Academy uproar rears again

[Bloods05]

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

No.

[mcs]

But was anyone saying that 6 months ago before Campbell and Gulden? How many have gone through the Academy (is it 1200 I saw quoted somewhere)? There’s a handful at best that I would say have ‘exceptional skills’ so it’s hardly as though we are taking dozens of 10 y/o rugby players each year who can’t kick and through intensive training turning them all into 18 y/o’s with elite skills.

I think there’s also some mythology sprouting as to what we are doing with these kids at 10, 11, 12 years old as well - people seem to think we are training them 30 hours a week every week of the year or something, the reality is very different.

It’s actually a raw deal we get under the current system when you think about it. We’re like a farmer who spends money and effort nurturing a product, and then when the crop is yielded we actually have to pay again to keep it for ourselves if it is of sufficient quality that others value it.

The only benefit we get is first access so we get local recruits and reducing the go-home factor, but arguably that is only squaring the ledger against all the southern clubs who have that benefit.

[this is completely sarcastic lol] Those bludy AFL house communists!

[Aprilbr]

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

It was an exaggeration but designed to make a point that the cost of living in Geelong is well below that of Sydney.

[Aprilbr]

I would hope that the other Clubs from the Northern States will also come into bat for their Academies as they have as much to lose as us.

A couple of observations. Didn't the AFL just do a Report into the future of the Academies last season? Surely they cannot change their policy emanating from that on the basis of a couple of recruits less than a season later?

I think most thinking people see the value of the Academies in developing talent in non-AFL States. The dispute seems to be over the price paid. At present its a 20% discount. Will this drop to 10% on the back of Victorian pressure?

[Danzar]

Pridham has come out absolutely swinging in today's HS re: the Victorian whinging about our academy. He basically said if they change the Academy system or try to shut it down, they can kiss goodbye to the FS system. As the HS is behind a paywall, here is a Foxsports link covering the same stuff. Gerard Healy has joined him in having a go at the criticism.

AFL news 2021: Sydney Swans academy debate, Andrew Pridham, Gerard Healy, Chris Scott

I'll throw in one Pridham quote here, which hits the nail of Victorian hypocrisy on the head.

"Pridham said he was flabbergasted clubs would “start throwing stones” after Sydney has only won three games.

“The thing that has always frustrated me is that if you look at things through a Victorian lens, if it is seen to have advantaged non-Victorian clubs it’s an unfair advantage,” Pridham said.

“If it benefits a club like Geelong or Collingwood, it’s tradition. Like the father-son system.”

Great post. I also like how the club has ramped up its messaging on the father son rule, saying that right now, a level playing field is to get rid of it. It keeps the focus on the most awkward topic for the major Victorian clubs.

It's a reasonable argument to make on equality grounds, arguably supports 10-15 years of few, or ideally no changes to the academy system.

[Steve]

The media have driven this latest flare-up, as others have already noted.

It is clickbait and a content-filler for the media in Melbourne to be talking about our Academy products if they, and we as a team are doing well.

I’d be moderately confident the AFL has been holding firm against any other clubs who may raise any concerns, and making it clear the Academies are staying, it’s not up for debate etc.

I guess it’s a bit of a double-edged sword - the only time anyone talks about it is after a top talent is drafted from the Academy. So it’s more of an issue for us if no-one is talking about it.

If we have a Heeney/Mills and Campbell/Gulden scenario every year or two I can see the pressure really mounting on the AFL, but history has so far shown that to be the exception.

[KTigers]

Sounding a bit Richard Colless - it'll be naughty hand gestures next.

Pridham is very consistent and has spoken out against the excessive influence of the Melbourne clubs many times.

[Aprilbr]

Nice article about the Academy on the AFL website today. I like the last sentence which saids that the current price for recruits is about right.

We pay a 'heavy price': Swans hit back at Academy critics

[stevoswan]

Pridbam said in the article that you can rent a 8 bedroom house in Geelong for $300 a week?

Is that correct?

No.....he meant each player is paying $300 a week I believe.....which on a AFL players salary is pretty cheap, and definitely cheaper than Sydney.

[Mel_C]

Sounding a bit Richard Colless - it'll be naughty hand gestures next.

I flipped the bird at the tv to Eddie last night. He said the AFL pay for the academy. Then he had a dig at COLA saying we don't need COLA we can just recruit kids. My hatred for this man grows every day.

[mcs]

I flipped the bird at the tv to Eddie last night. He said the AFL pay for the academy. Then he had a dig at COLA saying we don't need COLA we can just recruit kids. My hatred for this man grows every day.

He probably truly thinks the boys coming in at 11 are AFL ready and we just stick a 'Swans priority' sticker on their head and away they go. How frigging clueless can he be.

[Aprilbr]

I saw an article today about the Northern Academies and they listed who was on each of the top 4 lists from their respective Academies. The interesting fact out of it for me was that each of the other three northern teams had 10 on their list from their Academy. We had 9. So essentially 25% of their lists were from this source which is great. Ours gets all the publicity but there are some excellent Academy players on the other Clubs' lists eg Hipwood, Tom Green, Finlayson, Hopper. This is a good counter to the dreaded "go home" issue faces by Clubs in NSW and QLD.

[mrns]

Australian rules football is booming in Sydney. Is it happening at rugby’s expense?

As a Lions fan who hasn't seen great success in the academy like Sydney, I am a huge fan of the academy system. This article outlines what the real winner for the AFL is in the academy program.

Having gone through my teens in Sydney; playing both AFL and Union in the North; worked in AFL coaching in the school system, it's awesome to see the growth in participation. Chris Smith's quote about being ridiculed resonates with me having personally gone through the alienated nature of being a the kid from outer state who plays AFL. The friends I have made through playing the game are the ones I am closest with and I hope the future generations get to experience that too!

AFL is no longer a misunderstood, underdog in NSW and that's great for everyone involved with the AFL!

[dejavoodoo44]

Australian rules football is booming in Sydney. Is it happening at rugby’s expense?

As a Lions fan who hasn't seen great success in the academy like Sydney, I am a huge fan of the academy system. This article outlines what the real winner for the AFL is in the academy program.

Having gone through my teens in Sydney; playing both AFL and Union in the North; worked in AFL coaching in the school system, it's awesome to see the growth in participation. Chris Smith's quote about being ridiculed resonates with me having personally gone through the alienated nature of being a the kid from outer state who plays AFL. The friends I have made through playing the game are the ones I am closest with and I hope the future generations get to experience that too!

AFL is no longer a misunderstood, underdog in NSW and that's great for everyone involved with the AFL!

Thanks for that. While discussions of the academy usually focuses on top end talent, I've always thought that one of its main aims, was to increase the standard of football being played in the SFL and other competitions. While it's hard to judge football quality from year to year, the number of academy graduates scattered throughout the SFL, suggests that it is making a difference.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

AFL is no longer a misunderstood, underdog in NSW and that's great for everyone involved with the AFL!

The game has come a long way from Aerial Ping Pong, Lolly Scramble or GayFL. I'm not surprised it's proving a harder ask with NRL fans.