U18 Div 2 Championships

[Meg]

This has been discussed before but without a definitive/authoritative answer. Do players who come through a club's academy have the option to decline being drafted by that club? Can anyone cite a rule that shows that is the case? (The club would be justified in regretting its investment in the player if that is the case.)

We do know that an eligible F/S draftee must himself nominate to be drafted that way. Or in other words, can decline to be drafted that way.

[Meg]

Further to my post above, I've checked the AFL Rules and the wording at 14.4 says nothing about an academy player being required to sign a consent form before being listed for drafting by a club. While the wording at 8.5 for listing for the draft as a F/S does refer to both club nomination and player consent.

To me this implies that a club with academy rights has draft priority over a club with F/S rights. But there may be wording elsewhere that over-rides this. Or when Blakey comes up for the draft there may be a sudden rule change! As we know there is precedent for ad hoc rule changes to the Swans' detriment.

http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/AFL/Files/AFL%20Rules%20-%20May%202016.pdf

[Boddo]

Everything I've read says if stays in our academy next years he's a Sydney player. Academy overrides F/S. Same as Robert Scott's boy up in Queensland

[barracuda]

Nick Blakey is awesome, but that discussion kind of ignores the fact that a bunch of primarily Sydney kids, through an excellent academy, and hard work have just beaten the gws side that has always been considered to hold all the nsw talent.
This game was the first time ever the academies have gone head to head other than in trial games, where the gws guns are always absent. The gws threw their best team at us and we outworked them.
Hopefully this win goes someway to dispelling the myth that Sydney is a talent desert.
The experts had gws winning the div 2 comp and Sydney coming second last ahead of nt.
Now we fly to Darwin next week on a roll.

[Boddo]

Well said. The academy has come a long way from humble beginnings. No1 when I grew up watching footy would ever dream about having a Sydney born n bred side being able to mix it in the U18's. I think most would have asked "do they have enough juniors up there to fill a side". Well done to our academy boys!

[Doctor]

This year's 18s, and next year's, were always a group that was deep. The number of individual superstars may be low but there was always a lot of depth. Both age groups did pretty well all the way through their teens and when you combine the best of both for the U18s, I'm not surprised at all how well they've done. Excited, but not surprised.

[Mug Punter]

Well done to the U18s on what otherwise a rather disappointing weekend for the club.

I guess this is now the baseline of what we can reasonably expect given this is the first batch of kids that have come through a full lifecycle in the Academy. The Academy has arrived!!!

It is only natural that we look at Blakey a lot because he is quickly building a great football CV, he was MVP for NSW at the U16 Carnival, had a great finals series last year and now has kicked the winning goal in a historic victory. And I think we can reasonably expect him the develop a lot more before draft day. Having said that, it would be impossible to have a result like this without quality contributors across the ground, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod for Allies selection as missing that really marks your cards in terms of drafting I would think (excluding for injuries)

The following page gives one view of our draft potential this year = http://overthelinesports.com.au/?p=29228

I love the new representative program with Div 2. It means that the elite level kids in their last two years will, injuries permitting, play at least 9 elite level games (5 for NSW and 4 for the Allies). Add in some TAC Cup games (are they still scheduled this year) and Academy Series and you are quickly building a program equal to other states. I would also expect all Allies level players to also play a number of NEAFL games and/or SFL first grade games.

One question for Barracuda, is the Under 18 rep program (Div 2 feeding into Allies) also replicated at the U16 level?

[Meg]

Everything I've read says if stays in our academy next years he's a Sydney player. Academy overrides F/S. Same as Robert Scott's boy up in Queensland

That's consistent with my reading of the rules. But others continue to report Blakey will have a choice.

"Blakey, the son of former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player John, will have to choose between three clubs ? the Swans, Lions or Kangaroos ? when he is eligible to be drafted in 2018."

Nick Blakey stars for Swans Academy, while Charlie Spargo also impresses

U18: Father-son prospect impresses for Swans - M.afl.com.au

[Mug Punter]

Great also to see Campbelltown boy Shipley BOG for the Giants too, I just hope he can show them the need to start mining that area for talent

[Mug Punter]

And in other results Tassie beat NT 88-39 and the Lions Academy beat Suns Academy 38-31

Bailey Scott apparently played well for the Suns, he is good friends with Nick Blakey and also in next years draft.

Our boys are off to Darwin next week to take on NT and nothing less than a win will suffice if we plan on winning this thing.

[Mug Punter]

Swans Academy 18.12.120 def NT 9.9.63

Well done lads

NT led 5.7.37 to 3.5.17 at HT so a complete over-run in the second half. Looking forward to Barracuda's insights. Did we have some big heads in the first half that required an AFL level spray from Crouchy or was it simply a matter of superior fitness?

We've got the Suns next Saturday at BISP who I believe accounted for GWS by 17 today so no easy games in this comp

[Boddo]

Hardman's chances of being drafted looks good. Kicked 5, in the bests. I remember his burst from a pack n follow up n goal in a NEAFL game last year. Looks a good prospect.

[barracuda]

Terrible first half from the swans. It was so hot and humid that the ball was like a piece of soap. After half time the team got used to it and took complete control with a 10 goal third quarter.
Overall probably not a great game to identify the talent. Jack hardmans goals were speedy sharks from pack marks, but he was not being properly checked. The NT team had about 10 good players, the rest were awful. Anyone fortunate enough to be on an awful player could run riot.
Big test this week against Gold Coast. It will be a much better gauge of who is playing well enough to be drafted.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Jack Hardman 5 goals and Blakey 3

Academy: Two from two - sydneyswans.com.au

Academy: The big stage awaits - sydneyswans.com.au

[dimelb]

Thanks for putting up those links AG. Really encouraging signs from the youngsters.

At this stage - very early I know - it looks as if we have a very talented group. I wonder how many we'll have access to when the draft rolls around.