Grand Final: Sydney Swans Reserves v Giants @ Blacktown Sunday 11th Sept 1.30pm

[mcs]

Surprise, surprise, Newman BOG. Why oh why has he not had a senior debut?

We now have a genuine vacancy in the back half and this week he will be putting his feet under the desks of suitors and ask for a trade.

Assume Laidler and Nanks were withdrawn to cover for Mills and Tippo? Sounds like we wuz unlucky not to win.

We had our chances, but it truly was a game that could have went either way. Might have found a winner ourselves had the umps not pulled a tough free kick out when we were about to lock it up for a ball up, with a couple of minutes to go, right in front of the goals.

Hope Findlayson gets a nice little holiday in 2017 for what he did to Jones...

[dejavoodoo44]

Seeing some of the dribble from the plastic fans that have suddenly emerged from the factory over the past 24 hours has got me well and truly there. Was never a fan of the approach by the AFL (should have shuffled an excess Melbourne team out there), but now the arrogance is translating from their players to the fan base, that's enough for me. The next 5-10 years are going to be a testing time for the AFL - not sure how long the rest of the league will put up with them dominating the competition, which with their ever regenerating 'cheat code' list of players, they should do. First stop should be to remove the border area players from their 'academy' setup.

But the damage is already done - after they trade their substantially talented excess players this year, they'll probably have 4 or 5 1st round draft picks to fill their list up with again - around and around that mulberry bush we will go. That's before even thinking about their cherry picking of players from the border area that should be in the draft pool proper.

I hope the AFL enjoys what it sows...

Yes, I thought that we got dudded in the academy zoning, where they seemed to draw a line somewhere near Homebush and they got everything west of that line. So they got the stronger AFL areas of Canberra and the Riverina, while we got Newcastle and the North Coast. Bizarrely, they even had the NT for a while. I think a big challenge for our administrators, will be to limit the recruitment power of GWS, while resisting the more generalized anti-academy arguments, that are bound to keep emerging from certain Victorian clubs that are used to getting their own way.
I still think that there is a good argument for a GWS academy, but it should be much more focused on non- traditional areas: Western Sydney and Western NSW. I could even cope with them having the ACT, but Southern NSW? Nup.
Let's hope the Qld clubs help us make that point, because they need academies more than anyone.

[mcs]

Yes, I thought that we got dudded in the academy zoning, where they seemed to draw a line somewhere near Homebush and they got everything west of that line. So they got the stronger AFL areas of Canberra and the Riverina, while we got Newcastle and the North Coast. Bizarrely, they even had the NT for a while. I think a big challenge for our administrators, will be to limit the recruitment power of GWS, while resisting the more generalized anti-academy arguments, that are bound to keep emerging from certain Victorian clubs that are used to getting their own way.
I still think that there is a good argument for a GWS academy, but it should be much more focused on non- traditional areas: Western Sydney and Western NSW. I could even cope with them having the ACT, but Southern NSW? Nup.
Let's hope the Qld clubs help us make that point, because they need academies more than anyone.

I have no issue with the split of the zone in Sydney - although as you say, seems GWS got the lions share. But the fact is they don't need to even focus on developing players in that zone while they have access to those guys down round the border area - who are already playing football, many go to school in Victoria, and which the GWS academy has to do the bare minimum to develop. I know Mug Punter goes hard on this topic every time it comes up, and I agree with him. It is as close to a 'zone' selection as one can get under the current setup.

The academies should be used to grow the game in areas where AFL is clearly not a 1st choice sport, and there is genuine competition for developing youngsters into AFL standard players. It shouldn't be a workaround to get access to existing talent, which a reasonable part of the zone GWS has down round the border areas clearly fits into.

[aardvark]

Nice win for the "COLA" Giants........

[dejavoodoo44]

I have no issue with the split of the zone in Sydney - although as you say, seems GWS got the lions share. But the fact is they don't need to even focus on developing players in that zone while they have access to those guys down round the border area - who are already playing football, many go to school in Victoria, and which the GWS academy has to do the bare minimum to develop. I know Mug Punter goes hard on this topic every time it comes up, and I agree with him. It is as close to a 'zone' selection as one can get under the current setup.

The academies should be used to grow the game in areas where AFL is clearly not a 1st choice sport, and there is genuine competition for developing youngsters into AFL standard players. It shouldn't be a workaround to get access to existing talent, which a reasonable part of the zone GWS has down round the border areas clearly fits into.

And of course, I am wondering how long it's going to take them, to make the big announcement, "We're drafting somebody from Western Sydney"? Or in ten years time, what will they have more of: players from Western Sydney, or premierships?

[ugg]

Best Players: N. Newman, J. Foote, Z. Jones, J. Rose, L. Melican, B. Jack

[barry]

I love having the giants here in sydney. Yesterday's game was awesome for first 2.5 quarters.
Neafl gf was a great last quarter.

What the glass half empty'ers fail to realize is that GWS bring in a lot of talent into sydney. Some will like it and stay. We should be targetting them.

It must be easier to convince s fringe GWs player to come to swans than any other club .

[liz]

I hate the Giants. Got that out of my system. Good.

Strange game in the sense that, on paper, the Giants were much stronger (in the sense that their reserves players are comprised substantially of quite high draft picks while ours are mostly ex-rookies). I didn't think our more experienced Swans players played that well and yet we were in it right up to the end. In particular, I thought Cunningham and Towers were disappointing for players with as much senior experience under their belts as they have.

The players who kept us in it with their intensity were, IMO, Jack (but butchered the ball a bit), Jones, Rose, Foote, Newman and Leonardis. Surprised to see Leonardis not named amongst the best. I thought he was terrific. Murray, Robinson and Melican were OK too. Davis looked a little slow - probably struggling for fitness after a decent stint out injured. Ted did OK in defence but dropped a mark at a crucial time to give the Giants back the lead. Dawson's intensity wasn't as good as I might have hoped. Hope he has a strong pre-season and gets his body right because his season hasn't progressed as well as his pre-season campaign suggested it might.

The losses of Jones and Leonardis in the final quarter didn't help the Swans' cause. And Nankervis would have made a world of difference out there.

[ugg]

[dejavoodoo44]

I love having the giants here in sydney. Yesterday's game was awesome for first 2.5 quarters.
Neafl gf was a great last quarter.

What the glass half empty'ers fail to realize is that GWS bring in a lot of talent into sydney. Some will like it and stay. We should be targetting them.

It must be easier to convince s fringe GWs player to come to swans than any other club .

Can't quite see any evidence for assumption? Giants players that have gone to the Swans? Zero? Giants players that they've traded out for further high draft picks? Plenty.

[Meg]

I hate the Giants. Got that out of my system. Good.

Thanks Liz! I've been walking around all day with a sense of suppressed anger which hasn't improved with the news about Tippett's cracked jaw and Jones being knocked out.

Glad I'm not alone.

[barry]

Can't quite see any evidence for assumption? Giants players that have gone to the Swans? Zero? Giants players that they've traded out for further high draft picks? Plenty.

Make it happen.

[stevoswan]

I love having the giants here in sydney. Yesterday's game was awesome for first 2.5 quarters.
Neafl gf was a great last quarter.

What the glass half empty'ers fail to realize is that GWS bring in a lot of talent into sydney. Some will like it and stay. We should be targetting them.

It must be easier to convince s fringe GWs player to come to swans than any other club .

Then you should just barrack for them then. You live out there, it makes sense. See ya.

[mcs]

I hate the Giants. Got that out of my system. Good.

Strange game in the sense that, on paper, the Giants were much stronger (in the sense that their reserves players are comprised substantially of quite high draft picks while ours are mostly ex-rookies). I didn't think our more experienced Swans players played that well and yet we were in it right up to the end. In particular, I thought Cunningham and Towers were disappointing for players with as much senior experience under their belts as they have.

The players who kept us in it with their intensity were, IMO, Jack (but butchered the ball a bit), Jones, Rose, Foote, Newman and Leonardis. Surprised to see Leonardis not named amongst the best. I thought he was terrific. Murray, Robinson and Melican were OK too. Davis looked a little slow - probably struggling for fitness after a decent stint out injured. Ted did OK in defence but dropped a mark at a crucial time to give the Giants back the lead. Dawson's intensity wasn't as good as I might have hoped. Hope he has a strong pre-season and gets his body right because his season hasn't progressed as well as his pre-season campaign suggested it might.

The losses of Jones and Leonardis in the final quarter didn't help the Swans' cause. And Nankervis would have made a world of difference out there.

As always, a good summation Liz. I was impressed by Leonardis before the injury, he did very well.

Cant believe again Galloway got a big duck egg in terms of possessions! All credit to TDrex for valiant efforts in the ruck, basically toiling all day long by himself.

[Mug Punter]

I have no issue with the split of the zone in Sydney - although as you say, seems GWS got the lions share. But the fact is they don't need to even focus on developing players in that zone while they have access to those guys down round the border area - who are already playing football, many go to school in Victoria, and which the GWS academy has to do the bare minimum to develop. I know Mug Punter goes hard on this topic every time it comes up, and I agree with him. It is as close to a 'zone' selection as one can get under the current setup.

The academies should be used to grow the game in areas where AFL is clearly not a 1st choice sport, and there is genuine competition for developing youngsters into AFL standard players. It shouldn't be a workaround to get access to existing talent, which a reasonable part of the zone GWS has down round the border areas clearly fits into.

I do go hard on it I know, for the following reasons:

(a) The Academy system is all about developing players from non traditional football areas; and '
(b) I fear that the GWS situation could see the entire system being destroyed as collateral damage

But at the same time I do think that the Academy system is about building local lists to both the negate the go-home factor that is cruelling Brisbane and also increase the level of community engagement. And in this respect we have a huge head start on GWS - if you have a look at their list there are very few GWS Academy players on the list yet but this will change and quickly.

The GWS list and any success this year will not be as a result of their academy selections but their list concessions that they have managed so well, and in that respect they have nothing to apologise about.

But when their next wave of gun kids come from Victorian border towns (most come from Albury which is NOT a development area) at discounted levels then there will be open warfare on the Academy System as a whole and my fear is that if it is not re-jigged then the best thing to happen in NSW and QLD football will be lost.

And GWS haven't helped their cause by their lack of investment in Sydney football but it is human nature to take the easy route so why should they when they can just cherry pick the best kids from the TAC Cup from the Murray Bushrangers.

It's just my personal view but I think there is a strong argument that Riverina is a "battleground" area with the NRL but I would think anything south of Wagga should not be a GWS area and any development should be AFL funded.

Canberra, the upper Riverina and Western Sydney (the fastest growing urban region in Australia) should be more than enough for GWS to work with, they just need to get working and make the area that bears their name a priority, because I can assure you that area has gone backwards at a huge rate since their arrival and that is a deplorable state of affairs.

Maybe it needs to changed on a phased basis and most definitely the Western Sydney development program needs to be funded properly, by the AFL if necessary even though we fund our own academy internally. But the current situation with GWS simply won't pass the sniff test down south. They can cop us getting Callum Mills when they see him in a Warringah Rugny jersey at 13 and they can cop Issaac Heeney coming from Newcastle saying he'd be playing NRL but they can't cop GWS claiming a bunch of kids playing in a traditional AFL area in the country's top development pathway (the TAC Cup) from a town on the Victorian border and nor should they.