The boundaries are due to be redistributed at the end of the season if my memory serves me correctly.
Now, I’m not asking for miracles. I understand that We (Subiaco) aren’t going to be given as big a zone as the other clubs so as to balance out the money factor.
However, as someone who has loyally supported colts for decades, I would just like a reasonable chance to get to fifth spot. That will do me. Just a realistic chance of seeing competitive footy each week.
Sure, I realise that West Perth aren’t doing too well at colts level either and they have issues of their own, so I wouldn’t expect them to lose anything.
Claremont on the other hand can surely afford to lose one club.
Since 1976, they’ve won 14 colts premierships, been runner-up 12 times, 3rd (5), 4th (5), 5th (2), 6th (2), 7th (Never), 8th (Never), 9th (Never).
I would say their metro zone is probably the second or third best and their country zone with Ongerup (6 Clubs), Great Southern (6), East Kimberley (10) and Central Kimberley (6) is the best of all WAFL clubs.
Surely, after 40 years of total colts domination, they can give up North Beach JFC. It won’t stop them getting into the finals and it might give Subi a chance to actually be competitive at colts level…at least hopefully 5 or 10 percent more competitive.
C , EF , SD & SF place a hefty premium upon resourcing their zonal areas and mostly have long done so
The structure was badly warped & had strange overlaps created when Mandurah was forced upon us - this has affected every club and some of us lost traditional areas we had worked on for years , some gained areas that don’t really make sense geographically also
So just how much of the SFC royalties gained from that Subi Oval deal actually go into the club’s zones compared to what is being spent on the annual foreign legion we all see every year in the top side?
That’s a question the club will get at that distribution meeting I would expect - the club could also expect a shitfight with Claremont I believe IF they went after them
It’s one club I’m asking for mate. Just one. And it jutts into our zone anyway…Look at it on a map. It doesn’t make sense. Give Subi a little bit and maybe they will recruit a little less. Getting pumped by 10 goals every week does nothing for the colts comp and try getting kids to join knowing what they are up against on the scoreboard
Yeah I know where you’re coming from with North Beach - the skewiff has been caused largely by Mandurah’s formation - plus you factor in the expansions of the northern suburbs and reasonably recent relocations of West Perth & the closing of Perth Oval to Aussie Rules footy
What would concern me if I was in your position is a tyro like Matty Bogensperger who is from your zone came up from colts but cannot get a look in due to so many out of clubbers clogging up his pathway , it doesn’t look good if there’s a push for more zones
But I guess in the end it will come down to participation % in each suburb , schools % & Population - and how that’s shared equally my friend
Yeah - well that’s a bloody shame because if you’re having zone products either shifting to other clubs or god forbid leaving the comp entirely disillusioned then it’s an indictment of ourselves - all of us in our zones we do possess
I would like to see the two AFL harlots get less zones purely because of the undeniable assistance & advantages they receive both player & financially via coaching staff etc - this may ease pressure
I sort of agree mate but I would be contradicting myself in a sense.
What I mean is, I just want to see an even colts comp - Peel and EP included. If they have good players that don’t get league time they will move on and by gee they have already.
You might have noticed that I didn’t ask for WP or EP to lose anything. They do it tough also in the metro zone. EP have a nice country zone which tides them over a bit. WP don’t! Although some would say that they don’t squeeze the country sponge hard enough…but thats not for me to say.
Either way, there are major problems in the northern suburbs when it comes to participation rates.
Perth footy, with massive rates of immigration, took its eye of the ball and I’m afraid to say its coming home to roost
Yep - the multicultural influx is taken into participation % of each area & demographics I believe - how to get them playing AR instead of soccer is the riddle to solve
West Coast & Fremantle offered a mighty big cross that both particular acceptees took up eagerly , at the expense & to the detriment of their zonal products
Lets be honest it’s rare to see more than say 8 local products up in their seniors - hence my liking to see less zones to enable opportunities elsewhere before they’re lost entirely to the system
What about if any player aged 21 or older who (Isn’t injured) doesn’t play 6 league games in any given season is free to transfer to another league club without a fee.
At the moment its too easy to keep a player on a list simply by ticking the box..regardless if he is in the long term plans
Yeah it could be a top end solution but it still doesn’t cover the rest of a zone not able to be tapped simply because there’s no real pathway available at these clubs past colts mate
Lets just hope a fair unconvoluted carve up happens for everyone Hinch - could be interesting reading later this year
It’s a joke when several clubs have almost double the amount of kids Subiaco have. Then again Subi have 1000 times more money in the bank. More likely they will remove clubs from EP or WP to top Subi up. As a matter of interest which clubs spends the most on junior development in the WAFL?
It’s a joke when several clubs have almost double the amount of kids Subiaco have. Then again Subi have 1000 times more money in the bank. More likely they will remove clubs from EP or WP to top Subi up. As a matter of interest which clubs spends the most on junior development in the WAFL?
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Mate, for the little I know, nowadays with WAFC people hired and involved in WAFL colts, every club identifies the best of the best and does what it can to succeed. I’m sure of that. No club misses a trick nowadays. But it goes pear shaped when kids don’t want to join the program but why would you blame them when the comp is so lopsided.
I mean, c’mon Claremont being in the best 5 for 38 of the last 40 years. Thats more than good management
Thanks to everyone whom has posted messages on this thread, I have enjoyed reading them. Claremont is a protected species on here, and I am not talking about their supporters either.
Southerner: personally I don’t mind them having the schools as they are tied to the area and it is tradition, rather, one could make some changes in the northern suburbs, as LH has suggested. Yep, the Peel figure is a problem so long as they are aligned with the AFL club.
Actually the other figure that concerns me is the Perth one - I misread it when I initially looked at it , they will need assistance & could easily pick up some from Mandurah at the same time
If this can occur most of it all will be even-ish you’d think - but we would have to see the updated figures of population , participation etc for this year compared to the last distribution of course
Great Topic..No doubt Subi are discriminated in there junior zones.But have had one of the greatest eras in Wafl history over the last 30 years.It all may just balance out with there Subiaco Oval arangment which has made the club very powerful both on and off field.However that arrangement will end when Burswood is complete.
The biggest Zone issue imo going forward is the alignment clubs and there zones.If there two host clubs stay with the alignment longer than the initial 5 year contracts.There zones have to be reduced.IT appears that the Dockers/Peel arrangement will stay in place.Dont know about EP..Maby a total takeover of 2 Wafl clubs by our local AFL sidescould help balance out the zone problem.