The WAFC doesn’t like it’s name anymore and will change it to appear less as a big bad ogre to everyone - to be announced shortly
The WAFC new boss Callahan is forecasting zonal changes for clubs - early news is that the Perth FC might be a beneficiary but nothing concrete as yet
P.O - Hopefully Mandurah’s zones are drastically cut out - in the alignment they are just not able to be utilised or serviced transparently , this would allow flexibilities there
Hang on, I thought we just weren’t working hard enough? We’ll see what emerges. It’s been raised before: a good starting point would be to give Albany to Perth. Claremont’s metro zones are so good that they literally don’t need a country zone at all.
Are these moron’s for real,our only saving grace over the years has been our South West zone,and our Grand Final side only contained “3”from our metro area,so unless they re jig the metro zone and give us Bull Creek Leeming,North Beach and Sorrento-Duncraig,they can stick it up their arse.
Heres one for you RL.
My grandson has moved from Ballajura to Rolleystone.
Ballajura playing in the 9 club, East Perth metropolitan zone.
Rolleystone are in the 14 club, South Fremantle zone.
For the second season EP ,cant get a junior club .Set up in Innaloo,Claremont must of picked the club to the bone before handover.
[quote=“gtrxuone post=240427 userid=2215”]Heres one for you RL.
My grandson has moved from Ballajura to Rolleystone.
Ballajura playing in the 9 club, East Perth metropolitan zone.
Rolleystone are in the 14 club, South Fremantle zone.
For the second season EP ,cant get a junior club .Set up in Innaloo,Claremont must of picked the club to the bone before handover.
[/quote]
I don’t know GTR,for mine I want zones the closer to the coast the better.
Hooray!! About bloody time someone not aligned with the cloth and rich western suburbs in charge. Ian Callaghan being a former Perth director, growing up in Lathlain and having a long playing career in Cloverdale and Carlisle he is well qualified to understand our deficiencies. Love the language he is using such as only incremental changes have occurred in the past which just hasn’t worked.
Bring it on sooner the better.
RL unless you move north of Joondalup
South of Manduarh
Innaloo is as close as EP will get to the coastline.
That’s still closer than Swans and Perth are
Unless the Wafc give you Scarborough/Trigg and clip Claremonts wings.
This topic needs a bump up as well. I heard that clubs were supposed to receive a draft plan for zone changes last month but been put on the backburner. Why?
My guess is clubs that have it good kicking up a stink at the possibility of having some of their golden zones taken off them and handed baron ones instead?
Heaven forbid that should happen we might actually see a more equitable WAFL competition.
TBH R&B, you can’t blame clubs for kicking up a stink, if they lose one of their so called golden zones you mention mate, especially in todays footy climate. Pretty sure Perth will be miffed if they lose their golden zone of Geelong in the shake up.
WAFL ZONING
WA Football has embarked on one of its most difficult challenges - changes to WAFL zoning.
Callahan said they now had access to data before they approach the clubs for change.
“We’ve now produced data sets that went to the WAFL clubs in August and we will get feedback from them,” he said.
“From there, WA Football will then look at each each data set from a talent perspective, whether it’s a positive, a negative or a neutral, and then we’ll have a look at what that means for each of the clubs.
“So my view is we’ll get it finished before the end of the year, and it’ll get phased in next year.
“There will be some changes next year. But what they are, we don’t have an agenda.
“We know that some zones are better than others, some zones are managed and harvested better than others.
“Siitting along with the talent and equity and access programs we need to be able to make sure that the kids have the opportunities to come through the system in a way that’s consistent.
“So that’s where the zones at. The other thing that’s important, we are changing the way we look at talent development.
“We’ve historically done everything by zones. So all the resources have been equal in equal zones. We’re changing that philosophy now to go, well, where’s the need? So we’ve got really good data now on where all Indigenous kids are in the metro area, or where the multicultural kids are, and that sort of stuff.
“So we can put all the resources we like into Claremont or the western suburbs, it’s not going to make any difference. So do you divert those resources and put them into the areas where you have the development opportunities that are not there?
“So we’re working through that now to go where’s the need, rather than everybody’s equal in terms of the resources you get? Because not every WAFL club is equal with the resources available to them.
“That’s a fundamental change in how we will roll out resourcing over the next couple months.”
This in The West 5th September 2025
Thanks for putting this up TF. I read this late last night and thought about time. Can see why it’s taken time. Callaghan has gathered real data and raw nunbers that cannot be disputed. Kind of like going to court with evidence to mount your case. Maybe that’s the way it has to be done in a way that the blue ribbon white collar elites can understand.
I can add some raw data of my own like Claremonts’ 3 straight colts flags, hardly ever miss finals. The list of AFL players from each WAFL club I put up in 2024. Claremont in front of the second placed EF by 8.
Maybe extra funding towards development might attract a few more kids from migrant families to play our game. But more immediate change that will have and immediate effect is making changes to country zones. So hopefully that’s where we see change implemented next year.
This is also in the the Sunday Times for non subscribers. The article by Glenn Quartermaine also addresses other important matters like WAFL funding deal with the government regarding Perth Stadium and the two AFL clubs royalty model that isn’t working.
I know the zoning hasn’t been looked at for a long time and understand certain clubs certainly need some assistance, however, I agree (as stated) that some clubs need to take responsibility in managing their zones better.
Zoning has been looked at regularly and changes were made as recently as 2023.
The problems I see are also about clubs ability or inability to get the best out of the zones they have. As mentioned before the colts success at Claremont is more due to the depth in their zone rather than what ultimately makes it through to senior WAFL footy. The commission are well aware that some clubs complaints are misguided and the commission itself has never reviewed anyone directly involved in development at WAFL clubs such as talent managers etc. Perth proved it recently when having a good colts coach and support and have improved dramatically over the last 3 years. And winning a colts flag doesn’t necessarily mean the players have been developed well - it generally means they have the most talent from player 10-23 on the list.
If clubs were made to show how they actually invest in their zone and how many games they attend etc it might change people’s opinions on whether a club is working its zone or just harvesting the crop from the comforts of their office. Would stop all the arguments. If you don’t invest, you lose your zone.
What about % of League players selected this year in 2025 who came from their local zone/Colts team Viper?
CL- 91% (29)
SD- 87% (34)
WP- 82% (32)
EF- 75% (27)
SU- 74% (31)
SF- 64% (23)
EP- 62% (21)
PE- 51% (22)
PT- 39% (19)
I havent included Tylah Williams from SD who played for WCE WAFL this year but he would bring SD up to 88% (35) if I did, ditto Charlie Banfield from CL.
Having been around colts for 15 years I’ve seen so many not come on as a footy player from being a dominant colt and then after colts kids go ballistic with their football but WAFL only looks at colts to nurture and get up to league level. Once you’re a senior it’s up to you to tap a WAFL club on the shoulder and ask to have a go.
Whilst that should be a part of it, being a good colt doesn’t mean you’ll play wafl league for 150 games which is what colts programs are looking to do. Find the next best crop of talent to play league footy for their WAFL club.
Interesting to note, SD and WP had an impressive 80+% for playing locals…yet both didn’t play finals and both spent all season outside the top 5.
Peel will always finish bottom 2 in this ladder, due to their Freo alignment. Perth had a low local playing %, yet played finals and was in the top 5 all season…the 2 GF teams were early 60+%…
Whilst Cl topped the table, with EF sitting at 75%…both playing finals and top 5 all year…but didn’t make the GF. It seems SF and EP found the right balance in playing locals and non locals…
Apart from Hunter and Bolton who played for Claremont not originally from their zones?
Surprised with Swans high percentage with Phil Smart your footy recruiter. That percentage likely to drop next according to Smart.
Why the surprise SD have been consistently in the Top 2 or 3 for a while now?
Jack Musika
Great breakdown Beasley - and a good conversation.
As I have said before - Claremont has struggled to win a premiership without the old AFL top up system where players returned to club of origin or were drafted out to a WAFL club. Think you will find all the premiers have had a good chunk of recruits. Pretty sure Bolton is finished so hopefully we get a couple of recruits to top us off as history will say we need to.
Be interesting to see the figures of Subi locals v recruits in their dominant period.