Bendigo FL discussion 2022

[The Lurker]

Castlemaine is a good example of this. One of the big factors that has hurt the club has been the transition of the town into a 'tree change' mecca.

Different socio economic groups, less likely to support a local footy club and a reduction in the pool of players in the community.

The club has worked for a long time to get a women's team up. Achieved it for this year and straight away a bunch of Northcote tree changers decided to start a version of the Darebin Women's team in town because traditional footy clubs don't meet their social agendas. Now both battling for players, sponsors, support etc in the one town.

And the reality is they don’t understand hard work that football clubs actually are - seen it first hand when clubs are purely about sponsors and the money that brings especially in the female space - they forget little things like canteens raffles bars etc - can tell you of a day a president of opposition female club turned up and asked for me to microwave his free McDonalds coffee even though we had a barista working - may not have ended well


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[Post padding]

Square strath and sandhurst have huge numbers at 14s and 16s level - not only numbers but a lot of talent - 106 tried out for strath 14s is my mail - flows through to 18s when 40 kids trying out for 24-28 spots at those clubs - and they don’t formalise lists until late and then other clubs and smaller leagues get the scraps - been happening since the early 90s and we wonder why it so the case

Why do the young kids head there. ?

What are those clubs doing that obviously others aren’t

 

[The Lurker]

Why do the young kids head there. ?

What are those clubs doing that obviously others aren’t

Good question - location growth corridors for strath traditional schooling links long standing beyond you and I desire to play “seniors” at under 14s and 16s

 

[The Lurker]

I do not fault these clubs - they take the best talent on offer and why would they turn away good kids? Kids leave clubs like white hills maiden gully to play “seniors” and when I say that I mean in those under age comps - just think that greater emphasis needs to be on spreading the talent pool and not having 24 kids running around with 6 on the bench when a better option is having them getting more game time at another club. Why would an under 18 team need a list of 30 including pioneers ? holding others back until they finalise their list late into March and then wonder why league sides like lvfl call it early they won’t have a side


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[Forest St End]

First time poster here - so much talk about juniors across so many threads - reality is bendigo football won’t change with the current layouts and stockpiling of kids at 3 clubs

It's a great point you make Lurker.

The reality is country footy in this area, like everywhere, is terminally ill. The only question remaining is do the people of influence have the desire to save it before it is irretrievable?

The junior pathways are corrupt, the AFL hub system is not serving the game but rather the interests of a select few, the measures implemented to correct the unbalance in the game are ill-conceived, inadequate and impotent and their is an invested desire to maintain the status quo at the expense of making real change.

The sport we love is dying and we are all watching it happen.

 

[The Lurker]

It's a great point you make Lurker.

The reality is country footy in this area, like everywhere, is terminally ill. The only question remaining is do the people of influence have the desire to save it before it is irretrievable?

The junior pathways are corrupt, the AFL hub system is not serving the game but rather the interests of a select few, the measures implemented to correct the unbalance in the game are ill-conceived, inadequate and impotent and their is an invested desire to maintain the status quo at the expense of making real change.

The sport we love is dying and we are all watching it happen.

True mate - unfortunately I believe some people aligned to clubs are more worried about their next 1 pointer and under 16s and 18s premiership they ignore the regional football impact - we are watching and it’s a slow train wreck


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[Forest St End]

True mate - unfortunately I believe some people aligned to clubs are more worried about their next 1 pointer and under 16s and 18s premiership they ignore the regional football impact - we are watching and it’s a slow train wreck


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Exactly and AFL Vic and AFL CV want the support of those clubs to maintain their dominance in the game so they develop a symbiotic relationship that allows both to prosper.

 

[Bush Fly]

Exactly and AFL Vic and AFL CV want the support of those clubs to maintain their dominance in the game so they develop a symbiotic relationship that allows both to prosper.

Have I missed something or do the uneducated just blame the AFL thinking they should fix everything or is the real issue that the game just isn't as popular as what it used to be at local level? Alot easier for ppl to keep themselves entertained these days Phones, Netflix, FoxSports.

 

[Forest St End]

Have I missed something or do the uneducated just blame the AFL thinking they should fix everything or is the real issue that the game just isn't as popular as what it used to be at local level? Alot easier for ppl to keep themselves entertained these days Phones, Netflix, FoxSports.

That's definitely one of the problems facing the game. This issue is how the administrators deal with that and the other issues facing the game and in the case of AFL Victoria and AFL CV the response has been woeful.

 

[Too Old Too Slow (TOTS)]

Exactly and AFL Vic and AFL CV want the support of those clubs to maintain their dominance in the game so they develop a symbiotic relationship that allows both to prosper.

So many great comments over the last 24 hours but I don't know why the blame is at AFL Vic and AFL CV. It is the leaders at clubland that are the problem, selfishly focused on their single team and not the health of the competition.

No one blames Cricket Victoria for White Hills and Epson being at the bottom of the Cricket ladder.

As long as the Coaches and Presidents of the fortunate (powerful) clubs are focused on their own egotistical success nothing will change, so don't blame AFL Vic and AFL CV.

 

[Forest St End]

As long as the Coaches and Presidents of the fortunate (powerful) clubs are focused on their own egotistical success nothing will change, so don't blame AFL Vic and AFL CV.

I'd argue it's the job of AFL Vic/CV to manage that, clubs by nature will always be self centred, it is the job of the game's administration to implement policy to keep the sport healthy.

In the case of AFL Vic/CV their big ticket policies in recent years to keep the game healthy have been the introduction of the points system and the salary cap. Both have been unmitigated failures, something that was obvious before they were even implemented. That is where they need to take the blame, they have failed to implement policy to address the issues in the sport, and in fact have made it worse.

 

[evrock]

With so many of these young players being sought out from smaller towns should it be that you play junior football in the postcode where you live ? Just a thought and I actually think it has merit. Stops the “kid is going to school in Bendigo “ cop out - The leading schools are run by the 3 power teams in the BFNL along with the pioneers. How can 8 players from strath (population 5,000) have 8 x more players on the pioneers list than Mildura (32,000 population )

 

[The Lurker]

With so many of these young players being sought out from smaller towns should it be that you play junior football in the postcode where you live ? Just a thought and I actually think it has merit. Stops the “kid is going to school in Bendigo “ cop out - The leading schools are run by the 3 power teams in the BFNL along with the pioneers. How can 8 players from strath (population 5,000) have 8 x more players on the pioneers list than Mildura (32,000 population )

Zones have also been tried especially in metro Melbourne. Sides overcome it by moving families more so in major clubs - I subscribe to capping numbers of kids at clubs and force kids elsewhere - max 2 sides at under 14s with this - you put two sides up in 14s and 16s and forced to play “seniors” if you have numbers - when catholic college Bendigo which become Marist sides played they put up even sides - and it brought sides like Castlemaine flat white hills into the mix - change the dialogue - and I firmly believe the cut off for finalising under 18 sides for square strath and sandhurst is march 1 - cut the kids early and give other sides and leagues a chance - but hey that doesn’t suit the the three powerhouses so why would they do that


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[The Lurker]

Cvfl bought in junior points to stop kids moving around - look at what one club has done this year - moved three moving kids into 18s that are eligible for 16s to avoid the points - so three kids in 18s miss out and are probably lost to football - great job there


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[evrock]

everyone just shuts up and puts up with it because corruption rules and has done and will do until a higher authority stamps it out. Surely they look at the pioneers as an absolute failure To give all the kids in the region an equal chance - Mildura 7 less players in pioneers than strath !! Bloody wake up it’s an absolute joke !

 

[Post padding]

everyone just shuts up and puts up with it because corruption rules and has done and will do until a higher authority stamps it out. Surely they look at the pioneers as an absolute failure To give all the kids in the region an equal chance - Mildura 7 less players in pioneers than strath !! Bloody wake up it’s an absolute joke !

So it’s the successful clubs fault is it ??

 

[Old bomber]

Cvfl bought in junior points to stop kids moving around - look at what one club has done this year - moved three moving kids into 18s that are eligible for 16s to avoid the points - so three kids in 18s miss out and are probably lost to football - great job there


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Wouldn’t this be the same outcome with capping u14 and 16 teams. Kids don’t get into sides at a club they want to play at usually with their mates, so could be lost to the game if they don’t want to go elsewhere.

 

[evrock]

So it’s the successful clubs fault is it ??

If there is collusion between education professionals / their coaches local clubs and the TAC program then yes they can be part of the problem. Do you honestly think there is more natural “home grown “ talent in strath than in the entire Mildura region ?????

 

[Forest St End]

With so many of these young players being sought out from smaller towns should it be that you play junior football in the postcode where you live ? Just a thought and I actually think it has merit. Stops the “kid is going to school in Bendigo “ cop out - The leading schools are run by the 3 power teams in the BFNL along with the pioneers. How can 8 players from strath (population 5,000) have 8 x more players on the pioneers list than Mildura (32,000 population )

That's already a better idea than anything AFLCV have tried. A bit of rigour in the clearance process wouldn't go astray either.

If there is collusion between education professionals / their coaches local clubs and the TAC program then yes they can be part of the problem. Do you honestly think there is more natural “home grown “ talent in strath than in the entire Mildura region ?????

The Pioneers didn't want Dustin Martin until then Castlemaine coach Jamie Elliott rang them up and abused them. Not sure they could find Mildura, let alone spot talent there or anywhere else outside Greater Bendigo.

 

[Trent the flight Steward]

That's already a better idea than anything AFLCV have tried. A bit of rigour in the clearance process wouldn't go astray either.



The Pioneers didn't want Dustin Martin until then Castlemaine coach Jamie Elliott rang them up and abused them. Not sure they could find Mildura, let alone spot talent there or anywhere else outside Greater Bendigo.

The tac cup system needs to go, the system hasn't moved with the times, since its inception in the early 90s, you can't have country kids drive all over the state in winter, where only 1 kid might get drafted, surely there's a better way now. I think breeza coming from nyah, has a pretty good idea of the pios zone and the problems geographically it's had, he's lived in Mildura, and played footy in the central murray, north central, Sunraysia and Bendigo league's

I think there needs to be mous set up with minor and major league, so maybe the kids at Strath that can't get a game are aligned with Inglewood or mount pleasant, the kids still train at Strath but play at the minor league. Also allows for good minor league juniors to have a major club to come into.

Fly isn't it AFL Vic's job to ensure footy is sustainable? I think the salary is ok, but the points system needs to be reworked a little. Why don't kids want to play footy anymore?

 

[silver55]

The tac cup system needs to go, the system hasn't moved with the times, since its inception in the early 90s, you can't have country kids drive all over the state in winter, where only 1 kid might get drafted, surely there's a better way now. I think breeza coming from nyah, has a pretty good idea of the pios zone and the problems geographically it's had, he's lived in Mildura, and played footy in the central murray, north central, Sunraysia and Bendigo league's

I think there needs to be mous set up with minor and major league, so maybe the kids at Strath that can't get a game are aligned with Inglewood or mount pleasant, the kids still train at Strath but play at the minor league. Also allows for good minor league juniors to have a major club to come into.

Fly isn't it AFL Vic's job to ensure footy is sustainable? I think the salary is ok, but the points system needs to be reworked a little. Why don't kids want to play footy anymore?

Wonder if any of those strath pios kids have relocated to Bendigo and aligned with the storm or are they from their juniors? I don’t keep an eye on junior footy but is it right to say strath and sandhurst are atop all age groups? Sandhurst juniors will always be strong for as long as it’s tied with CCB

 

[Forest St End]

Wonder if any of those strath pios kids have relocated to Bendigo and aligned with the storm or are they from their juniors? I don’t keep an eye on junior footy but is it right to say strath and sandhurst are atop all age groups? Sandhurst juniors will always be strong for as long as it’s tied with CCB

There have been many, many, many Castlemaine kids, in football and netball end up at Strath, Square or Sandhurst over the past few years.

Generally it's about pushy parents, schooling connections or glory hunting but for the few really good kids there's no doubt they feel it improves their kids chances of making the next level.

It's easy to blame the club for kids leaving but the reality is it quickly becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, a couple of good kids leave and have success, which hurts your teams chances, the other good kids see those kids have success and it repeats and repeats and the spiral continues. Which is exactly why the administrators should intervene to make it harder to change clubs within the same league.

 

[Post padding]

If there is collusion between education professionals / their coaches local clubs and the TAC program then yes they can be part of the problem. Do you honestly think there is more natural “home grown “ talent in strath than in the entire Mildura region ?????

Some decent Mildura lads happily have school paid for in Adelaide.

Just like in the past kids from Mildura region have moved to Bendigo for school..... oh and footy too.

But that’s against the narrative

 

[Trent the flight Steward]

Some decent Mildura lads happily have school paid for in Adelaide.

Just like in the past kids from Mildura region have moved to Bendigo for school..... oh and footy too.

But that’s against the narrative

Days gone by Tarrant, Solly, Alvey, Sylvia, McGlynns etc all came down to school at Bendigo senior and enjoyed themselves, look now Stephens went to Adelaide, brander, dow, Daniels all Geelong grammar with scholarships, Bendigo can't compete

 

[Auskick]

everyone just shuts up and puts up with it because corruption rules and has done and will do until a higher authority stamps it out. Surely they look at the pioneers as an absolute failure To give all the kids in the region an equal chance - Mildura 7 less players in pioneers than strath !! Bloody wake up it’s an absolute joke !

Hey hang on a minute those Mildura kids mite not be up to it..