2nds West Coast Eagles WAFL Watch 2024

[Alesana]

Is the game being broadcast anywhere?

There should a link on this page once it's live

AFL - News, Fixtures, Scores & Results - AFL.com.au

Australian Football League. All the latest AFL news, video, results and information

www.afl.com.au

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

What could we have?

A standalone side we take seriously and put time and effort and resources into.

Or an alignment with Perth.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

A standalone side we take seriously and put time and effort and resources into.

Or an alignment with Perth.

I am sure they have spoken with Perth seriously about the alignment. We are a pro club so surely this has happened.
As for more resources into the WAFL stand alone well they need players more than anything and it’s not very optimistic that ex AFL or good 2nd tier players from anywhere wish to play with us.
Just a sad reality right now.
I do believe however as our senior club rebuilds and gets better over the next 5 years then naturally our seconds side will as well. We have been a basket case at AFL level and if you really think about it then it makes perfect sense we have been terrible in our two’s as well. Maybe we have been expecting something not in reality?

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

I am sure they have spoken with Perth seriously about the alignment. We are a pro club so surely this has happened.
As for more resources into the WAFL stand alone well they need players more than anything and it’s not very optimistic that ex AFL or good 2nd tier players from anywhere wish to play with us.
Just a sad reality right now.
I do believe however as our senior club rebuilds and gets better over the next 5 years then naturally our seconds side will as well. We have been a basket case at AFL level and if you really think about it then it makes perfect sense we have been terrible in our two’s as well. Maybe we have been expecting something not in reality?

Are you advocating for keeping a standalone side now?

 

[cottoneyeYeo]

Witherden and Rotham might stay around?

not this again

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Are you advocating for keeping a standalone side now?

I am not advocating for anything, just pointing out that our seconds poor efforts may line up with our senior sides efforts.
I don’t know the answers, I am sure they are looking at it. But in all reality fixing the seniors will be the priority.

 

[amazingjoshy]

I'm not sure it's worse than what we've got, but it would be worse than what we could have.

How long do we spend trying to get "what we could have" and in the meantime (in what could be argued as our most crucial years as a club) waste the development years of our young players?

On something that has had now 6 years (?) of evidence of not working?

And there's an easy solution that we know works pretty bloody well that we can do while we sort out a better option....

 

[amazingjoshy]

A standalone side we take seriously and put time and effort and resources into.

Or an alignment with Perth.

I've said a million times an alignment is the best option. I agree we should throw everything at this option but for whatever reason it's just not happening. We should pursue it as hard as we can, but in the meantime wasting more years on the joke that is the Beagles is so stupid where there's an easy solution that is much much better.

The standalone side is a joke. Port and the Crows don't want to continue theirs, Freo has an alignment and every other team is in the VFL. No other team is in our situation and wants to be there.

Not sure what the argument is to keep trying

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

How long do we spend trying to get "what we could have" and in the meantime (in what could be argued as our most crucial years as a club) waste the development years of our young players?

On something that has had now 6 years (?) of evidence of not working?

Four years.

It worked well in 2019, the reserves played finals and won a final.

It didn’t happen in 2020 thanks to Covid, the top players in McInnes, Gray and Fisher shifted to Perth and never came back and it’s been a shambles since then. Not helped by the annual uncertainty around whether it’s happening resulting in players signing elsewhere, particularly the end of 2021 when Brayshaw left.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

I've said a million times an alignment is the best option. I agree we should throw everything at this option but for whatever reason it's just not happening. We should pursue it as hard as we can, but in the meantime wasting more years on the joke that is the Beagles is so stupid where there's an easy solution that is much much better.

The standalone side is a joke. Port and the Crows don't want to continue theirs, Freo has an alignment and every other team is in the VFL. No other team is in our situation and wants to be there.

Not sure what the argument is to keep trying

The Crows and Port want to shift leagues don’t they? Not abandon their standalone teams.

I don’t think any club has actually considered doing away their reserves and splitting their squad over several state league teams.

I wonder why that is?

 

[greatwhiteshark]

The Crows and Port want to shift leagues don’t they? Not abandon their standalone teams.

I don’t think any club has actually considered doing away their reserves and splitting their squad over several state league teams.

I wonder why that is?

The Victorian sides have never had the opportunity to spread players. So they are hardly even in the comparison. Not worth even mentioning them.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

The Victorian sides have never had the opportunity to spread players. So they are hardly even in the comparison. Not worth even mentioning them.

North split their players between Werribee and North Ballarat for years. Bulldogs split theira between Werribee and Williamstown at one stage.

And all of them have the possibility of doing away with their standalone sides and splitting their players across the half dozen or so unaffiliated teams. I don’t think any of them have even considered doing that. For some reason.

 

[amazingjoshy]

Four years.

It worked well in 2019, the reserves played finals and won a final.

It didn’t happen in 2020 thanks to Covid, the top players in McInnes, Gray and Fisher shifted to Perth and never came back and it’s been a shambles since then. Not helped by the annual uncertainty around whether it’s happening resulting in players signing elsewhere, particularly the end of 2021 when Brayshaw left.

4 years of wooden spoons? 1 year when it didn't exist and 1 year when it supposedly worked. Most would see which year was the outlier but sure let's keep trying to relive the 1 year out of 5 that it's "worked"

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

4 years of wooden spoons? 1 year when it didn't exist and 1 year when it supposedly worked. Most would see which year was the outlier but sure let's keep trying to relive the 1 year out of 5 that it's "worked"

It’s four years of failure not six, was my point.

And I’ve given the reasons why it’s failed in those four years. They’ve half-committed to it, they’ve wavered on what they’re going to do. (Also Covid, massive injury lists and the entire team being shithouse didn’t help).

 

[amazingjoshy]

The Crows and Port want to shift leagues don’t they? Not abandon their standalone teams.

I don’t think any club has actually considered doing away their reserves and splitting their squad over several state league teams.

I wonder why that is?

They want to join the VFL and make it a national ressies comp though no?

Every club on the same level in a national reserves leagues is a completely different kettle of fish than a standalone 2nds team in an already existing competition with fully grown men playing against a team filled with basically kids and ammos

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

They want to join the VFL and make it a national ressies comp though no?

Every club on the same level in a national reserves leagues is a completely different kettle of fish than a standalone 2nds team in an already existing competition with fully grown men playing against a team filled with basically kids and ammos

Well I agree with that. But for some reason the AFL isn’t prepared to subsidise WA sides in the VFL even though they’re (presumably?) paying for Williamstown to fly up to the Gold Coast to play the Suns’ ressies.

Going in harder on that argument with the AFL is an option. I hadn’t considered that actually

 

[amazingjoshy]

It’s four years of failure not six, was my point.

And I’ve given the reasons why it’s failed in those four years. They’ve half-committed to it, they’ve wavered on what they’re going to do. (Also Covid, massive injury lists and the entire team being shithouse didn’t help).

This isn't making the point you think it is

Its worked 1 year out of 5 if that makes you feel better. Maybe that one was the outlier? And we had a ridiculously good run of injuries and had quite a good squad that year?

If that's the conditions we need for it not be a total failure, then it's a massively flawed setup no?

 

[greatwhiteshark]

They want to join the VFL and make it a national ressies comp though no?

Every club on the same level in a national reserves leagues is a completely different kettle of fish than a standalone 2nds team in an already existing competition with fully grown men playing against a team filled with basically kids and ammos

Haha, a national kids comp would Be a joke and crap for development. You want your developing players playing footy against seasoned men footballers. That’s how you develop players.

 

[amazingjoshy]

Haha, a national kids comp would Be a joke and crap for development. You want your developing players playing footy against seasoned men footballers. That’s how you develop players.

Sure if you say so, but thats almost the reality they have now. Theres only 4 teams not in the VFL and 2 of them want to join.

Personally I don't see the reluctance to go back to the old model we had over here with farming the players out to WAFL teams. I genuinely think it would be an advantage over other teams but apparently thats crazy talk these days

The one certainty is that the current model is complete crap and needs to be changed

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Sure if you say so, but thats almost the reality they have now. Theres only 4 teams not in the VFL and 2 of them want to join.

Personally I don't see the reluctance to go back to the old model we had over here with farming the players out to WAFL teams. I genuinely think it would be an advantage over other teams but apparently thats crazy talk these days

The one certainty is that the current model is complete crap and needs to be changed

With where the women’s game is going and the drive for them to be more visible then I cannot see any appetite for a national reserves comp.

I will say again, once the Eagles build and climb the ladder again the seconds will naturally become stronger. It all ties together.

And yes farming players out was clearly the best model.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

So clearly the best model, in fact, that no club is doing it, has done it in the last decade, or is considering doing it in the future.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

So clearly the best model, in fact, that no club is doing it, has done it in the last decade, or is considering doing it in the future.

How do you gage what is the best model?
How successful your senior side has been.
How does that look for the WCE? Which model stacks up as the best model in our near 40 years. Good sample size.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

So clearly the best model, in fact, that no club is doing it, has done it in the last decade, or is considering doing it in the future.

And this is purely about the WCE, what model works for Carlton is not relevant. Totally different football environment.

 

[amazingjoshy]

So clearly the best model, in fact, that no club is doing it, has done it in the last decade, or is considering doing it in the future.

So clearly the best model is continuing what we've done as a club for the last four years

I'm sure this year will be different

 

[random260]

I can't believe this.

Does nobody in the wafl want our community job gig?

Offer those spot to sandover medallists and be done with it.

There has to be people that work a 9-5 job getting paid peanuts whom would jump out of community job gig

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

And this is purely about the WCE, what model works for Carlton is not relevant. Totally different football environment.

Are we in a totally different football environment from, say, Adelaide and Port? Who are unhappy with their current setup but looking to put their standalone reserves into the VFL rather than go back to spreading players around the SANFL?

So clearly the best model is continuing what we've done as a club for the last four years

I'm sure this year will be different

I’ve explained at least three times today and more than a dozen times in this thread what I think needs to change.

I’m not an advocate for keeping the status quo.