They are at it again. GWS under the pump

[lwjoyner]

I think the biggest problem is not Riverina but the fact that most of the kids go to a Melbourne school steeped in aussie rules culture and that GWS need not pay anything for their training.

[Meg]

I think the biggest problem is not Riverina but the fact that most of the kids go to a Melbourne school steeped in aussie rules culture and that GWS need not pay anything for their training.

But are the two factors inter-related? A boy from Newcastle is not likely to go to a school in Melbourne where Aussie rules is the main game.

[Meg]

Andrew Pridham has raised the temperature by calling Eddie an intellectual pygmy on Twitter!

GWS Academy debate: Eddie McGuire branded intellectual pygmy by Andrew Pridham

[Nico]

And to think I bought raffle tickets to help pay the wage of Paul Roos when he ran the Academy. Now that he has fulfilled his go home desire he falls into line with the AFL clique in Melbourne. What a change from a man who championed his team in 2005, and stood up to the establishment who claimed we played ugly football. To think he took up the job at the Academy, because he deeply believed in establishing/developing players/game north of the border through acadamies. Or did he? He has always been the master of double speak (probably, look) or hollow speak, and I have had great respect for him as our coach and his knowledge of the game, but he may be very well selling out his long held principles to become one of the love children of the establishment. Could his long term aim be to become a commissioner or higher.

[Nico]

Andrew Pridham has raised the temperature by calling Eddie an intellectual pygmy on Twitter!

GWS Academy debate: Eddie McGuire branded intellectual pygmy by Andrew Pridham

Meg, what no one is saying about Hawthorn's loss is that they had a number of players out. What it did show is that their older players may be losing their dominance through father time and that their much vaunted depth may not be there. Hartung was to be their next dominant mid, but he was dropped for the game. Maybe they "retired" a couple of players a year too early.

[bloodsbigot]

Never thought I'd be saying this, but Paul Roos has lost my respect.

Going to the Dees for money was a blow, but I still respected him. This has just sealed the deal.

[RogueSwan]

Never thought I'd be saying this, but Paul Roos has lost my respect.

Going to the Dees for money was a blow, but I still respected him. This has just sealed the deal.

He should now better. I can only hope the comments are out of context ... maybe?

[mcs]

Unfortunately on this occasion Eddie does have a valid point. I agree with MB and RS above, the Riverina should not be an academy zone. The preferential drafting of Riverina boys, who have grown up surrounded by AFL development opportunities without need of the GWS academy, is damaging the raison d'?tre for the northern academies.

I don't think the Riverina should be in there either. But I'll be furious if this falls further towards another attack on the academy model more broadly - for as we have seen with Mills and Heeney, it is working and doing its job to bring additional talent into the draft pool.

[Nico]

He should now better. I can only hope the comments are out of context ... maybe?

I don't know that Roosey has ever said anything in context.

I have no problem with Roos going to Melbourne for money, but he may be better keeping his gob shut lest he be labelled a hypocrite.

[jono2707]

GWS should not have even given the Riverina on top of all their draft concessions. Their ability to draft 'Academy' players from Wagga, Temora, Narrandera, Leeton etc is one reason they are being attacked now. When they produce Academy players from Western Sydney it'll be great, and deserving of full support, but their access to Riverina talent (esp those schooled in Melbourne) should rightly be pulled.

Yes Eddie is gunning for them, like he did for us and Brisbane before us, but this current set up is ammunition for him and his noisy cohorts.

[Meg]

Yes Eddie is gunning for them, like he did for us and Brisbane before us, but this current set up is ammunition for him and his noisy cohorts.

I agree, this is making it easy for Eddie and by extension the whole academy rationale gets damaged.

(Mind you, once the indigenous/multi-cultural academies start producing preferential picks we will have a new debate.)

Re Paul Roos - I think his comments should be read in the context that the discussion was about the inclusion of the Riverina in the GWS academy zone. I think he was only referring to that - not to the northern academies more broadly. And as I've already said, I agree on this point.

[dimelb]

The big problem the Vic clubs have with the Riverina is that it's in NSW, and I suspect that now that GWS has been added to the NSW menu, there is a chance more players will choose opportunities in NSW, regardless of whether there is an Academy in place or not. I originally opposed GWS having access to this area, but since last year the NSW clubs have to pay a fair price (and I think on the whole it is fair) for the talent they draft.

No further intervention by the AFL is warranted as GWS privileges are reduced and eliminated. The level playing field will prevail. The real change that is needed is to repair the damage done to Brisbane (even after last weekend!), damage that was largely due to the AFL taking too much notice of Eddie.

[Mel_C]

I liked what GWS chairman Tony Shepherd said: "I can't stand this constant changing of rules. We have to apologise every time we win a bloody game."

This is such a true statement. Why isn't there such an uproar with Hawthorn winning 3 premierships in a row after recruiting players from bottom teams??

The nerve of Eddie to say that maybe the GWS salary cap should be limited for a period of time. That made me so mad.

I had to laugh how Dave Matthews said that Graeme Allen should educate Eddie and calm his hysteria.

[Nico]

I wonder what ROK Lobster is thinking about Paul Roos sticking his bib in. Haven't seen a post from him for some years, but he was a voice in the wilderness back in Roos coaching days, who dared to criticise him.

[Nico]

GWS should not have even given the Riverina on top of all their draft concessions. Their ability to draft 'Academy' players from Wagga, Temora, Narrandera, Leeton etc is one reason they are being attacked now. When they produce Academy players from Western Sydney it'll be great, and deserving of full support, but their access to Riverina talent (esp those schooled in Melbourne) should rightly be pulled.

Yes Eddie is gunning for them, like he did for us and Brisbane before us, but this current set up is ammunition for him and his noisy cohorts.

I take your point Jono, but when GWS was set up the clubs did agree on the parameters.

Maguire was the leader of the pack of dogs that went after Brisbane after their 3 peat. He is the master of moving the goal posts. Emma Quayle talked about the letter sent to the northern clubs this week putting in place reporting rules for the acadamies. If that is not trying to water them down or making it harder then I don't know what is. They keep going after them and what worries me, and it stinks of a conspiracy, is that it is always Maguire who "leaks" the stories and goes on the front foot. It appears he has been deliberately put in place as the AFL mouth piece on these issues.