Academy uproar rears again

[KSAS]

I heard Jared Crouch's interview on SEN who went into detail how kid's like Gulden and Campbell are identified as 10 year olds. They start off with several hundred 10yo's and that number gets get dwindled done over the years as they mature. As well as improving their footy skills, they're also taught professionalism in all aspects. Gulden apparently stood out at as a 10yo. Jared emphasized it's alot of hard work (and $$$$) running these Academy programs as their net scours many schools in their Academy zones.

[dejavoodoo44]

Many people from Victoria seem to think the Academies are endless pots of gold.

They overlook the fact that the academy’s can force the clubs into some political choices as opposed to pure football talent.

1) Non serious bids. Years ago a 2nd round bid was made by Fremantle on Jack Hiscox an academy prospect. I don’t think many people thought Hiscox was 2nd round standard. The Swans matched the bid to keep the faith in the academy system. Hiscox was let go two years later and the 2nd round pick was a bust. The Swans were forced into that decision to maintain the faith for upcoming academy players like Mills, Blakey, Guldon and Campbell.

2) The academy process compels the Swans to draft AFL level talent regardless of positional needs. At the end of this year the Swans may need a young ruckman, a tall defender and an inside midfielder. The AFL standard players available to draft may be two flankers. The Swans would be compelled to draft the two flankers and not draft for positional needs. The Swans already have plenty of flankers.

3) We lose non Academy players due to backing academy players. We prioritised Heeney and Mills over Tom Mitchell. We lost Tom Mitchell as a result. We are currently backing Campbell, Blakey and Guldon ahead of Dylan Stephen’s. Without the presence of Blakey, Guldon and Campbell there would be more opportunity for Stephen’s to play his preferred position.

Yes, the closest that the academy program has got to producing a key position player, are Abe Davis and Hamish Ellem: both of whom are running around in the SANFL.

There's also a few academy players that we didn't pick up, who then went to other AFL clubs. The most recent example being Luke Parks, who's now at Carlton.

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C'mon, we can let reality get in the way of a good old fashioned southern footy media beat-up.

Coming soon to the Herald Sun: Academy Death Camps.

[Mel_C]

**** em

Did Jamarra, Isaac quaynor, Connor downie, Tarryn Thomas etc just come from nowhere ? Vic supporters would STFU then

My thoughts exactly. How much time and money was spent developing those players?

[dejavoodoo44]

My thoughts exactly. How much time and money was spent developing those players?

Well, the Melbourne clubs would have had to employ people to go to junior games, to identify indigenous kids and promising types with non-anglo names.

[HeeneyIsAGun]

So I live in NZ at the moment, and my 15yr old is playing in the AFL Academy over here. Its tiny and the players are very raw - nothing to write home about really.

However, they play a game each year against a touring Mornington Peninsula selected squad. A bunch of 14-15yr kids, the absolute cream of the crop from west of Melbourne, come over for a couple of games.

To say those Aussie kids are unbelievably skilled is an understatement. At least 5-6 of them each year could (talent wise, not body size) step into most teams across the AFL. Not only do they have talent and already well over 100 games of experience at 14, but they are professionally coached. THAT is what the Sydney teams have to compete with. THAT sort of talent identification and skill building simply DOES NOT exist without the Northern Academies. These kids are in a club and community system that has been refined over a hundred years, and churns out talented footballers constantly.

The simple reality is that over the past decade, only a handful of players from NSW are taken each year in the draft. Take out the ones the Swans and GWS pick, and the ones linked to Academies, and suddenly you are down to something you can count on one hand. From the largest state in the country. That is not going to grow the game, nor ensure that the very best talent is running out every weak. Mills, Heeney, Gulden have all openly now stated they would not be playing AFL had it not been for the Academy. Indeed, only Blakey would have been a certainty to play without it.

[dimelb]

I had to laugh.
During Offsiders last Sunday, Caroline Wilson noted our game and added that she expects the various CEOs to be wingeing and bellyaching about the Academy. She knows her footy alright!

[KTigers]

The animosity towards the northern academies really just helps stunt the development of the game. Like it or not, without more
interest in the game in NSW (especially) and Qld, the AFL is always just going to be half a national comp. More players from
NSW and Qld help grow the game. I was reading the Swans membership is down around 30% from where it was in 2017.
This can't be good.

[Aprilbr]

The key argument for the Northern academies is to grow the game in those states. Its not about cost or go home factor etc. So when players like Guilden or Heeney say that they would probably be playing soccer in Sydney or rugby league in Newcastle respectively then this is gold for justifying their existence.

One question that I have is why has the Swans academy seemingly been more successful than the other northern academies? The Giants academy has access to the rich pickings of the Riverina and so they have done quite well out of it. However, Brisbane and Gold Coast appear to have been less so despite active junior competitions in QLD.

The next generation academies are a total free kick for Victorian clubs in much the same way that the father-son rule has yielded great success for clubs like Geelong. Some of those pickups like Quaynor and the last number one draft pick were playing AFL anyway and would have been drafted regardless of the presence of these so-called next gen academies.

[Aaron]

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=806422 Round 1 NAB Rising Star Errol Gulden on Dwayne's -- Sydney Rising Star nominee "would have played soccer" if not for Swans Academy

[Meg]

To say those Aussie kids are unbelievably skilled is an understatement. At least 5-6 of them each year could (talent wise, not body size) step into most teams across the AFL. Not only do they have talent and already well over 100 games of experience at 14, but they are professionally coached. THAT is what the Sydney teams have to compete with. THAT sort of talent identification and skill building simply DOES NOT exist without the Northern Academies. These kids are in a club and community system that has been refined over a hundred years, and churns out talented footballers constantly.

Terrific post and spot on re need for Northern Academies.

[mcs]

As predictable as anything that this dribble pops up again.

If the AFL was so good at player development, there would be no need for NGAs, Academies or anything else because they would simply do all the player development themselves. But history has shown they were truly abysmal at it....

[liz]

One question that I have is why has the Swans academy seemingly been more successful than the other northern academies? The Giants academy has access to the rich pickings of the Riverina and so they have done quite well out of it. However, Brisbane and Gold Coast appear to have been less so despite active junior competitions in QLD.

.

I don't think it has been that much more successful. Just a bit more hyped. The Lions have Andrews, Hipwood and a Coleman from their academy who played on Saturday (and another Coleman on their list). Keays was part of the Crows team that beat Geelong.

Gold Coast have Bowes who's clearly in their best 22, and they got to add a couple more last year outside the draft, including one who was touted as a first round pick had he not been available to Gold Coast free.

Both clubs have picked up a handful more over the years, and have had more success in producing players bid on by other clubs (who have gone to those other clubs when the bid wasn't matched).

The two Queensland clubs haven't produced players who have attracted quite the same level of hype at draft time as the Swans and Giants (Hopper, Green). The Andrews bid didn't come until pick 70+, though he has claims to be the best performed player thus far from his draft year.

[dejavoodoo44]

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=806422 Round 1 NAB Rising Star Errol Gulden on Dwayne's -- Sydney Rising Star nominee "would have played soccer" if not for Swans Academy

Thanks for that. His interview skills are almost impressive as his football. Seems very smart and likeable.

I liked his answer to the curly question that Dwayne posed, which was something like , "If Buddy, one of the best players of all time and your good mate Logan are leading at you; who do you give it to?"

"Well, whoever's in the best position".

[Markwebbos]

Why doesn’t someone at the AFL - Gil for example - come out and publicly defend the northern academies. And tackle the VIC media?

[707]

Why doesn’t someone at the AFL - Gil for example - come out and publicly defend the northern academies. And tackle the VIC media?

Gil is a VFL puppet ........ and a Muppet :-)

It's a tiresome debate and as someone pointed out, Caro Wilson preempted it rising again. Thanks be that Maguire doesn't have a mouthpiece at present