it was a bit of a no brainer. I think the way the system is working at the swans and if you can't get there through the academy, you are unlikely to improve your chances going to melbourne.

Thanks Barracuda for the insights of a parent in the system, overall you've given a pretty glowing endorsement of the Swans Academy which is great.

In terms of the players who are underage U18 players this year and draftable in 2017 who do you think are chances of being picked? Bell looked very good on the weekend and Noah Wright and Jack Hardman have been mentioned as well.

[barracuda]

Thanks Barracuda for the insights of a parent in the system, overall you've given a pretty glowing endorsement of the Swans Academy which is great.

In terms of the players who are underage U18 players this year and draftable in 2017 who do you think are chances of being picked? Bell looked very good on the weekend and Noah Wright and Jack Hardman have been mentioned as well.

Bell and Hardman are the current front runners. Both featured in the Rams as underagers.

I think the next group of that age would mainly consist of kids who played senior prems for most of the year plus some Rams. These players include Bailey Stewart from easts, Sam wicks and Evan kaporis from manly Giants. Joey Reinhardt has been good and played some seniors for unsw prems.

From what I have seen the swans seem to rate regular senior experience for 16 year olds as good grounding and a good step to neafl.

For kids like Noah wright at north shore the fantastic depth at the club has restricted their seniors exposure. I'm sure however in the long run it will all work out.

Other than bell and Hardman I think the swans would see the nds program as an excellent way to develop the late bloomers.

[Leaguey]

With a quiet weekend I had a chance to catch up with a few Sydney friends and there are a few murmurs about the upcoming draft although most of it is about overagers, 19's this year.

It appears that Adelaide are coming pretty hard for Ben Davis and have visited him at home and not sure what Sydney are going to do with him.

A couple other overagers but no further details. Maybe Baron-Hay, Hebron, Wilson, Reinhard and Veale are possible targets from other clubs or us.

Jake Brown is our best U18s, in terms of mids/FF but next year could be great.

Blakely is very good and Hardman could be anything, he is that good and fast.


John Blakey came to Sydney at the end of 2006 after retiring in 2002 so Nick was 4 then and was 8 when John joined the Swans. I can only think that Nick has been in the system for 3 or 4 years.

Good luck to Nick even if we don't good him, someone is going to miss out.

I think we might get a good look this week on the Swans opinions of their topups.
With no restrictions on listed players you would think there will be limited spots for topups.
So it will be interesting who gets picked or not,if any in a game that would be as close to an AFL game as they might play.
Worth noting Brown, Wilson & Hebron are in the
state combine which I understand a least two other clubs apart from the Swans want to have a look .

[Levii3]

Was looking up Nick Blakey and found this rant from Eddie which i have not seen before No Cookies | Herald Sun

I think afl will change rules to make sure North get the kids some how with Eddie and Brayshaw using their media profiles to create more animosity towards the academies particularly if its an Sydney GF.

Anyway Nick was on tv last night as the guys were entering the rooms he's a really tall kid anyone have any idea how tall he is? He looked taller than Horse who is about 194

[liz]

Was looking up Nick Blakey and found this rant from Eddie which i have not seen before No Cookies | Herald Sun

I think afl will change rules to make sure North get the kids some how with Eddie and Brayshaw using their media profiles to create more animosity towards the academies particularly if its an Sydney GF.

Anyway Nick was on tv last night as the guys were entering the rooms he's a really tall kid anyone have any idea how tall he is? He looked taller than Horse who is about 194

They can't "make sure" North get anyone. As we saw with Dunkley, the player has a say too. As an Academy player he will be eligible to join the Swans (if he wishes, and he may be obliged to under the Academy rules - my understanding is that if you partake in academy programmes you can't refuse to be nominated, unlike the FS rule which is entirely optional for the player).

If Blakey wants to play for North (and they want him), I would expect the Swans would allow him to nominate for them out of respect for his father and his long tenure at the club. It is entirely possible that he won't want to join a club where his father is on the coaching staff. But it's also entirely possible that he might prefer to stay in Sydney, might be a Swans fan more than a North fan (having grown up in Sydney), and might not be bothered that his father is also at the club.

[0918330512]

Was looking up Nick Blakey and found this rant from Eddie which i have not seen before No Cookies | Herald Sun

I think afl will change rules to make sure North get the kids some how with Eddie and Brayshaw using their media profiles to create more animosity towards the academies particularly if its an Sydney GF.

Anyway Nick was on tv last night as the guys were entering the rooms he's a really tall kid anyone have any idea how tall he is? He looked taller than Horse who is about 194

Interesting article, but it's a year and a half old

[Mug Punter]

Was looking up Nick Blakey and found this rant from Eddie which i have not seen before No Cookies | Herald Sun

I think afl will change rules to make sure North get the kids some how with Eddie and Brayshaw using their media profiles to create more animosity towards the academies particularly if its an Sydney GF.

Anyway Nick was on tv last night as the guys were entering the rooms he's a really tall kid anyone have any idea how tall he is? He looked taller than Horse who is about 194

He's pretty tall for a 16 year old.

He's still got to grow into his body and he looks kind of gangly and even lazy (which he is not because he runs his guts out) at times. He looks kind of stooped almost like he is embarrassed to be so tall at his age so he'll need to grow out of that.

I saw him play a couple of weeks ago against kids three years older and he was immense. Good game sense, a clunking mark and he can land a goal from 45 metres.

Surely they can't claim he isn't an academy kid as he has been there for years and he does, of course, have the right to choose the club he wants to go to. Doesn't sound much fairer than that.

Agree though that the Academy hysteria will reach boiling point with an all Sydney GF but to be honest I do think that the only major change that will come out will be that they'll take the Murray zone our of GWS and leave them with Riverina for now. There's no way with the parlous state of Queensland footy that they can tamper with the fundamentals too much and also you just hope that the wiser heads at the AFL can see the great work that is being done at grassroots level in Sydney via the Academy.

And of course someone should point of to Knucklehead that we are spending about $2m of our own money this year for no tangible reward

[ugg]

In one preseason game, might have been last year, John and Nick Blakey were standing near me and watching the game. If their discussion of the game and players are any indication he is definitely a Swans fan

[Mug Punter]

In one preseason game, might have been last year, John and Nick Blakey were standing near me and watching the game. If their discussion of the game and players are any indication he is definitely a Swans fan

He's got a bit of mongrel in him too, he didn't mind mixing it physically with kids that were clearly older and heavier than him.

In short I like the cut of his jib and you'd think there's no chance of him getting ahead of himself