SA Footy

Getting the feeling there could be some nasty courtroom battles over the off-season....

Tony Clifton wrote:Letter to the Editor in the Advertiser today from one Denis Brien, talking about the number of clubs.

The sign off:

Maybe the SACA board should look at possibilities other than the number of clubs, for the recent failures. For example, its high-performance department.

Eagles are up and about!

Denis, known as Rocka to everyone, has been involved in West Torrens for over 50 years, was the leading person behind the fight to save our Club a few seasons ago. This took a toll on him and he stepped down as President, but still keeps all the records, etc. Think his personal views in the letter to Editor would be that of many other people involved in Grade Cricket. One problem - Tim Neilson!!!

Eagles2014 wrote:

Tony Clifton wrote:Letter to the Editor in the Advertiser today from one Denis Brien, talking about the number of clubs.

The sign off:

Maybe the SACA board should look at possibilities other than the number of clubs, for the recent failures. For example, its high-performance department.

Eagles are up and about!

Denis, known as Rocka to everyone, has been involved in West Torrens for over 50 years, was the leading person behind the fight to save our Club a few seasons ago. This took a toll on him and he stepped down as President, but still keeps all the records, etc. Think his personal views in the letter to Editor would be that of many other people involved in Grade Cricket. One problem - Tim Neilson!!!

I reckon Tim would be under a fair bit of pressure at the moment! As has been commented on here before - getting rid of a couple of clubs won't all of a sudden see the Redbacks become world beaters.

Any chance the Adelaide/Southerns merger gets through?

Being from a "have not" Club, it is blindingly evident of the gulf between the top and bottom teams. The facilities and support networks the "have" Clubs currently have make it so much harder for Clubs down the bottom to ever compete, ie. Player recruitment/high level junior retention. I wonder if there has ever been any thought of some sort or equalisation. Metro and regional zonings aren't equal. How can you have a regional zone not even in the State! Whilst other teams have access to massive amounts of players like the Fleurieu and the Barossa. I wonder if there's an opportunity to have three or four regional academies, well resourced with high credentials coaches where the best under-age kids (under 19) train and develop together and then each Premier Club bids for the players they want? Could even be done at a metro level also.

I know from our perspective, only time will allow us to move our way up the ladder. We have spent a massive amount of time over the past 9 months getting culture and commitment from players to a much better place. Yep, personnel isn't quite there but hopefully they (PCC/SACA) at least give us an opportunity to build on our hard work and move forward next season without having to merge.

cokadonkeytoo wrote:Being from a "have not" Club, it is blindingly evident of the gulf between the top and bottom teams. The facilities and support networks the "have" Clubs currently have make it so much harder for Clubs down the bottom to ever compete, ie. Player recruitment/high level junior retention. I wonder if there has ever been any thought of some sort or equalisation. Metro and regional zonings aren't equal. How can you have a regional zone not even in the State! Whilst other teams have access to massive amounts of players like the Fleurieu and the Barossa. I wonder if there's an opportunity to have three or four regional academies, well resourced with high credentials coaches where the best under-age kids (under 19) train and develop together and then each Premier Club bids for the players they want? Could even be done at a metro level also.

I know from our perspective, only time will allow us to move our way up the ladder. We have spent a massive amount of time over the past 9 months getting culture and commitment from players to a much better place. Yep, personnel isn't quite there but hopefully they (PCC/SACA) at least give us an opportunity to build on our hard work and move forward next season without having to merge.

Certainly the alignment of grade clubs and country zones could have been done better

Port have been struggling... they get Eyre Peninsula that's a mere 6 hours away

Prospect have been struggling... they get Broken Hill

Sturt dominate... they get Mt Barker

Surely the clubs with the weaker metro areas should get the stronger country zones. And the clubs with strong metro areas should get the more far flung country zones.

Tony Clifton wrote:

cokadonkeytoo wrote:Being from a "have not" Club, it is blindingly evident of the gulf between the top and bottom teams. The facilities and support networks the "have" Clubs currently have make it so much harder for Clubs down the bottom to ever compete, ie. Player recruitment/high level junior retention. I wonder if there has ever been any thought of some sort or equalisation. Metro and regional zonings aren't equal. How can you have a regional zone not even in the State! Whilst other teams have access to massive amounts of players like the Fleurieu and the Barossa. I wonder if there's an opportunity to have three or four regional academies, well resourced with high credentials coaches where the best under-age kids (under 19) train and develop together and then each Premier Club bids for the players they want? Could even be done at a metro level also.

I know from our perspective, only time will allow us to move our way up the ladder. We have spent a massive amount of time over the past 9 months getting culture and commitment from players to a much better place. Yep, personnel isn't quite there but hopefully they (PCC/SACA) at least give us an opportunity to build on our hard work and move forward next season without having to merge.

Certainly the alignment of grade clubs and country zones could have been done better

Port have been struggling... they get Eyre Peninsula that's a mere 6 hours away

Prospect have been struggling... they get Broken Hill

Sturt dominate... they get Mt Barker

Surely the clubs with the weaker metro areas should get the stronger country zones. And the clubs with strong metro areas should get the more far flung country zones.

EXACTLY!

Great idea.

What would be interesting is to see how present the Grade clubs are in their allocated zones

How long have the country zones been in? I was co-captain of WT last junior u16 team at Kings Reserve before we moved to Henley the next year. Our team was hopeless and I think we were the only junior team competing from WT that year (I might be wrong - wasn’t much of a club in those days). After that, we moved to Henley and for a period of time were known as the Country & Western Eagles, such was the influx of players from all over SA that were recruited to build up the club. Bow Hill, Karoonda, Bordertown, Broken Hill, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula - we got them from everywhere whether they were gun juniors or solid B/C graders. It definitely helped kick start the club and the location of Henley Oval sandwiched in between Henley High and St Michael’s also made the club sustainable, together with good off-field appointments. WT country zone is now Yorke Peninsula, which WT have a great relationship with. I was fortunate to spend ages 9-13 living in Minlaton (before zones) and getting taught the game by Don Snook - a better coach I could not have got. It was certainly better coaching than when I joined West Torrens juniors back in those days.

The hub idea and disbursement of players sounds good.

What do zones actually mean anyway?
I reckon there is just as many kids from the Barossa spread across quite a few grade clubs as there is at the Jets

daysofourlives wrote:What do zones actually mean anyway?
I reckon there is just as many kids from the Barossa spread across quite a few grade clubs as there is at the Jets

Even the metro the zones are pretty rubbery

Can play for any neighbouring club so a kid living in Prospect can play for Prospect, Adelaide, Kensington, East Torrens, TTG, Jets, Port, Woodville...

Interesting how games unfold with Redbacks players only allowed to play Saturday as heading up to QLD for Shield game.

Glenelg - Will have Sayers both days as his wife is due on Monday so not travelling away. Carey not playing at all as has a wedding on Saturday. Will lose Liam Scott for Sunday.

Kensington - Will lose Hunt, Worrall and Grant on Sunday

Uni - will lose Agar, Winter, Weatherald and Kerber on Sunday

WT - not affected

Weather looks fine now as rain pushed back to Monday.

Eagles2014 wrote:Interesting how games unfold with Redbacks players only allowed to play Saturday as heading up to QLD for Shield game.

Glenelg - Will have Sayers both days as his wife is due on Monday so not travelling away. Carey not playing at all as has a wedding on Saturday. Will lose Liam Scott for Sunday.

Kensington - Will lose Hunt, Worrall and Grant on Sunday

Uni - will lose Agar, Winter, Weatherald and Kerber on Sunday

WT - not affected

Weather looks fine now as rain pushed back to Monday.

Some pretty important bat flips.

Just for something different:

The grand finals of the Victorian Premier competition will be broadcast on Kayo Sports. Starting with the women's final tomorrow and then men's final on April 17.

They are doing it right over there!

The 2 best sides are through in first grade, however in my view they need to have compulsory declaration in the minor round and a maximum of overs you can bat on in the second day in finals, either 1 more session (or 16 overs as they do in Victoria), as it is if you finish top and prepare a road it is tough to have a contest.

University vs Kensington in T20, one day and two day grand finals.

State players unavailable I assume?

Tony Clifton wrote:University vs Kensington in T20, one day and two day grand finals.

State players unavailable I assume?

Word is Hunt will be back for the GF, not included in the 1 day game.

Browns through to the big dance in A, B & C grade.

Tony Clifton wrote:University vs Kensington in T20, one day and two day grand finals.

State players unavailable I assume?

They should be back in time once we roll qld inside 2 days

Armchair expert wrote:

Tony Clifton wrote:University vs Kensington in T20, one day and two day grand finals.

State players unavailable I assume?

They should be back in time once we get rolled by qld inside 2 days

EFA

Uni too strong. It’s been a batting year and unfortunately WT were unable to breakthrough a strong Uni batting line up. Umpires didn’t seem too keen on giving LBW’s neither - Slee to Bosisto early in his innings must have been close? I thought if WT could give themselves 65-70 overs to bat, they were a chance, given their powerful batting line up against a Uni attack without Agar and Winter, but it wasn’t to be.

Still, the best two teams are through and Uni have the big advantage of being able to play for a draw. If you can bat well enough, it doesn’t matter what you bowl like.

Uni, Kensington and Glenelg the only clubs involved in all four men’s senior finals.

E2014 / Wedgetail or any WT posters
Hearing the Uni lads had a centre wicket / nets after the game on Sunday?, hopefully that was after they had a couple of beers with your boys after keeping them in the field for a day and a half