U18 State Squad

I see we have 7 players named in the State U18 Squad.

Regrettably for us, 4 of them are regular League players this season.

When the SANFL strongly encourages clubs to work their zones harder to develop their own players rather than recruit from country or interstate it seems most unreasonable to me that when the quality boys come through and are playing League regularly they can then be taken out of our League team system for up to 6 weeks during the heart of our season for U18 duties.

This could have a huge negative impact on our chances this year.

My view is that while they are playing U18 football this is fine but when they are good enough to be playing League & are being regularly selected they should be left to play senior footy with their club.

Brenton Phillips would probably argue that they are exposed to all the AFL recruiters in the State carnival but surely the smart recruiters already know & have them marked on their books by now anyway & these lads will be better off playing against men in their final year before the draft.

Also the SANFL website states "Brenton Phillips chasing his third straight National U18 championship" (or words similar). Is this all about him & his CV or should he be developing the next group of lads. I reiterate developing. Although it has been good for SA to boast U18 champions over the past 2 yrs who really gives a toss.

Most of our boys have already had a taste of State footy (last year) so PLEASE leave them alone this year. This may have a major impact on any SANFL clubs Premiership chances.

The SANFL League competition should take precedent to all things & anything IMO.

What are your thoughts??????

I fully agree with you Mypaspective, these lads should be left to play at the highest level available to them in this state and that is at league level, surely the scouts from the AFL clubs could gage whether they are good enough by watching them perform against men rather than there own age group.
I am being selfish here but this will effect our club more than any other with the lads that will be missing from our league side and as you say could end our chance of success for season 2015.

I agree with both of you wise words.SANFL Is a lot stronger than the U/18S so leave them here to continue at league level.Take the ones who need that little bit of an extra challenge not the ones who already have the talent.

Couldn't agree more. To an extent the U18 carnival is a waste of time anyway. A player can have a poor carnival but still be drafted quite high based on his performances at other times, so the 'comparison' argument doesn't really hold. If they truly had the kids' development at heart they'd allow them to play at the highest level possible.

What would the lads in question think if they had the choice? Do their wishes come in to it? Playing league footy is a fabulous achievement, but so too is representing your state at the highest level. I think Brenton Phillips is hardly chasing personal glory as his primary focus. Our club should be justifiably proud that we have these boys in question.

My very point Axis. Welcome!!

Now that these lads are playing regular SANFL League footy then State Team League Footy is the highest level for them now not State U18s. As I said before most of them played State U18's last yr.

If the State U18 programme was 2-3 wks one could possibly live with it but 6 weeks + 2 weeks of trials. Unnecessary IMO.

Surely they will develop better playing against men.

Incidentally 4 different  AFL club recruiters were at our game today so they are all being watched regularly.

More exposure for these lads playing in the u18 carnival therefore better for their prospects of getting recruited in the AFL.

We are just playing in a feeder league to the big show.

What ever is in the best interests of these lads long term futures I think.

Plus it is the same for all sides.

But it is not the same for each club.

We r the only club with 4 of our 7 selected State squad players playing regular League football.

Most lads in other clubs are either still playing U18's or Reserves. NOT LEAGUE.

This year is an exception for Westies that's why I feel like I do.

Unlucky I guess but not worth changing the rules for.

At least unlike previous years we have some depth to cover.

How do they get more exposure at an U18 carnival billrobs? Every scout who wants to see someone playing League footy can.

AR, I admit I have never been to an U18 carnival but I can just imagine every scout from every AFL club reviewing every game.
Its the perfect environment to measure each kid against each other....the same age, the same conditions etc.
I just hope they play up to their enormous potential in the carnival and give themselves the best chance of playing at a higher level.
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Well I think that's saying that it's more convenient for the scouts to have them all at a carnival, but it's not better for the players' development to be playing U18s if they're already playing senior football. 3 months after they're drafted the clubs will be playing them at state league level anyway, not in an U18 comp.
And what could talent scouts not know about Aaron Francis now, that they weill see at an U18 carnival and not at League level?

We are a feeder league to the AFL and I wish all players the best when they are drafted but stopping them play at the highest level in this state and being watched by talent scouts week after week to compete at a lower level doesn't make sense to me. League beats under 18 level all the time.
I can confirm there were scouts sitting just in front of us at yesterdays game.

I can understand a young player with ambitions to play at the highest level in the country and make some good dollars along the way, but if a young player who gets drafted and then spat out of the AFL team he was drafted to for not making the grade after a season or 2 is not on, it's just a meat market.
These kids go and it's only my opinion, far too early in age, if they are lucky and get drafted to a the Crows or Power, then the others who go interstate might find it tough to adjust.

Stuff the under 18's interstate competition just to please the AFL club recruiters. These kids should not go until they are 21, let them finish an apprenticeship or studies at home first, then they have something to fall back on, there's still plenty of time for them to make the big time.

If we all can remember players like Platten, Kernahan, Motley, Bradley and few others getting recruited to the VFL as known then were not under 18 at the time, they proved themselves in the SANFL for quite a while before being what we call being recruited. And they all went on and played many games for their VFL clubs apart from Peter Motley who had that tragic car accident and cut his football career short.  
And having players like them in our competition keeps it at a higher standard.

And on the SANFL, it's going downhill quickly with poorer crowds, the introduction of the Crows reserves has not worked out as far as boosting crowd numbers as promised.

The SANFL is slowly dying a slow death, no one from the Crows or Power (supporters) give a toss, and it's proving it right now with attendances at an all time low.

What erks me is the way the SANFL and our club bend over backwards for the AFL.. I am not enjoying the state league at the moment, State League?? is that what they call us now?
SANFL clubs are told when to play their games to revolve around AFL tv coverage, bring back the traditional Saturday afternoon games, stuff the AFL.  

Again, it's just my personal opinion.

whispy wrote:

Again, it's just my personal opinion.

Shared by many, including me. Spot on post.

Whippy I don't believe the SANFL or our club bends over for the AFL as much as it used to when SANFL owned both the SA AFL club licenses plus owed them $10M, however you must appreciate there is still a lot of politics surrounding the fact that the AFL give $1M game development money to SANFL each year.

With regard to the 2 AFL clubs playing their Reserves in the SANFL I would hate to think THE LACK of media coverage we would get without them. I would suggest no TV coverage (either Ch7 or ABC) & little print media similar to Amatuer League. We at least still retain a reasonable profile.

The attendances haven't varied much over the past decade but you are right with one thing & that is both AFL clubs have a really poor following now in our comp in contrast to what was promised before their entry. We must strive to get Port to the same conditions as the AFC so they both play 2 games each year at our home ground. Even if the crowds are only 1500 per game at these games the aggregate would be about 6000 (4 games) which would be the same as 2 games against other SANFL clubs & would give us the revenue needed.

This is a work in progress of course.

Not sure I agree with all your points Whispy but I am enjoying this thread....

whispy wrote:
If we all can remember players like Platten, Kernahan, Motley, Bradley and few others getting recruited to the VFL as known then were not under 18 at the time.

In any debate there is a case for and a case against.... such as some modern day players who had great first years in the AFL straight out of the junior system e.g. Judd, Murphy, Deledio, Wines, Dangerfield.

I know it sucks that just as we look like we are building up to something great in our league side we can be impacted by losing some of our prize kids, but how awesome will it be to see our young blokes come through a great junior development system at the Bloods and then perform on the big stage as 18 year olds!!! From what I saw on the weekend I believe there is a real chance we will come to see this!!

I know it's inevitable and can't be changed but I get very little joy from seeing our players in the AFL. I know it's great for them and I have to accept it but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Mypaspective wrote:Whippy I don't believe the SANFL or our club bends over for the AFL as much as it used to when SANFL owned both the SA AFL club licenses plus owed them $10M, however you must appreciate there is still a lot of politics surrounding the fact that the AFL give $1M game development money to SANFL each year.

With regard to the 2 AFL clubs playing their Reserves in the SANFL I would hate to think THE LACK of media coverage we would get without them. I would suggest no TV coverage (either Ch7 or ABC) & little print media similar to Amatuer League. We at least still retain a reasonable profile.

The attendances haven't varied much over the past decade but you are right with one thing & that is both AFL clubs have a really poor following now in our comp in contrast to what was promised before their entry. We must strive to get Port to the same conditions as the AFC so they both play 2 games each year at our home ground. Even if the crowds are only 1500 per game at these games the aggregate would be about 6000 (4 games) which would be the same as 2 games against other SANFL clubs & would give us the revenue needed.

This is a work in progress of course.

I value your input on this site Myperspective, and you seem to know the ins and outs of the makeup of the competition as far as the AFL clubs having sides in the SANFL competition but can you give me an answer as to why the port adelaide magpies have a B grade team in the SANFL.
The PAFC have a team in our league comp. known as the magpies who are the B GRADE of the power and effectively they, the power's B GRADE also have a B GRADE. playing in the B GRADE comp.
The crows only have one team in the SANFL and they play in the League comp. and this is there B GRADE team but they don't have an extra B GRADE team in the B GRADE comp.

I hope I haven't confused you too much but imo we should get rid of the PAFC B grade team to take that comp. back to 8 teams

Do the power oops!!! magpies oops!!!!????????Have a salary cap like ours ?? what would butcher be on????

Couldn't agree more Testy. The whole Port Adelaide thing pees me off.

They should not have an Academy side (B grade to the B grade). The Crows don't. They shouldn't be allowed to play at Alberton so that an AFL club profits from SANFL games (hence my point above re Port playing 2 games per yr at CMS) & they should be paying an annual license fee of $400K ($50K per club) for the privilege of playing in our comp (The Crows pay it)
It is totally inequitable & I have been informed by a reliable source that our club voted against their entry into the SANFL comp because it was not under the same terms & conditions as the AFC. We were the only club to vote against.

Also they need to be given 12 months notice of any changes to their conditions in the comp so even if they are informed of any changes b4 the end of Oct this year the changes would not be effective until 2017.

Another reason for me to dislike them cheers MP.

Mypaspective wrote:Couldn't agree more Testy. The whole Port Adelaide thing pees me off.

They should not have an Academy side (B grade to the B grade). The Crows don't. They shouldn't be allowed to play at Alberton so that an AFL club profits from SANFL games (hence my point above re Port playing 2 games per yr at CMS) & they should be paying an annual license fee of $400K ($50K per club) for the privilege of playing in our comp (The Crows pay it)
It is totally inequitable & I have been informed by a reliable source that our club voted against their entry into the SANFL comp because it was not under the same terms & conditions as the AFC. We were the only club to vote against.

Also they need to be given 12 months notice of any changes to their conditions in the comp so even if they are informed of any changes b4 the end of Oct this year the changes would not be effective until 2017.

Glad to know that our club voted against ports entry because of inequitable conditions, I didn't know that thanks for that info. As for the 12 months notice, why could this not have been done October 2014. The longer it isn't done the longer they have a great advantage over all the other SANFL clubs.

I had been informed that the League & (I might add) the majority of clubs wanted to give it a Year or two to see what the impact was on the competition before acting on any of the issues raised above. I'm with you, I disagree but I guess in a democracy the majority rules.

Port have been incredibly lucky with very few injuries last season & this year looks similar. Have a look at the AFL injury list in today's paper, Port have the lowest by far. I don't know whether this is great planning & conditioning or simply good luck. If they cop a few injuries to their regular AFL players & drag up the better second string players from their SANFL team their SANFL performances will be impacted similar to the Crows (they haven't won a game yet this season).

I also believe that all the conditions of their participation in the SANFL comp are being critically analysed at the moment by the League.

Pretty sure Port do pay a fee. There isn't a world in existence where the Crows would let Port have a $400k free kick.