Expansion National reserves competition in 2025. Are you in favour?

[Astro35]

Do the other WAFL clubs have access to 19 AFL listed players?

So even a 2 year old would understand why they can’t have the sane TPP.

As for recruitment restrictions they don’t exist, the Eagles have not used up all their points so that’s on the club. They have recruited poorly.

Mate you have to look at the facts. This is all on the Eagles who are poor at their job.

But.. but... the WAFL is amateurish, it just is. It's poorly run.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

But.. but... the WAFL is amateurish, it just is. It's poorly run.

In what way mate? Trying to understand where you’re coming from as the Eagles are not competitive in this so called amateur comp

 

[greatwhiteshark]

But.. but... the WAFL is amateurish, it just is. It's poorly run.

And I agree the WAFL could be run better but they should not have to deal with clubs like the Eagles who can’t get their act together.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Align 9 of the U18 VIC teams with the current 9 stand alone VFL clubs and create three new VFL clubs in Ballarat, Bendigo and Albury/Wodonga to align with the 3 U18 VIC teams in these regions. The VFL then becomes a 12 team league with juniors in a similar set up to the SANFL and WAFL, playing a full season and having a pathway through from junior football to senior state league football.

Give each AFL club an U18 Academy with these games replacing the State U18 Championships in a shortened season. Each player maintains a link, and plays for their State League club when available. Have an U18 All-Star Game on AFL Grand Final Day.

Give each AFL club a Reserves team and run an independent AFL Reserves competition, with top up players coming from graduates of the U18 Academy who do not get drafted, or any other players under the age of 21. These players continue the link with their State League club and return if not picked, or return when they turn 21.

Run an 8 week pre-season competition in Feb/Mar with the 19 AFL Reserves teams, 12 VFL teams, 9 WAFL teams and 8 SANFL teams. Split in to 8 groups of 6, with every group having at least one team from each competition. 5 group games, then quarter finals, semi finals, final.

All that is an enormous restructure and for no real gain.

Regional VFL clubs have been tried before and none of them have worked well. They just don’t have support. Creating three new ones is a waste of time and an enormous waste of money.

The Victorian system has come about after decades of refining and sometimes painful restructuring, and it is by far the best system as it gives everybody the flexibility to do as they please. Be that an AFL reserves team, a senior VFL team, or an alignment.

Again… it makes no sense to blow all this up just to try to fix something interstate.

If the interstate state leagues really don’t work for reserves then they can have a reserves league. There’s 8 AFL clubs around the country and soon there will be 9. Southport would likely be interested, and others may be depending on how it looks. That’s 10 or more teams.

It’s the only true solution.

 

[Astro35]

And I agree the WAFL could be run better but they should not have to deal with clubs like the Eagles who can’t get their act together.

Well don't think they will have to next year. It's almost certain they'll leave for the VFL (IMO).

 

[Astro35]

In what way mate? Trying to understand where you’re coming from as the Eagles are not competitive in this so called amateur comp

I guess my view is the wafl were so paranoid about a dominate Eagles they made sure it wouldn't happen (60% TPP, limited access to existing WAFL players, etc.). I think they weakened the integrity of the game in WA so much by forcing a team to be weak. Now joining the VFL is now the best option. As for the admin - they are by far the most useless in any level of sporting administration. In my view anyway.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I guess my view is the wafl were so paranoid about a dominate Eagles they made sure it wouldn't happen (60% TPP, limited access to existing WAFL players, etc.). I think they weakened the integrity of the game in WA so much by forcing a team to be weak. Now joining the VFL is now the best option. As for the admin - they are by far the most useless in any level of sporting administration. In my view anyway.

The Eagles seconds are weak all on their own. They didn’t need any help to be one that.
This Eagles seconds problem is do overblown it’s not funny. The club has been decimated by injuries abd hence it filters through.
West Perth at the moment are decimated by injuries and struggling to be competitive but I am not seeing them asking for help. You just get on with it.
I know you love your club but you need to accept the fact that 95% of the Eagles issues are internal.

 

[Astro35]

The Eagles seconds are weak all on their own. They didn’t need any help to be one that.
This Eagles seconds problem is do overblown it’s not funny. The club has been decimated by injuries abd hence it filters through.
West Perth at the moment are decimated by injuries and struggling to be competitive but I am not seeing them asking for help. You just get on with it.
I know you love your club but you need to accept the fact that 95% of the Eagles issues are internal.

Actually I'm E.Perth supporter. I just hate the way the WAFL has run the competition.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Actually I'm E.Perth supporter. I just hate the way the WAFL has run the competition.

How do you think it should be run?

 

[masai tu]

WAFL has hamstrung the Beagles. Time to walk away and take the $$ to a national reserves

The Eagles in the WAFL, made their bed and now are struggling to sleep in it.

Back a number of years, Eagles & Dockers spread their players around the WAFL. From talking to a number of players, this system worked relatively well (let’s say it achieved 75% of AFL teams aim’s).

Then the AFL clubs reckoned that they could do better. Freo aligned with Peel (good to lift Peel and handy alignment for Freo). Eagles tried to “massage” an alignment with East Perth, then went it alone. They went alone because they wanted to have the major say with the alignment team.

The best approach for the AFL teams in the WAFL setup, is to work with the WAFL, rather than try and think they know better. A gently gently approach from the AFL teams may work better. “We give this, you give this, we all get this”.

 

[Rotayjay]

I'm neither strongly for, nor against, the idea. However, a national reserves competition will relegate the state leagues to an even lower level of importance than they have now.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I'm neither strongly for, nor against, the idea. However, a national reserves competition will relegate the state leagues to an even lower level of importance than they have now.

It won’t relegate the level of football but I agree it will relegate their exposure. They will still be stronger sides than AFL seconds sides.

 

[iameviljez]

It won’t relegate the level of football but I agree it will relegate their exposure. They will still be stronger sides than AFL seconds sides.

I think that, over the long term, it will really hurt the state leagues... simply through perception.

Players, deep down, want a crack at AFL - especially those who are playing well at state level. That means that the allure of being in the reserves system affiliated with a top-level club, even as a reserves-listed top up player, will probably hold greater appeal than playing in a state league.

You'd want to be under the eye of one of the AFL coaching staff, playing alongside the AFL listed players, and getting your match report in front of the recruiters each week. Certainly, at Geelong, guys like Tom Atkins, Tom Stewart, Matty Egan, James Podsiadly and Shane Mumford all came from our VFL side, and there have been others that didn't carve out a great senior career but got to be full-time footballers for a few years.

 

[chaddy22]

I guess my view is the wafl were so paranoid about a dominate Eagles they made sure it wouldn't happen (60% TPP, limited access to existing WAFL players, etc.). I think they weakened the integrity of the game in WA so much by forcing a team to be weak. Now joining the VFL is now the best option. As for the admin - they are by far the most useless in any level of sporting administration. In my view anyway.

you realise the same applies to the vfl at the moment. Afl teams and alignment teams get $100,000 less than the traditional teams. Most of what is in the wafl is the same as what is in the vfl.
another nonsense paranoid anti wafl rant.

 

[glengowan]

All that is an enormous restructure and for no real gain.

Regional VFL clubs have been tried before and none of them have worked well. They just don’t have support. Creating three new ones is a waste of time and an enormous waste of money.

The Victorian system has come about after decades of refining and sometimes painful restructuring, and it is by far the best system as it gives everybody the flexibility to do as they please. Be that an AFL reserves team, a senior VFL team, or an alignment.

Again… it makes no sense to blow all this up just to try to fix something interstate.

If the interstate state leagues really don’t work for reserves then they can have a reserves league. There’s 8 AFL clubs around the country and soon there will be 9. Southport would likely be interested, and others may be depending on how it looks. That’s 10 or more teams.

It’s the only true solution.

I wouldn't mind seeing that from an SANFL supporters point of view. From a Crows supporters point of view, I'd think that would be a massive waste of time and money. I would think the AFL have an obligation to provide as much of a fair playing field to it's AFL teams as possible, first and foremost, and the "interstate" AFL teams would have precedence over the VFL clubs.

 

[Clive Kepler]

Total waste of money.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I wouldn't mind seeing that from an SANFL supporters point of view. From a Crows supporters point of view, I'd think that would be a massive waste of time and money. I would think the AFL have an obligation to provide as much of a fair playing field to it's AFL teams as possible, first and foremost, and the "interstate" AFL teams would have precedence over the VFL clubs.

Fair playing field: Everybody plays in their state league, as they always have.

This is the best solution for everybody in terms of costs, convenience and the larger pyramid below (which is also the responsibility of the AFL now, since they assumed it).

If that is not working then I do think the AFL has a responsibility to use their influence and financial resources to fix / improve the situation in the state league across al states. The highest quality, most strategically aligned state leagues possible is the best for all.

I raise the Victoria-less Reserve league (8 or 10 clubs) as a possible compromise beyond that if things really can't be fixed at state league level.

I think it's a step too far to basically demand that another state (Victoria) tear apart their effective structure because one or two states can't get their own in order.

Which is effectively what is being demanded. "Ditch the VFL so we can have a national reserves, cos our state league doesn't work."

And I do realise the AFL has already kind of done this by admitting the four northern clubs into the VFL, which was a ridiculous move. The time and resources should have gone into the northern state leagues and getting them up to stratch.

 

[glengowan]

Fair playing field: Everybody plays in their state league, as they always have.

This is the best solution for everybody in terms of costs, convenience and the larger pyramid below (which is also the responsibility of the AFL now, since they assumed it).

If that is not working then I do think the AFL has a responsibility to use their influence and financial resources to fix / improve the situation in the state league across al states. The highest quality, most strategically aligned state leagues possible is the best for all.

I raise the Victoria-less Reserve league (8 or 10 clubs) as a possible compromise beyond that if things really can't be fixed at state league level.

I think it's a step too far to basically demand that another state (Victoria) tear apart their effective structure because one or two states can't get their own in order.

Which is effectively what is being demanded. "Ditch the VFL so we can have a national reserves, cos our state league doesn't work."

And I do realise the AFL has already kind of done this by admitting the four northern clubs into the VFL, which was a ridiculous move. The time and resources should have gone into the northern state leagues and getting them up to stratch.

Fair call. IMO Port and Crows have been completely unreasonable in the whole reserves fiasco. Give them the option of joining up with the northern states/Southport or suck it up and keep it as is.

 

[Sphynx]

South Australians have been boasting for decades that the SANFL is the strongest state league comp in the country and nothing compares.

Similar statements from Sandgropers over the last few decades also.

Made their beds….

 

[Sphynx]

You really are brain dead. Tell me how then that the two SA teams and the 2 WA teams are barely competitive in those leagues with all those listed AFL Players?
Most of the AFL listed players you are talking about are kids (colts) players with potential only. They are not good footballers yet and hence get towelled up by good senior second tier players.
You sure you have actually seen football played?
You really are an AFL numpty, head office dream supporter who believes everything the AFL say.
Your ridiculous stats are wrong as 8 WAFL clubs don’t have any AFL listed players and still easily take care of AFL reserves teams.
Christ didn’t Werribee play in the VFL GF last year? No AFL listed players there either. How did that happen?

And I am not going to babe my mates boy, do your homework . I told you he was drafted from East Perth so work it out yourself.

Anyway continue on thinking colts teams are stronger than seasoned men’s teams.
Wow, talk about deluded.

Werribee played off in the grand final because Victoria has by far the largest talent pool and it’s daylight to second.

It’s a pure numbers game and the Vic Metro and Vic Country surplus kids go somewhere each year you know…

Now, Werribee tends to get stacked because it had one of the best coaches in the league (Barlow) and a history of getting mature age players drafted. Barlow himself, Pods etc. Mannagh and Clohsey proving that point last year.

So the best mature age players tend to all go to Werribee, Williamstown and Port where they get mass exposure.

Werribee would have absolutely belted both East Freo and Glenelg last year and I scouted plenty of WAFL and SANFL football last year.

The standard is not at all comparable and I agree with a previous poster, some of the big suburban clubs in Melbourne would probably touch up some of the bottom 4 sides in the WAFL and SANFL.