Its Time for Another

Jack Buckley is another. His father Ben played for Nth. Not of the calibre of Blakey or White but Jack consequently played AFL right from the beginning of Juniors. He played at my son's junior club and was a member of the Swans Academy but for some bizarre reason GWS were able to pick him up as a Rookie B player even though he was playing AFL the season he was recruited and even won a rising star nomination. Callum Mills played club footy right from juniors and also taken in the Swans Academy. To be fair there's only a handful of NSW comp players who've ever made it. The McVeighs were others. Mark McClure was an outlier back in the '70's. Rampe was a NSW player picked up as a non Academy player after being rejected in multiple drafts and even going down to Melb and playing for Williamstown at the suggestion of the Bulldogs who said they were interested until they weren't. He only got picked up by the Swans because he was playing in a local team in Sydney with Paul Roos's son and Roosy spotted him.

It's a very good question. The original purpose of the Northern Academies in NSW and Qld was to get a greater pool of players for the expanding competition who otherwise wouldn't be playing AFL. To make that happen they incentivised the teams in those states to make an investment in finding junior players and developing them in return for getting to have the rights to them. Isaac Heeney is the ultimate poster boy for this strategy. He was I think 11 years old and playing Rugby League in country NSW and went along to a Swans Academy recruiting camp I believe inspired by the lots of freebies they were giving out and an interest in trying something completely different. Nick Blakey on the other hand like Kalani was a son of an elite AFL champion who was always going to play AFL but because he lived in the Swans area was able to train at their Academy and therefore be eligible to be picked by them even though that was not the intention of the set up of the Academies but it's probably too hard to differentiate those junior players. Kalani grew up in the Suns Academy area and has trained with them from a young age. That's why he can go there if he and they want him to.

Who would want to be a CEO of an AFL club and especially this one. How quickly people forget. The last CEO was solely responsible for us getting our last Premiership. If it wasn't for him "interfering" in the football dept. and insisting the Coach not be sacked, we wouldn't have our latest Premiership. How is this bloke equipped to make that decision one way or the other. Short answer. He isn't. Although to be fair that decision might make itself by the end of the season one way or the other.

I notice the Fed Govt budget has allocated $13.6mill to the NRL St George Illawarra Dragons for a new high performance centre. Might give an idea of what we can hopefully expect. Except we are a bigger organisation than an NRL team and it creates a much needed facility for the local precinct. Can't remember if it's a Federal Labor or Liberal electorate.

Unreal this is my exact routine except I mow once and no golf lesson. If I mowed as many times as you do I'd be mowing dirt and fresh holes in the ground.

45,800 today. Just spoke to the club. Last year there was a 5148 membership spike between this week and the next week when games begun so fingers crossed we have a great game and get the spike.

Thanks again to the three of you for the return of the mighty DL Podcast. Much appreciated. Here we go. Strap ourselves in for a season that could end up anywhere.

This kid smiles like I do. I think I’m beaming and it always comes out like this. Or maybe he’s like my son and would rather be dead than have to have a photo with his old man.

Wall banger has a special resonance.

I think those arms look more like Johnson’s don’t they

Merry Festivus to all DL’ers. Thanks to you all for the best place on the planet, actually probably the universe for Dees info and respectful debate.

I've just donated. Come on Demonlanders let's help. What a terrible thing to happen especially at this time of year.

Is that some sort of food fight.

From what I've heard Harvey is more mature than Tracc now.

Have to say I've never been happy with the Clapper. Edit. Not that I have ever had the Clapper mind you. But I wouldn't be if I did.