U18 Div 2 Championships

[liz]

Thanks Barracuda. It's very generous of you to share those impressions with us. Your description of Blakey amused me - few words required to describe him, I guess.

[YoungGun Tigers]

Former academy player Will Broadbent lines up for Gippsland Power U18's in TAC cup. Makes as a bottom age player.
Fair lump of a lad.

[Mug Punter]

Thanks barra. Great summary. I thought Bell and Brown played well in the Neafl games last year. I haven't seen Maze, but Mug Punter really likes him.

We might have 4 draftable academy players this year, but none are likely to get high bids, if at all: Maze, Hardman, Bell and Brown. A strategy for this year's draft might be to see if we can swap our first round pick this year for a first rounder in 2018. It seems this year's draft is strong with good KPPs, but the best will be gone by the time our turn comes round. We have a lot of young players on our list now that need to get game time and we don't need another gun coming to the club challenging for a spot next year.

If Maze really does look a promising ruckman and Sinclair ends the season 4th in line, I would look to trade him and let Maze take his place in the queue.

The reality is that whilst it is clearly improving the general standard of junior AFL in Sydney is still well below the rest of the country. Not a criticism of the Academy as the gap is closing and quickly, just a statement of fact. It flows through to "elite" local senior football which Victorians usually rate as around the B Grade Ammo mark. And it's also why I get so angry when idiots like McGuire knock the system because we are doing the AFLs development work after they have neglected the area for decades.

Not sure if we will draft any of those kids but let's remember all clubs had a crack at Maze and Brown and they didn't even make a rookie list. I guess they could improve and be a late developer. I do like the look of Maze, yes, but more from the perspective that ruckmen develop later so I would think the rookie list would be his best bet but we can always match any bid of course.

At the moment the Academy has produced a couple of gems in Heeney and Mills who would otherwise have been lost, and for those two it has clearly been worth the investment. But the other graduates (thinking Davis and Hiscox) were very disappointing. It seems like there is very little genuine AFL standard depth and that needs to change. Blakey would have been a star wherever he grew up but clearly the Swans Academy has been good for him and I suspect he may have been off to Boarding School in Victoria had he not had the academy...

I will be very very interested to see how the Allies go up against the big boys in matches that really matter too.

Just a thought though, I wonder if we are taking a linger term view to our development given the extra year (or is it two) we have to call up or match academy products. For kids in other states the draft is really the be-all and end-all for development whereas we seem to take a more holistic approach as indicated by the 'less is more' approach taken this year - as many players take a gap year in the NDS maybe this is their big year not draft year? Any stars will still be picked up but I'll be interested to see how many NDS players get onto the list as 19 year olds

[Mug Punter]

Hi, Maze, Osborne, Robertson and Brown are the 19 year olds

Here is a little summary I put together to the best of my recollection:

L. Robertson: NDS 19 year old
M. Carroll: Pennant Hills, around 190cm, key defender, very good intercept mark
C Flanagan: 17 year old
L Maze: NDS 19 year old ruckman
J Osborne: Manly Wolves: Under 19 NDS 180cm solid midfielder, very good basketballer,elite endurance runner
S Wicks: Manly Wolves: 180cm joel selwood type, very clean quick hands and elite agility
N Eynaud: Pennant Hills: 176cm, very strongly built, good leader and quarterback type player, similar to a sam mitchell
J Shumack: Northshore bombers: 182cm, incredibly fit and strong physique, great work ethic and commitment. Like zeibal from North Melbourne
C Loone: Under 17 recently moved to North shore bombers: about 190cm. Looks like daniel talia
P Tegg: St george: about 174cm. Elite middle distance runner, very quick and agile
B Stewart: East Coast Eagles: 182cm, Elite middle distance runner, huge tank, great attack on the ball
N Blakey: Gun
J Stern: pennant Hills: 177cm An agile player who is starting to develop nicely. Good small forward
L Skrivanic: Pennant Hills: 184cm: Talented player who has had some injury challenges
J Reinhard: UNSW: 190cm: Good ground skills for a big guy, and can really make a difference in a game
J Hardman: UNSW 175cm :Exceptionally quick, Was more outside but is now developing into a tough contested player: Potential draft
D Smith Under 17
M Rogers Manly Wolves: 190cm, recently moved from Adelaide. Very good intercept and contested mark, The son of Andrew Rogers who played for Geelong in the 80s and West Torrens
B Norton: I think North Shore. 182cm Athletic competitor with quick clean hands
J Bell: 185cm: Fast, clean mover with a strong body. Potential draft
J Brown Under 19 NDS 183cm, very fit, elite middle distance runner, lots of NEAFL experience, potential draft
A Kinash: North Shore 185cm, big strong blond guy, growing bigger everyday

Thanks for that barra, looks like four guys in the window this year.

So, in summary a good spread across Penno, North Shore, St George, Manly and UNSW.

Bell is from the Illawarra and I think I am correct in saying Hardman is a Coastie? Are there any other regional players on that list? I know there were a couple of indigenous kids that come down to Sydney from MacLeay Valley (think they went to Endeavour Sports High), are they still in the program? Is Robertson the son of the North Shore legend? No Mitchell Wright, TAC Cup, injuries or just not considered?

[Joel Ridge]

Should the Swans Acdemy be producing as many draftees as elite Victorian junior systems such as the Calder Canons or Western Jets?

Is trying to convert junior Rugby and League players into AFL players not as effective as converting junior Basketball players as they do in country Victoria?

Are junior Basketball skills more adaptable to the AFL game than junior League and Union?

[Mug Punter]

Should the Swans Acdemy be producing as many draftees as elite Victorian junior systems such as the Calder Canons or Western Jets?

Is trying to convert junior Rugby and League players into AFL players not as effective as converting junior Basketball players as they do in country Victoria?

Are junior Basketball skills more adaptable to the AFL game than junior League and Union?

I don't think we are looking at converting anyone, the kids coming into the program now are usually at 10 or 11. I guess some kids, the onew you hate that are good at all sports, may transfer over. History tells us that basketball is a pretty good prep sport re its spatial awareness requirements, Pendlebury, Roos and Tippett were all elite junior basketballers.

Re what the expectations should be, I believe that it should be for all academy systems to eventually produce enough quality players for home grown lists, to at least 75%, in each of the northern clubs. That is probably approx. 6 draftees or rookies a year. Clearly we are well short of that mark still.

No idea how that would compare to TAC Clubs

[Joel Ridge]

Hi, Maze, Osborne, Robertson and Brown are the 19 year olds

Here is a little summary I put together to the best of my recollection:

L. Robertson: NDS 19 year old
M. Carroll: Pennant Hills, around 190cm, key defender, very good intercept mark
C Flanagan: 17 year old
L Maze: NDS 19 year old ruckman
J Osborne: Manly Wolves: Under 19 NDS 180cm solid midfielder, very good basketballer,elite endurance runner
S Wicks: Manly Wolves: 180cm joel selwood type, very clean quick hands and elite agility
N Eynaud: Pennant Hills: 176cm, very strongly built, good leader and quarterback type player, similar to a sam mitchell
J Shumack: Northshore bombers: 182cm, incredibly fit and strong physique, great work ethic and commitment. Like zeibal from North Melbourne
C Loone: Under 17 recently moved to North shore bombers: about 190cm. Looks like daniel talia
P Tegg: St george: about 174cm. Elite middle distance runner, very quick and agile
B Stewart: East Coast Eagles: 182cm, Elite middle distance runner, huge tank, great attack on the ball
N Blakey: Gun
J Stern: pennant Hills: 177cm An agile player who is starting to develop nicely. Good small forward
L Skrivanic: Pennant Hills: 184cm: Talented player who has had some injury challenges
J Reinhard: UNSW: 190cm: Good ground skills for a big guy, and can really make a difference in a game
J Hardman: UNSW 175cm :Exceptionally quick, Was more outside but is now developing into a tough contested player: Potential draft
D Smith Under 17
M Rogers Manly Wolves: 190cm, recently moved from Adelaide. Very good intercept and contested mark, The son of Andrew Rogers who played for Geelong in the 80s and West Torrens
B Norton: I think North Shore. 182cm Athletic competitor with quick clean hands
J Bell: 185cm: Fast, clean mover with a strong body. Potential draft
J Brown Under 19 NDS 183cm, very fit, elite middle distance runner, lots of NEAFL experience, potential draft
A Kinash: North Shore 185cm, big strong blond guy, growing bigger everyday

Hi Barracuda. Amazing insights.

Would you be able to give some insights into how the academy selection process works.

What age do players join the academy?

If a player does not get in first time around, can they get in at 14 or 15 based on form in local competitions?

How does the "benchmark" process work?

Are they looking for the better athletes or the better natural footballers?

What are the parents of Academy players like? Do you get some very pushy parents or are they quite laid back?

[aardvark]

Pendlebury, Roos and Tippett were all elite junior basketballers.

and Jesse White! Don't forget Jesse........

[Doctor]

Hi Barracuda. Amazing insights.

Would you be able to give some insights into how the academy selection process works.

What age do players join the academy?

If a player does not get in first time around, can they get in at 14 or 15 based on form in local competitions?

How does the "benchmark" process work?

Are they looking for the better athletes or the better natural footballers?

What are the parents of Academy players like? Do you get some very pushy parents or are they quite laid back?

My son went through it too so I can answer most of these.

They start at U11s now I think but the Swans do actively track how players are going and invite players in that have been identified around Sydney. They also hold new trials each year. At the end of the year, they invite players to benchmarking, generally all of them in the younger years with a few exceptions based on attendance and attitude. Benchmarking is where they test all kinds of things including 3km run through kicking, marking, etc etc. Each year what they are looking at will change slightly depending on the direction the club is going and that footy is going generally.

In my son's case he was an athlete from another sport with natural ability. They look to teach them the footy smarts but ultimately there is a point where they have to make a decision. They are also looking very strongly at behaviour. Most parents were always very nice in my experience. I didn't encounter anything like what I experienced in the pushiness of some soccer parents or the cliques in cricket parents.

[Footy bystander]

Watched the interclub games with these boys over the last few weeks.

Don't know names long hair kid playing in the forwards carved them up is he playing in these games.
Very skilful great game sense.

[barracuda]

Swans beat gws by 4 points
The academy works people

[MattW]

The Twitter feed of @aidanpauna has some tweets about the game, finishing with this: Aidan Pauna on Twitter: "Scores have been confirmed! Swans 12.14.86 beat Giants 12.10.82.

Blakey kicked 3.4 including the match winner with seconds to go.".

[Boddo]

I've read regular things about Blakey and that he's a big bodied mid/key forward but it appears to me from what I've read lately is that he is playing a lot more as a key forward. Could someone confirm this?

[707]

Cross everything folks that Nick Blakey nominates the Swans before Norf or Brisbane where he is a F/S.

I get great pleasure when we beat GWS at any level and I'm particularly enjoying the score from Adelaide Oval.

[Boddo]

Cross everything folks that Nick Blakey nominates the Swans before Norf or Brisbane where he is a F/S.

I get great pleasure when we beat GWS at any level and I'm particularly enjoying the score from Adelaide Oval.

You would think that he would. Be able to learn off of current day great Buddy Franklin & also plugger. Stay in the same state as his family plus norf & the lions would have to try n negotiate the go home factor of Blakley leaving Sydney just like Dunkley not wanting to leave Melbourne.