Opinion Does WA underperform in producing AFL talent?

Has WA being underperforming in producing AFL talent?

  • No, they are doing all that can be expected

    Votes: 18 48.6%
  • Yes, WA could be producing more talent

    Votes: 19 51.4%

  • Total voters
    37

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Colts are a bit sub-standard compared to other under 18s comps but there's zero incentive for the clubs to properly invest in them, just to see the top prospects go elsewhere whilst there's clubs over East who can pretty much freely pick their best prospects.
Yeah, to me that's a massive issue for both SA and WA. Why should the state league teams spend their money, time and resources to develop kids for the AFL teams? I mean, with the Mid Season draft, even the players that don't get drafted that join the senior team can get ripped out of their teams halfway through the year.
The AFL treats the state league clubs with distain, but expects those same clubs to do all their development work for free.
 
Maybe my unfortunately is old but I always thought WAFL clubs get paid a bonus for each player drafted. $10,000 each.
Whether thats an incentive or just a payout is up to your point of view.

Also, WA is setup differently to Vic/Nsw. Theres hardly anything north past Perth. Perhaps 100k in total spread out.

Southwest there's a lot more that could be done. You could perhaps setup something like the GWV rebels team in the Vic talent league. Stories of 2 hours each way to get to training etc.

The main problem is the WAFL colts/futures system. Some clubs don't have great systems and a lot of the better players slip through the cracks before that point.

I also feel there's a lot more wanting to play with mates rather than to stick around in the development system from ages 15-19.

The SANFL seems to have a lot better community ties 🤷‍♂️
 

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The Eagles used to always pluck late picks / rookies from nowhere and the insinuation was they hid them. Whatever happened to that.

We have drafted well out of WA over a 10 year period. Harry Taylor, Mitch Duncan, Sam Menegola, Tim Kelly, Jordan Clark albeit not really with us, Neale and Humphries are developing well. That's a lot from one state outside of VIC for one team in an 18 team competition.
 
The Eagles used to always pluck late picks / rookies from nowhere and the insinuation was they hid them. Whatever happened to that.

We have drafted well out of WA over a 10 year period. Harry Taylor, Mitch Duncan, Sam Menegola, Tim Kelly, Jordan Clark albeit not really with us, Neale and Humphries are developing well. That's a lot from one state outside of VIC for one team in an 18 team competition.

Those late picks where often PSA kids now all AFL teams look at the PSA boys so there not out of site out of mind now
 
Not sure if this is still the case, but a little while ago a number of regional squads started excluding non-indigenous kids from their representative teams (or rather, they’d prioritise the indigenous kids when selecting the squads). Meant a lot of WA country kids no longer had an avenue to develop unless they had connections or the financial backing to relocate to Perth permanently. I don’t imagine that’s the only factor, but probably not irrelevant

The indigenous kids get support from many different sources and they are pretty much the only players Freo and the Eagles can access via their academies.

So no surprises that the kids who can't get drafted via academies are not supported or given the opportunities other kids get because the clubs benefit.

How many AFL talented players don't get a look in? Who knows?
 
In the last 20 years WA has produced the greatest goal kicker of this generation. Two multiple Brownlow medallists and arguably the best backman in modern times as well.
All areas covered really.
At the moment is probably the lowest it’s been and it is having the reigning Brownlow medalist and the Coleman medalist coming from Western Australia.
Didn’t get the Norm this year but the year before was WA.

Brownlow medalist in the last 20 years
Nat Fyfe x2
Patrick Cripps x2
Matt Priddis
Ben Cousins
Tom Mitchell (sort of)

Coleman Medalist
Josh Kennedy x2
Buddy Franklin x4
Jesse Hogan
 
In the last 20 years WA has produced the greatest goal kicker of this generation. Two multiple Brownlow medallists and arguably the best backman in modern times as well.
All areas covered really.
At the moment is probably the lowest it’s been and it is having the reigning Brownlow medalist and the Coleman medalist coming from Western Australia.
Didn’t get the Norm this year but the year before was WA.

Brownlow medalist in the last 20 years
Nat Fyfe x2
Patrick Cripps x2
Matt Priddis
Ben Cousins
Tom Mitchell (sort of)

Coleman Medalist
Josh Kennedy x2
Buddy Franklin x4
Jesse Hogan
I think there is greater issues in both SA and WA about Jr Development resources.
The SANFL and WAFL are expected to fund and execute Jr development in both SA and WA, with the minimal resources they have. On the other hand, the AFL pumps millions into the development of Victorian kids. Imagine if the VFL had to fund and execute Jr development of Victorian kids? It would be night and day different. The fact that a so-called national organisation takes ownership of Victorian jrs, while not allocating the same resources into SA and WA is a disgrace.
It has been said by many, that the Vic U18 teams have better facilities than some of the SANFL and WAFL teams do.
 
I have heard recruiters say the WA players are less developed than the Vic players.

Cleric has covered it, but I think the WA u16 coach was a volunteer whose school gave him some time off to do the job.

It just comes down to cash, and the AFL not funding SA and WA junior development.
 
I think there is greater issues in both SA and WA about Jr Development resources.
The SANFL and WAFL are expected to fund and execute Jr development in both SA and WA, with the minimal resources they have. On the other hand, the AFL pumps millions into the development of Victorian kids. Imagine if the VFL had to fund and execute Jr development of Victorian kids? It would be night and day different. The fact that a so-called national organisation takes ownership of Victorian jrs, while not allocating the same resources into SA and WA is a disgrace.
It has been said by many, that the Vic U18 teams have better facilities than some of the SANFL and WAFL teams do.
The issue now is that the WAFL clubs are starting their academies at year 7 level.

So you could have 13's academy, 14's academy, futures and then colts program before you even get to league and reserves.

The girls also have the same academies.

So you have 100's of kids trying to get access to the same facilities as your senior squad and there is not enough room.
 

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Last draft was pretty weak for WA talent. SA had more players going than WA did.

SA: Draper 5, Bowman 26, Nicholls 34, Clarke 39, Camporeale 43, Polkinghorne 44, West 50, Moiler 52, Dodson 53, Camporeale 54, Welsh 59. Total = 11.
WA: Allan 16, Angove 24, Gerreyn 37, Boxshall 45, Hayes 56, Uqurhart 57, Carr 63, Davis 65. Total = 8.

That said WA's previous years have been pretty dominant for players taken outside Victoria.

Current WA players at each club outside WA.

Adelaide: Curtin. 1
Brisbane: Robertson, Ah Chee, Zakostelsky, Cameron, Tunstill, Starcevich, Craven. 7
Carlton: Motlop, Cripps, McGovern, Acres. 4
Collingwood: Cameron, Allan, Frampton, Hill, Hayes. 5
Essendon: Gerreyn, Prior, Guelfi, Martin. 4
Geelong: Edwards, Humphries, Martin, Duncan, Neale. 5
Gold Coast: Swallow, Powell. 2
GWS: Jones, Coniglio, Taylor, Hogan, Angove, Fonti. 6
Hawthorn: Barrass, Scaife. 2
Melbourne: Van Rooyen, McVee, Tholstrup, Rivers, Adams, Woewodin, Kentfield. 7
North: Urquhart, Fisher, Hardeman, Logue, Darling, Teakle, Zurhaar, Hansen. 8
Port: Powell-Pepper, Georgiades, Walsh. 3
Richmond: Miller, McIntosh, Broad, Blight, Green, Smith. 6
St Kilda: Collard, Hill, Carroll, Boxshall. 4
Sydney: Warner, Sheldrick, Hamling, Warner, Buller. 5
Bulldogs: Busslinger, Lobb, Jones, Naughton, Garcia, Johannisen, English. 7

Total = 74

Notice that there's a lot of key talls and small forwards, with a few half backs that shine in those teams.
 
Last draft was pretty weak for WA talent. SA had more players going than WA did.

SA: Draper 5, Bowman 26, Nicholls 34, Clarke 39, Camporeale 43, Polkinghorne 44, West 50, Moiler 52, Dodson 53, Camporeale 54, Welsh 59. Total = 11.
WA: Allan 16, Angove 24, Gerreyn 37, Boxshall 45, Hayes 56, Uqurhart 57, Carr 63, Davis 65. Total = 8.

That said WA's previous years have been pretty dominant for players taken outside Victoria.

Current WA players at each club outside WA.

Adelaide: Curtin. 1
Brisbane: Robertson, Ah Chee, Zakostelsky, Cameron, Tunstill, Starcevich, Craven. 7
Carlton: Motlop, Cripps, McGovern, Acres. 4
Collingwood: Cameron, Allan, Frampton, Hill, Hayes. 5
Essendon: Gerreyn, Prior, Guelfi, Martin. 4
Geelong: Edwards, Humphries, Martin, Duncan, Neale. 5
Gold Coast: Swallow, Powell. 2
GWS: Jones, Coniglio, Taylor, Hogan, Angove, Fonti. 6
Hawthorn: Barrass, Scaife. 2
Melbourne: Van Rooyen, McVee, Tholstrup, Rivers, Adams, Woewodin, Kentfield. 7
North: Urquhart, Fisher, Hardeman, Logue, Darling, Teakle, Zurhaar, Hansen. 8
Port: Powell-Pepper, Georgiades, Walsh. 3
Richmond: Miller, McIntosh, Broad, Blight, Green, Smith. 6
St Kilda: Collard, Hill, Carroll, Boxshall. 4
Sydney: Warner, Sheldrick, Hamling, Warner, Buller. 5
Bulldogs: Busslinger, Lobb, Jones, Naughton, Garcia, Johannisen, English. 7

Total = 74

Notice that there's a lot of key talls and small forwards, with a few half backs that shine in those teams.
Good list. Well done.

p.s. I havn't gone through it but I can see at quick glance you're missing Aiden Riddle and Malakai Chamption from the draft and Joel Hamling at Sydney.
 
I have heard recruiters say the WA players are less developed than the Vic players.

Cleric has covered it, but I think the WA u16 coach was a volunteer whose school gave him some time off to do the job.

It just comes down to cash, and the AFL not funding SA and WA junior development.
This

Brisbane gets 8x the funds for junior development in its area. Gold Coast around 15x

Lets look at what thats developing before we cry about W.A
 
AFL wants to take over WA junior development, but the WAFC don't want to give up control.

AFL decided to throw peanuts to the WAFC, instead of fully fund development.

West Coast 2023 royalties was $2m and $600k for having a WAFL team. Fremantle 2023 royalties $1.84m.

That's $4.4 combined funding the WAFC from both clubs. No other AFL club get taxed like this.

WAFL clubs do a lot of development and stretches their budgets.

Time for the AFL to fund WA like Victoria.
 

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Opinion Does WA underperform in producing AFL talent?

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