VFL We need to talk about Sandy.

[Drake Huggins]

I attended our game against Collingwood on the weekend as I was due to attend a dinner in Fitzroy the same night. I must admit, rather than coming away from the experience full of optimism, pith and vinegar, I was quite deflated by what I witnessed. We looked OK for a quarter and a half, but after that we folded like a deck chair and collapsed into a significant loss. It really mimicked our senior team and so I concluded the malaise that has been present all year in the seniors, had graduated into the feeder team.

What disturbed me most was that the Collingwood reserves had at least half a dozen players who looked capable of stepping straight into the seniors, if needed. We really didn't have any, even though we should have. I won't go into specifics as I don't want to be accused of bagging players unnecessarily, but we looked a class below the filth. There appeared to be no system, plan nor communication amongst the group. The suburban setting allows you to hear what is happening on the ground. Collingwood put on a cacophony. We were funereal. I'm wondering what Sammy Hamill is doing. He seemed to have no answers. He's Richo's apprentice from what I could see and hear. The mediocrity of TMBK appears to have infiltrated all areas.

We pretty much gave up the ghost after half time and I only stayed to the bitter end as I had nothing else to do. The last time Sandy looked any good was when Paul Hudson had the reigns. He left under acrimonious circumstances, probably because he was competent and was at odds with the chief dud.

Sandringham has always been a proud and successful club. It was an oasis of success in the dark 80's of our senior team. Flags in with the ultimate Saint in charge gave me joy. My own son, graduating through East Sandy juniors onto the senior club gave me a great sense of pride. What's happened? The alignment has been a complete failure. It has ruined Sandy and failed our club as a development source. Hamill must go. What I saw on the weekend was a rabble, bereft of hope and positive attitude.

We must set up our own stand alone VFL team as a priority. Bugger the cost and the relentless drive for an AFLW presence, which is nothing more than another Finnis PC failure ( add it to NZ, Pride game etc.). Concentrate on what will make us credible and successful where it counts. As a viable, senior AFL force. The rest will follow if we get the main game right. Time for Matt Finnish to go. Thanks for your service, got us to Moorabbin, but did SFA else. He was supposed to fix our debt and finances. Fail. He was supposed to get us to top four by 2018. Fail. Appointed an unemployed high school teacher in our development area because she was a woman. Fail. List in disarray. Fail. Resigned a clearly incompetent coach for two more years without any evidence for doing so. Fail. And finally, has destroyed a great VFA club through incompetence and terrible appointments.

Sandringham should've been an advantage for us and a point of difference. Like the senior team, they've been sucked into the Bermuda Triangle of the football world that is St.Kilda. What is the answer? FIIK. I give up. Suggestions, forumites?

PS. The Greek restaurant made up for the crappy game.

 

[Murraj1966]

Should buy into Franga with a jumper change and full control.

 

[Drake Huggins]

Not a bad idea, M66. Maybe should've done it when we went to Seaford. Still think the stand alone, playing out of Moorabbin is the go. First game back would be a sellout, if we could restrict access. Imagine an Animal Enclosure. It would go off like a frog in a sock.

 

[Nutsngum]

Stopped reading at your incessant milky bar kid garbage.

 

[jwikked]

Gotta agree. AFLW team will look good in the paper and in photo shoots (all Finnis cares about) but a proper VFL team will only strengthen the AFL team.

 

[borderbarry]

It is obvious our alignment with Sandringham is not working. Why did we shop Huddo? The two coaches since appeared to be incompetent, or is it another factor?

 

[StCicatriz]

shit VFL club

 

[Drake Huggins]

Stopped reading at your incessant milky bar kid garbage.

Good.

 

[borderbarry]

shit VFL club

They were'nt before we got involved with them.

 

[austinnn]

Finnis also drove the much better stadium deal, conveniently forgotten. Dont see how the Pride match was a fail, only in the sense that we lost the football matches. May not fit everyone's agenda, but it was a success in terms of improved crowd numbers. Peta Searle was a repeated premiership coach in women's league, not just an unemployed teacher. Not sure if she was or wasn't a good development coach but you do her and the club a huge disservice leaving her footy achievements out of your critique.

I'll agree with you about the Hudson part though.

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

 

[majortinkle]

Is there anything (other than cash) stopping us employing a dozen extra players, have them train with us but they are on Sandy’s list and they only play for them?

You’d think it would sort the alignment out overnight from a playing perspective

 

[Txiki]

I wonder what SL and AB have planned for the Sandringham alignment. This is a situation that desperately needs fixing and I suspect they know it too. We can't expect to develop our players properly on-field, in their preferred positions, without playing them in a team over which we have full control.

 

[Drake Huggins]

Finnis also drove the much better stadium deal, conveniently forgotten. Dont see how the Pride match was a fail, only in the sense that we lost the football matches. May not fit everyone's agenda, but it was a success in terms of improved crowd numbers. Peta Searle was a repeated premiership coach in women's league, not just an unemployed teacher. Not sure if she was or wasn't a good development coach but you do her and the club a huge disservice leaving her footy achievements out of your critique.

I'll agree with you about the Hudson part though.

With all due respect, Austinnn, she coached premierships in the women's league when the standard was absolutely laughable. As a player, she was probably the difference between her team and the rest of the comp. I watched my daughter play in the top level of the women's league when PETA was going around. The skills were non existent except for a few. Most were grossly overweight and unfit. PETA was small, quick, fit and reasonably skilled. That made her an elite standout at that level.

My daughter played with boys until age 12. She reckoned her boy's under age team would've beaten her senior women's team. It is laughable that Searle was appointed. Her playing and coaching record in the women's league was on a par with a suburban mum or dad coaching an underage team. Two years as a part time assistant at Port Melbourne is hardly the basis for appointment to an elite level club. Let's be frank, it was a typical piece of virtue signalling from PC Finnis. The only problem is, it became part of our overall development deficiencies. The results speak for themselves.

I understand that part of the plan was to develop her for the women's team eventual entry. Surely, however, there were other ways to develop her than put her into such a vital role , when there would've been literally hundreds of better qualified men for the job.

 

[Saintbloke]

Nothing much to inspire anyone with the Saints or Sandy sadly right now

 

[Impatient Saint]

With all due respect, Austinnn, she coached premierships in the women's league when the standard was absolutely laughable. As a player, she was probably the difference between her team and the rest of the comp. I watched my daughter play in the top level of the women's league when PETA was going around. The skills were non existent except for a few. Most were grossly overweight and unfit. PETA was small, quick, fit and reasonably skilled. That made her an elite standout at that level.

My daughter played with boys until age 12. She reckoned her boy's under age team would've beaten her senior women's team. It is laughable that Searle was appointed. Her playing and coaching record in the women's league was on a par with a suburban mum or dad coaching an underage team. Two years as a part time assistant at Port Melbourne is hardly the basis for appointment to an elite level club. Let's be frank, it was a typical piece of virtue signalling from PC Finnis. The only problem is, it became part of our overall development deficiencies. The results speak for themselves.

I understand that part of the plan was to develop her for the women's team eventual entry. Surely, however, there were other ways to develop her than put her into such a vital role , when there would've been literally hundreds of better qualified men for the job.

Agree it was just another example of Finnis putting his own CV over the development of the senior players. He wanted to look like he was an equal employer and leading the way on these matters. In a professional footballing sense it was laughable that a person whether male or female from a surburban background be given that role.

 

[plugger66]

Agree it was just another example of Finnis putting his own CV over the development of the senior players. He wanted to look like he was an equal employer and leading the way on these matters. In a professional footballing sense it was laughable that a person whether male or female from a surburban background be given that role.

She doesn't and has never done much around the club. Again we are looking for excuses that really aren't there. Having said that she shouldn't have been appointed but it really didn't hurt the club.

 

[Stewart66]

Agree it was just another example of Finnis putting his own CV over the development of the senior players. He wanted to look like he was an equal employer and leading the way on these matters. In a professional footballing sense it was laughable that a person whether male or female from a surburban background be given that role.

They have a few assistants ( Male ) from suburban background there too, which only makes
player development non existent and it’s been going on for years.

 

[plugger66]

They have a few assistants ( Male ) from suburban background there too, which only makes
player development non existent and it’s been going on for years.

All VFL clubs have that.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

grump old men grizzling about a woman development coach ... who would have guessed.....

 

[StMiles1]

We must set up our own stand alone VFL team as a priority. Bugger the cost and the relentless drive for an AFLW presence, which is nothing more than another Finnis PC failure ( add it to NZ, Pride game etc.). Concentrate on what will make us credible and successful where it counts. As a viable, senior AFL force.

You lost me here. Our club can walk and chew gum. We definitely should set up a standalone team, that much is clear. But we shouldn't do so while neglecting clear responsibilities to the community; be it AFLW or the Pride Game, both of which benefit our club in a myriad of ways: membership, attendance and positive press (or as you'd call it, credibility.) In fact, I reckon the mark of a successful, credible club is the ability to do all of the above and I'd be proud if our club did.
We should have a VFL team, but keep politics out of it.

 

[plugger66]

You lost me here. Our club can walk and chew gum. We definitely should set up a standalone team, that much is clear. But we shouldn't do so while neglecting clear responsibilities to the community; be it AFLW or the Pride Game, both of which benefit our club in a myriad of ways: membership, attendance and positive press (or as you'd call it, credibility.) In fact, I reckon the mark of a successful, credible club is the ability to do all of the above and I'd be proud if our club did.
We should have a VFL team, but keep politics out of it.

What if we already run Sandy which we do the same way the Hawks run Box Hill. Surely it doesn't matter what we are called as long as we develop players the way we want to again which we now do.

Totally agree with the rest of it.

 

[StMiles1]

What if we already run Sandy which we do the same way the Hawks run Box Hill. Surely it doesn't matter what we are called as long as we develop players the way we want to again which we now do.

Totally agree with the rest of it.

Sandy Saints has a nice ring to it.

 

[jonathons11]

What is actually wrong with the alignment we have right now in relation to our player development?
All of our players get to play (if not injured/emergency/etc) and I feel like anyone not playing in there preferred position is our choice, not Sandy's.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

With all due respect, Austinnn, she coached premierships in the women's league when the standard was absolutely laughable. As a player, she was probably the difference between her team and the rest of the comp. I watched my daughter play in the top level of the women's league when PETA was going around. The skills were non existent except for a few. Most were grossly overweight and unfit. PETA was small, quick, fit and reasonably skilled. That made her an elite standout at that level.

My daughter played with boys until age 12. She reckoned her boy's under age team would've beaten her senior women's team. It is laughable that Searle was appointed. Her playing and coaching record in the women's league was on a par with a suburban mum or dad coaching an underage team. Two years as a part time assistant at Port Melbourne is hardly the basis for appointment to an elite level club. Let's be frank, it was a typical piece of virtue signalling from PC Finnis. The only problem is, it became part of our overall development deficiencies. The results speak for themselves.

I understand that part of the plan was to develop her for the women's team eventual entry. Surely, however, there were other ways to develop her than put her into such a vital role , when there would've been literally hundreds of better qualified men for the job.

Everywhere i read it ,she's described as a Senior Assistant Coach at Port Melbourne.
Peta as a coach and not a player, i'm sorry being smaller and quicker than the fatties you describe makes no difference.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/04/05/female-coach-likely-sooner-rather-than-later-watson/

The way i see it, people like yourself are the biggest obstacle to people like her.