Yesterday it was very apparent that without the Dorkers being in the alignment with Peel that they would be in serious trouble.
If in a non alignment era they would have difficulty fielding a reserves team given that the quality of players in the reserves who would have to play League were obviously made up of a cousin or two or just bloke from the local league not required by there team.
It was and is quite sad that the WAFC and the Liberal State government have pumped so much money into the region via Peel that the issue still exists and doesn’t seem to be likely to be resolved in the near future.
Yes my club has been in an alignment but it has always been apparent that we could be competitive in the league and reserves leagues even in this time.
It begs the question what would happen if the Freo bail and want their own reserves side in the VFL
It would go to crap Grump, John Ditch and his band of followers only were after the short term fix of chasing the elusive premiership by the alignment…
They have been very weak despite having talent go through the club:
Chris Waterman
Geoff Miles
Peter German
Bill M
Gary Hocking
Scott Simister
Daniel Wells
Haydn B
Shane Yarren
Alistair Picket
Hilderbrandt
Mauribto?
Steve Bazzo?
I guess it illustrates the degree to which the younger players do leave for university or jobs?
add in Naughton, BOB,ROB, Harley Bennell, Blayne Wilson and Ben Howlett as well AR…Peel had a load of reps in the 18s and 16s squad as well this year…just a depth issue I guess…
The argument that is often thrown up abt Mandurah and thus Peel is ‘they leave for uni and jobs’, if that is the case explain to me why EF, EP and other teams with far more distant recruitment zones can keep a fair proportion of their players at the clubs. I believe that it is a cultural thing abt the club and pretty well reflects Mandurah as a whole ( no spelling mistake).
The Uni and Jobs excuse is pretty well flawed, it is basically an excuse.
The problem is however a few simpler thinks.
The people who run the club are basically lazy, They don’t need to work at recruiting players or retaining players They are handed 12/15 bodies each year that appear an hour before the league game each game day. The local boys just fall into line behind them.
And guess what, the local boys lose motivation, their ownership of their club is soon lost, they are not looked after or respected but instead are treated as bodies needed to make up the numbers.
A core group of senior players, about 6 or 7 are treated reasonably well and stick around. Have a look at selection and you will see who they are. A couple more are the anointed colts who may have a chance at being drafted, they are selected at league level on occasions where recruiters are around. If they are not recruited they are soon shed to play out their time in the Magoos. The cycle then continues.
Peels zone is chock full of good potential WAFL players who have no intention of subjecting themselves too or staying with this disgraceful coaching and administrative abomination that turns their back on their own.
Proof of this is clear when you see ex Peel players who have been on the fringe at Peel, filtering into the other WAFL clubs. Historically they have sought clearances from Peel but since the prolonged and festering poor culture has set in at that place clearances are denied out of hand with exorbitant transfer fees being demanded by this lazy administration. The few that transfer in don’t last long. Those that make their way into the other WAFL Clubs have their love of the game restored simply by being treated well and respected as players.
Can you imagine the effect on your club if you had 12/15 league players that didn’t appear on your 35 list or budget. No wonder they have become lazy.