Opinion Sydney Swans Academy and Rebuild

[momentbymoment]

At the start of the season, all I could hear were people piling on about how crap Sydney were and how much they were looking forward to poaching our players.

Win 3 games and now all I hear are salty tears.

Whats next?
Another trade ban?

 

[TheMase]

Which is absolutely brilliant. But it's something the AFL should be doing and not used as a cudgel to beat in a massive advantage over the rest of the competition. You've won a premiership in the last decade, played in a grand final 6 years ago and only missed the finals for the second time in about 20 years in 2019, yet have had more top ten picks in that time period than any non-new franchise side other than Carlton and Essendon(the only reason we got there was losing 2 of our best players), and more top 5 than anyone other than Carlton who haven't played finals since 2013.

Problem is the AFL had a crack at it for best part of 20 years and failed dismally.

It also offsets disadvantages. Up until 2016 I coached under 16/17s in western Sydney. You still have parents coaching with very little exposure to the game. One example was a Canadian who had moved to Australia. He was a great guy, meant well, but really didn’t understand the game well enough to be coaching juniors. But that’s what we have to deal with here.

The other footballing states all have a much better framework of junior development. The AFL tried and failed in NSW.

 

[Gavin Excell]

At the start of the season, all I could hear were people piling on about how crap Sydney were and how much they were looking forward to poaching our players.

Win 3 games and now all I hear are salty tears.

Whats next?
Another trade ban?

Did the AFL ever adequately explain Swans transgression that led to the ban.

I never really understood it

 

[Iceman!]

I think the Swans would probably say yes to that. The Grand Final at the SCG for 50 years would give us a massive home ground advantage AND help grow the game in NSW.

Time to talk to Eddy ...

It would give you a moderate home ground advantage in one game once a year if you happen to make it.

I would prefer the massive massive massive boost to rebuilding over that.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Did the AFL ever adequately explain Swans transgression that led to the ban.

I never really understood it

Yes "we aren't allowed to have everyone" was Gill actual quote while what we did is nothing different than what Hawthorn, Richmond and Geelong have done.

 

[worldlylizard19]

Did the AFL ever adequately explain Swans transgression that led to the ban.

I never really understood it

Lance Franklin was meant for the new favourite child, the old favorite child was used to getting their way and thought they would just do what they always do. They had never been on the receiving end of the wrath of the petty and vindictive AFL before. If you get in the way of what the AFL wants you get punished.

 

[theiaofseed]

If you that completely ignorant, I cannot be bothered.

But there is a bloke running around in your midfield who goes okay.

Tom Mitchell the Western Australian? There's a key forward that goes alright for Sydney as well

 

[CheapCharlie]

Did the AFL ever adequately explain Swans transgression that led to the ban.

I never really understood it

We signed Buddy

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Anyways from who you talk to inside the club Colless received a threatening phone call from Mike Fitzpatrick the evening we recruited Franklin promising to bring down the whole club.

 

[CheapCharlie]

The problem is the cheap price paid at the draft for top academy kids. Passing on a bid is never an option because they get a discount and can bundle low picks for points. If there was a situation where a bid was made for a top 10 draft pick and the academy club decided not to match because passing was a better option, much of the angst about academy's would disappear.

It would be fair to remove any discount for Academy or father/son picks

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Problem is the AFL had a crack at it for best part of 20 years and failed dismally.

It also offsets disadvantages. Up until 2016 I coached under 16/17s in western Sydney. You still have parents coaching with very little exposure to the game. One example was a Canadian who had moved to Australia. He was a great guy, meant well, but really didn’t understand the game well enough to be coaching juniors. But that’s what we have to deal with here.

The other footballing states all have a much better framework of junior development. The AFL tried and failed in NSW.

Surely there are more alternatives to try expanding the game in NSW than stream line of talent to two teams. It cannot be a case of elite talent getting to a handful of clubs at the expense of the teams in the competition who need talent the most, especially when Sydney didn't need it to play in 4 grand finals in 11 years.

 

[HairyO]

Just ask Adelaide supporters. They selected a player in last years draft who clearly wasn't the best player they had access to solely because that player was from South Australia and not a flight risk.

He was rated the 2nd best in every draft guide I saw.

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

IMHO If The Ark is keeping the Northern State academies, under no circumstances (except for maybe The Suns) should any of those club's be allowed a COLA, The Swans will not be able to fit all their young stars under the cap, and eventually a couple of them will go back home (Logan McDonald is a strong chance to return home to WA at some point)

The Swans have absolutely no right to ask for COLA again, given how they abused and rorted it last time.


It's only fair they lose a Florent and or similar typesin the next few years to a rival club, Richmond's depth has been eroded in recent years due to equalization and SC restraints (admittedly signing Tom Lynch was a factor) and as long as the Swans have the same rules apply to them re The Salary Cap, I am okay with them having academies (although I can see the merit in someway of having a cost of living allowance for their NSW born kids)

 

[Ricketz]

The problem is the cheap price paid at the draft for top academy kids. Passing on a bid is never an option because they get a discount and can bundle low picks for points. If there was a situation where a bid was made for a top 10 draft pick and the academy club decided not to match because passing was a better option, much of the angst about academy's would disappear.

Doesn't this just mean that other clubs need to get smarter at trading picks? Sydney doesn't get a bundle of lower picks in a brown paper bag from the AFL after all.

 

[CheapCharlie]

If Sydney went top 2 this year, or even top 4, the AFL will change the academy rules. probably upping points or restricting a matched bid until pick 11

 

[worldlylizard19]

Doesn't this just mean that other clubs need to get smarter at trading picks? Sydney doesn't get a bundle of lower picks in a brown paper bag from the AFL after all.

If it's in the interest of 2 clubs to do a trade to take advantage of a flawed system, what can the other 16 clubs do about it?

 

[losty199]

The problem is the cheap price paid at the draft for top academy kids. Passing on a bid is never an option because they get a discount and can bundle low picks for points. If there was a situation where a bid was made for a top 10 draft pick and the academy club decided not to match because passing was a better option, much of the angst about academy's would disappear.

The best fix I seen suggested so clubs stills have access to top academy players but have pay fairer price is only use first rounds picks to match first rounds bids with point being taken from future first round picks instead of multiple 2nd and 3rd rounds picks later in draft.

 

[Ricketz]

If it's in the interest of 2 clubs to do a trade to take advantage of a flawed system, what can the other 16 clubs do about it?

That's not really exclusive to trades between Sydney and whichever club is moving up the draft order through them, though - is it. What could 16 other clubs do about the Kelly trade?

 

[tombomb]

Tom Mitchell the Western Australian? There's a key forward that goes alright for Sydney as well

he lived in WA for two years while his dad was a coach at freo. He is from Melbourne.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

IMHO If The Ark is keeping the Northern State academies, under no circumstances (except for maybe The Suns) should any of those club's be allowed a COLA, The Swans will not be able to fit all their young stars under the cap, and eventually a couple of them will go back home (Logan McDonald is a strong chance to return home to WA at some point)

The Swans have absolutely no right to ask for COLA again, given how they abused and rorted it last time.


It's only fair they lose a Florent and or similar typesin the next few years to a rival club, Richmond's depth has been eroded in recent years due to equalization and SC restraints (admittedly signing Tom Lynch was a factor) and as long as the Swans have the same rules apply to them re The Salary Cap, I am okay with them having academies (although I can see the merit in someway of having a cost of living allowance for their NSW born kids)

Abused and rorted? where is the proof we did that
Its only fair we lose Florent?

Its pretty funny you do realise what you just said about Logan Mcdonald a strong chance to request a trade back home is the reason we have academies.

The overreaction is utterly absurd.

 

[TheMase]

Abused and rorted? where is the proof we did that
Its only fair we lose Florent?

Its pretty funny you do realise what you just said about Logan Mcdonald a strong chance to request a trade back home is the reason we have academies.

The overreaction is utterly absurd.

Well with Buddy’s salary in its final years I doubt we will be losing him due to money.

Probably should point out that McDonalds best mates at the club are the two NSW boys from the same draft

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

Abused and rorted? where is the proof we did that
Its only fair we lose Florent?

Its pretty funny you do realise what you just said about Logan Mcdonald a strong chance to request a trade back home is the reason we have academies.

The overreaction is utterly absurd.

Let's be realistic/fair though, how many quality/required players have the Swans lost in the last 5-10 years, especially compared to The Suns, Crows etc

You guys have a wonderful and tight knit culture, from my POV, I am not So much questioning your academies so much, more your recent requests to have COLA reinstated.

Think the Swans are a victim of their own success in that your academy/zone picks aside, your drafting and young player development has been first rate/top notch.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Its pretty funny you do realise what you just said about Logan Mcdonald a strong chance to request a trade back home is the reason we have academies.

The overreaction is utterly absurd.

Which is probably the same reason North didn't draft him. Why do you get protected?

 

[Tedeski]

Abused and rorted? where is the proof we did that
Its only fair we lose Florent?

Its pretty funny you do realise what you just said about Logan Mcdonald a strong chance to request a trade back home is the reason we have academies.

The overreaction is utterly absurd.

The AFL should just give us the 2021 flag now!

 

[GoTheSwannies]

But who have the Swans lost to this? It really is not many

The discussion seems to have shifted from academies being about growing the game to now being about equalization.

You need to grow the game in the northern states to equalise the competition. The two go hand in hand, the former is meant to be the answer to the latter.