Saints Academy Zone - AFL Proposal

[magnifisaint]

Check pu this list of dragons players who are currently
playing AFL http://sandringhamdragons.com.au/www/co ... 28&fid=628

Not bad!

Now... Do we get first dibs on these guys whereby we can draft them at a discounted cost to every other club?!

Sounds to good to be true, dragons are a strong club.

Wow have a look at some of the heads there. All a bit distorted

[loris]

Check pu this list of dragons players who are currently
playing AFL http://sandringhamdragons.com.au/www/co ... 28&fid=628

Not bad!

Now... Do we get first dibs on these guys whereby we can draft them at a discounted cost to every other club?!

Sounds to good to be true, dragons are a strong club.

Well we have ended up with Nathan Freeman out of that lot........... dodgie hammies and all thrown in for nothing too!

[saintsRrising]

Check pu this list of dragons players who are currently
playing AFL http://sandringhamdragons.com.au/www/co ... 28&fid=628

Not bad!

Now... Do we get first dibs on these guys whereby we can draft them at a discounted cost to every other club?!

Sounds to good to be true, dragons are a strong club.

Err no...we would only get access to players from certain "backgrounds". From a quick look at that list that would only be Karl Amon.

[desertsaint]

i agree in some respects with Plugger - certainly in regards to the Victorian divy, but that all indigenous talent in the NT has been divided between just five teams is blatantly unfair - still scratching my head how geelong, hawthorn, and of course collingwood and were chosen and the doggies ignored despite playing home games in Darwin for a few years. Essendon and Melbourne have some link, but neither more so than the Dogs. And Melbourne has support in just one small community.
Guaranteed from ten to twenty players in AFL lists every year will come from this pool currently - with extra support this number will grow. And the greatest opportunity to grab this talent is given to a select five clubs? Here is a list from 2013 - some gone, replaced by others, which gives you an idea of NT involvement. How this is fair completely eludes me.


Shaun Burgoyne (209 games) PA/HAW
Jared Brennan (162) BL/GC
Aaron Davey (161) MELB
Matthew Stokes (135) GEEL
Richard Tambling (119) RI/AD
Cyril Rioli (109) HAW
Tom Logan (104) BL/PA
Alwyn Davey (90) ESS
Steven Motlop (31) GEEL
Curtly Hampton (20) GWS
Steven May (13) GC
Liam Patrick (11) GC
Shaun Edwards (10) GWS
Jed Anderson (3) HAW

I could be wrong on this but imagine they (and us) can't just put any Indigenous kid in their academy. Only those who live in the middle of nowhere or don't speak much English or are extremely poor ie those outside the AFL normal reach and have cultural/tribal issues that makes it difficult for them to transition into the professional world of AFL. The AFL would make a call on whether they can be included but I still think its rife for clubs to cleverly wangle it to get a talented young kid on their books. And we know clubs will always push the rules to get any advantage they can. No coincidence its the richer clubs who will be able to put resources into scouting and running programs in NT. They would only agree to it if there was a real payoff.

Our advantage I guess is that we can try and find Asian and African kids with sporting talent in our catchment which the AFL is hot for. We won't have the funds the other richer clubs will have though to find that diamond hidden in the rough and polish them. And it won't come anywhere near the advantages the Northern clubs have with their zones. Just read they are describing Mills that Sydney got with their "academy pick 3 as a "freak". The reason so many of these academy kids are going so high in the draft is that the clubs can identify and fast track their development from a much younger age knowing they will get them in the draft. Imagine how further down the track McCartin and Billings would be if we were able to work with them for two years before we drafted them? It's just an insane advantage.

Same reply to yourself and plugger - in theory that is so about the kids already identified and playing for a club, but as you've said - it will be rorted. And heck there's a fair bit of untapped talent in the communities and town camps - basically all of these kids are ESL kids and dirt poor. The good side of it is we'll see more Laim Jurrahs (hopefully not exactly like Jurrah!), but advantage to just five clubs - and Essendon will easily claim any Tiwi Islander kid, Melbourne any community, camp kid.

[ripplug66]

i agree in some respects with Plugger - certainly in regards to the Victorian divy, but that all indigenous talent in the NT has been divided between just five teams is blatantly unfair - still scratching my head how geelong, hawthorn, and of course collingwood and were chosen and the doggies ignored despite playing home games in Darwin for a few years. Essendon and Melbourne have some link, but neither more so than the Dogs. And Melbourne has support in just one small community.
Guaranteed from ten to twenty players in AFL lists every year will come from this pool currently - with extra support this number will grow. And the greatest opportunity to grab this talent is given to a select five clubs? Here is a list from 2013 - some gone, replaced by others, which gives you an idea of NT involvement. How this is fair completely eludes me.


Shaun Burgoyne (209 games) PA/HAW
Jared Brennan (162) BL/GC
Aaron Davey (161) MELB
Matthew Stokes (135) GEEL
Richard Tambling (119) RI/AD
Cyril Rioli (109) HAW
Tom Logan (104) BL/PA
Alwyn Davey (90) ESS
Steven Motlop (31) GEEL
Curtly Hampton (20) GWS
Steven May (13) GC
Liam Patrick (11) GC
Shaun Edwards (10) GWS
Jed Anderson (3) HAW

I could be wrong on this but imagine they (and us) can't just put any Indigenous kid in their academy. Only those who live in the middle of nowhere or don't speak much English or are extremely poor ie those outside the AFL normal reach and have cultural/tribal issues that makes it difficult for them to transition into the professional world of AFL. The AFL would make a call on whether they can be included but I still think its rife for clubs to cleverly wangle it to get a talented young kid on their books. And we know clubs will always push the rules to get any advantage they can. No coincidence its the richer clubs who will be able to put resources into scouting and running programs in NT. They would only agree to it if there was a real payoff.

Our advantage I guess is that we can try and find Asian and African kids with sporting talent in our catchment which the AFL is hot for. We won't have the funds the other richer clubs will have though to find that diamond hidden in the rough and polish them. And it won't come anywhere near the advantages the Northern clubs have with their zones. Just read they are describing Mills that Sydney got with their "academy pick 3 as a "freak". The reason so many of these academy kids are going so high in the draft is that the clubs can identify and fast track their development from a much younger age knowing they will get them in the draft. Imagine how further down the track McCartin and Billings would be if we were able to work with them for two years before we drafted them? It's just an insane advantage.

Same reply to yourself and plugger - in theory that is so about the kids already identified and playing for a club, but as you've said - it will be rorted. And heck there's a fair bit of untapped talent in the communities and town camps - basically all of these kids are ESL kids and dirt poor. The good side of it is we'll see more Laim Jurrahs (hopefully not exactly like Jurrah!), but advantage to just five clubs - and Essendon will easily claim any Tiwi Islander kid, Melbourne any community, camp kid.

If we had that area we wouldn't have the money to service it. I wouldn't be surprised if we requested we don't get an interstate area. And its for young kids anyway. I doubt we will get many players through in the next 5 years.

[CQ SAINT]

This seems like more of a PR exercise than the development of talent. Talent finds development no matter where it is zoned. Influencing the player to desire to be link to your brand is the key. Be patient. We are still developing our current list let alone our future ones. We missed the boat in our last ride to the top. That debate is over. If we make finals for a decade 2018 - 2025 watch the schools in our zones swell with future stars who wanna play for us, live on the Peninsula and hang out at all the trendy places. What it must have been like in the 60's and early 70's.
We need 2 or 3 flags though. Dont kid yourself that what Coll Ess WC Adel Haw thorn and those we are jealous of have delivered. They earnt there popularity and it ensures their ongoing success. Currently we are making all the right noises and I think our coach is more prime for sustained success rather than dogged application of a hit or miss strategy.

[desertsaint]

quite right plugger, we wouldn't have the money. But that's kinda the point - the rich clubs are being further advantaged. The AFL should set it up and fund it. Instead the richer clubs will fund it and simply claim a higher proportion of afl handouts than they would normally be entitled to as a result of the lower profit.

[Bluthy]

Same reply to yourself and plugger - in theory that is so about the kids already identified and playing for a club, but as you've said - it will be rorted. And heck there's a fair bit of untapped talent in the communities and town camps - basically all of these kids are ESL kids and dirt poor. The good side of it is we'll see more Laim Jurrahs (hopefully not exactly like Jurrah!), but advantage to just five clubs - and Essendon will easily claim any Tiwi Islander kid, Melbourne any community, camp kid.

Yeah Jurrah's a good example of what they will try to include in their academies which is exciting raw indigenous talent. The AFL loved his story and would love something similar but with a better managed and happier ending. Eddie's been a powerful and vocal critic of the Northern clubs academies giving them an unfair advantage so this will be the AFL's way of shutting him up a bit. He will be rubbing his hands at what raw talent Collingwood might find up North using all the pokies money they sucked out of their lower demographic community. This is the reality of AFL politics. This s*** has always been going on. We just need to keep working on becoming as big as we can to become a power player in the game.

[saintbrat]

Further to 'Academy" idea
the saints are running next gen (recruitment) sorry training sessions for 11-15 year olds

Seaford and Moorabbin ( Sandringham)

http://www.saints.com.au/nextgen
Our Academies will be hosted at Seaford and Moorabbin or Sandringham and anyone aged 11-15 living in our allocated region (postcodes below) is eligible to register and be a Saints Next Generation Academy player.

To find out more join us at our final Saints Next Generation Academy Registration Day for the year. Sessions will be held at separate locations in both Seaford and Moorabbin at the following times:

SEAFORD, Linen House Centre - Saturday 10th December (9-11am)
MOORABBIN, Linton St Oval - Saturday 10th December (2-4pm)
For further information and to express your interest in attending the Registration Day please register

[borderbarry]

The only Drgon we have on our list is N.Freeman who we got from Collingwood. I have always wondered why we dont have more on our list, with our Sandringham connection.

[White Winmar]

The only Drgon we have on our list is N.Freeman who we got from Collingwood. I have always wondered why we dont have more on our list, with our Sandringham connection.

Just give us Sandringham Dragons as out feeder club. Premierships will flow.