Three St Kilda Academy Players on AFL 360

[StPeter]

Interesting interviews tonight on AFL 360 leading into Saturday's important match with Owens, Windhager (spelt as Windwager on the screen) and Adrian Cole.

All are products of St Kilda's Next Generation Academy, with Cole obviously a future AFL prospect who hopefully gets to the Saints at the next draft.

Cole looks the goods at over 193cm and still growing.

https://www.saints.com.au/community/our ... nt-program

[Scollop]

Leigh Montagna came on for his regular Wednesday night segment with David King where they dissect and analyse the games and he had a cheeky grin on his face when he talked about the young Cole.

It was great seeing Joey excited at the prospect of Cole getting picked up by the Saints in next year's draft

[B.M]

If he’s any good - any club can nab him in the top 20

The young Hawthorn pick was a Saints academy player

[B.M]

If he’s any good - any club can nab him in the top 20

The young Hawthorn pick was a Saints academy player

[Devilhead]

Top 40

[CQ SAINT]

The final destination of our academy players is not as important, at this stage, as achieving success as development program with elite coaches and facilities. We need to own our zone and produce quality footballers.

I heard we have the most successful NG academy so far.

[B.M]

It’s only important if it helps us win premierships

We are not a charity organisation

[CQ SAINT]

It’s only important if it helps us win premierships

We are not a charity organisation

You clearly don't understand why we have the NGA and who funds it.

It was established by seed funding, attracts sponsors and is outside the cap.

Its only important to one premiership winner a year I guess. The other 17 clubs better not do it.

Its like talking to a book of cliches, chatting with you.

[B.M]

Good on you Teflon!

Look the NGA is fine - as long as there is a footy return on the investment

Otherwise it’s a waste of time

Every decision we make should be around 1 goal

Winning our next premiership- if it doesn’t support that - it’s a distraction- and resources are better off in other areas

We got luck with Mitch and Marcus
Mitch was undervalued and was drafted when the top 20 was only impacted, isn’t it now 40?
Marcus was also highly rated but a back injury draft year saw him slide to 47

Owens looks like a steal
Windhager is a pick up

So it has been worthwhile to this point

But if it’s top 40

The chances are greater of developing someone else’s player is better than developing your own. Ie/McKenzie

[wally]

It’s great having a junior development system but it doesn’t guarantee us drafting the talent we nurture.
Any team can draft them ,we can only match them with points after pick 40 which means if they are any good they go somewhere else, like last year Hawks took Cam McKenzie a pick or 2 before our first pick.
Unlike the interstate teams who have no restrictions I.e. Gold Coast have 3 kids tipped to go in the top 12 I think.
We got lucky with Owens & Windy the rule came in at pick 20

[Saints58]

Why do we have a restriction on a NGA when the interstate clubs don't no incentive another situation were we get screwed.
Is the club addressing the problem with the AFL really hope they are.
We get no father sons so this is the only way we can look to get a even break.

[CQ SAINT]

Good on you Teflon!

Look the NGA is fine - as long as there is a footy return on the investment

Otherwise it’s a waste of time

Every decision we make should be around 1 goal

Winning our next premiership- if it doesn’t support that - it’s a distraction- and resources are better off in other areas

We got luck with Mitch and Marcus
Mitch was undervalued and was drafted when the top 20 was only impacted, isn’t it now 40?
Marcus was also highly rated but a back injury draft year saw him slide to 47

Owens looks like a steal
Windhager is a pick up

So it has been worthwhile to this point

But if it’s top 40

The chances are greater of developing someone else’s player is better than developing your own. Ie/McKenzie

There's getting lucky and there's Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

Ok. The door has been shut but everyone now knows who is in our NGA and we get to pick at others. The more talent identified, the better.

[saynta]

Why do we have a restriction on a NGA when the interstate clubs don't no incentive another situation were we get screwed.
Is the club addressing the problem with the AFL really hope they are.
We get no father sons so this is the only way we can look to get a even break.

Present system is f****** unfair to a club like the Saints, especially when compared to the Suns.

Head office looking after its own it seems.

[Life Long Saint]

We are not a charity organisation

Turns out we are:
https://www.saints.com.au/club/foundation

[Sanctorum]

Leigh Montagna came on for his regular Wednesday night segment with David King where they dissect and analyse the games and he had a cheeky grin on his face when he talked about the young Cole.

It was great seeing Joey excited at the prospect of Cole getting picked up by the Saints in next year's draft

I picked that up too Scollop, Cole at age 17 is actually listed as 197cm so he could easily get to 200+.

Has anyone been able to find out how many NGA players were drafted by AFL clubs in the last few years?

I know Cameron McKenzie was a first rounder taken by Hawthorn from St Kilda's academy, were there any others?

With a total of only 59 recruits drafted in 2022 it suggests that unless they are out and out stars there won't be many from NGAs who will be drafted before round 40.

[1966]

Good on you Teflon!

Look the NGA is fine - as long as there is a footy return on the investment

Otherwise it’s a waste of time

Every decision we make should be around 1 goal

Winning our next premiership- if it doesn’t support that - it’s a distraction- and resources are better off in other areas

We got luck with Mitch and Marcus
Mitch was undervalued and was drafted when the top 20 was only impacted, isn’t it now 40?
Marcus was also highly rated but a back injury draft year saw him slide to 47

Owens looks like a steal
Windhager is a pick up

So it has been worthwhile to this point

But if it’s top 40

The chances are greater of developing someone else’s player is better than developing your own. Ie/McKenzie

Spot on.
So many decisions over recent years have been made which were never going to help us win a flag.
- New Zealand
- Cairns
- questionable assistant coaching appointments
- themed games

Academy was great to get Owens and Windhager but now the top 40 makes it a bigger risk.
No problem with it but lets keep it in perspective. Would same funds be better spent on recruiting?

[1966]

Good on you Teflon!

Look the NGA is fine - as long as there is a footy return on the investment

Otherwise it’s a waste of time

Every decision we make should be around 1 goal

Winning our next premiership- if it doesn’t support that - it’s a distraction- and resources are better off in other areas

We got luck with Mitch and Marcus
Mitch was undervalued and was drafted when the top 20 was only impacted, isn’t it now 40?
Marcus was also highly rated but a back injury draft year saw him slide to 47

Owens looks like a steal
Windhager is a pick up

So it has been worthwhile to this point

But if it’s top 40

The chances are greater of developing someone else’s player is better than developing your own. Ie/McKenzie

Spot on.
So many decisions over recent years have been made which were never going to help us win a flag.
- New Zealand
- Cairns
- questionable assistant coaching appointments
- themed games

Academy was great to get Owens and Windhager but now the top 40 makes it a bigger risk.
No problem with it but lets keep it in perspective. Would same funds be better spent on recruiting?

[CQ SAINT]

Good on you Teflon!

Look the NGA is fine - as long as there is a footy return on the investment

Otherwise it’s a waste of time

Every decision we make should be around 1 goal

Winning our next premiership- if it doesn’t support that - it’s a distraction- and resources are better off in other areas

We got luck with Mitch and Marcus
Mitch was undervalued and was drafted when the top 20 was only impacted, isn’t it now 40?
Marcus was also highly rated but a back injury draft year saw him slide to 47

Owens looks like a steal
Windhager is a pick up

So it has been worthwhile to this point

But if it’s top 40

The chances are greater of developing someone else’s player is better than developing your own. Ie/McKenzie

Spot on.
So many decisions over recent years have been made which were never going to help us win a flag.
- New Zealand
- Cairns
- questionable assistant coaching appointments
- themed games

Academy was great to get Owens and Windhager but now the top 40 makes it a bigger risk.
No problem with it but lets keep it in perspective. Would same funds be better spent on recruiting?

The same money would be great to spend on recruiting but unfortunately, if you were following the conversation, you would have read that the AFL provided the seed funding, the NGA attracts its own sponsorship and tax deductible donations, via a dedicated fund and the money is outside the cap.

So, if we did spend the money on recruiting, we'd be fined and possibly lose premiership points. That won't help win a grand final.

[CQ SAINT]

As for the ventures into NZ and so on, most of those deals made more money than Etihad.
Don't worry. Maddie's Match, Pride game and Danny's game will be fine when the new coach gets us flying and we win them.
We just need to focus on our plan, our performance and prepare to give ourselves the best opportunity to win.
The list will be settled in a few months, the 30 players who are going to be focused on will know who the are in 6 months and we will be back in the business of making money, winning games and playing finals.
The Boss is back.

[123]

We have the best natural catchment of talent anywhere.
We have bayside the strongest APS schools with scholarship programs. The AFL know it! And they bent us over when they moved the cap from 20 to 40. If I was CEO I'd be lobbying for one teenager that was enrolled and invested in through the youth programs to a have a lower priority than 40! It's a joke

[Ghost Like]

Doesn't this all rely on which rules and for whom the AFL wish to bend them for? Isn't there a whisper North may be given a free run to one of their NGAs who's touted as a Top 10 this year?

I agree, why should the rules for interstate (NSW & QLD) be different to the rest of the clubs?

[saynta]

Worth a look.

https://www.saints.com.au/video/1406928 ... 2240712001

[samuraisaint]

Why do we have a restriction on a NGA when the interstate clubs don't no incentive another situation were we get screwed.
Is the club addressing the problem with the AFL really hope they are.
We get no father sons so this is the only way we can look to get a even break.

I think that is what Rossy Lyon was alluding to after the Suns game.

[Otiman]

How about keep the same rules but NGA draftees can be drafted a year early, and still play their final year in TAC cup etc.

[Scollop]

Worth a look.

https://www.saints.com.au/video/1406928 ... 2240712001

Bump