HFL Division 2 (Country)

[MONTE CRISTO]

You County Div guys are kidding yourselves. Birdwood played in the big league last year and must be the team to beat. If they are 5/1 I'll have a grand on them! And for your team, Torrens Valley, coming up, I'll have a grand on them NOT making the finals!

[FlyingHigh]

MC, last time Birdwood came back down from Div 1, they struggled to make the finals for the next two years, and I reckon the Brookers beat them by 100+ points at least one each of those years. Not necessarily saying taht will happen this time.

[Old Blue New Tiger]

Sad to hear that Pat Lundie has past away, tremendous fellow actually taught my wife and i at Birdwood High .
A really wierd feeling to get school on Monday and talk to your teacher about the weekend footy.I was a Colt and then would play B's and Pat was the ultimate Clubman.He would run off the HBF with those little legs going a Hundred miles an hour.
RIP Mr Lundie!

[ORDoubleBlues]

You County Div guys are kidding yourselves. Birdwood played in the big league last year and must be the team to beat. If they are 5/1 I'll have a grand on them! And for your team, Torrens Valley, coming up, I'll have a grand on them NOT making the finals!

Will agree with your TV asessment if they've lost players but if they've got as good a side as they had the last 3 years they'll make finals easy.

As far as Cally goes I was more referring to off field rather than on field (especially VBD brothers) as social things are an important lifeblood too. God knows, if it was due totally to on field, Maccy (We) would have folded in about 1992. So many others though in regards to cally including Dave MacMurtrie, Don Anness, Chook Baker, Leith Kamprod and Grantley Axon (for first year at least), Christian Johnson, etc, etc, etc.

[McGovern]

Sad to hear that Pat Lundie has past away, tremendous fellow actually taught my wife and i at Birdwood High .
A really wierd feeling to get school on Monday and talk to your teacher about the weekend footy.I was a Colt and then would play B's and Pat was the ultimate Clubman.He would run off the HBF with those little legs going a Hundred miles an hour.
RIP Mr Lundie!

Here here. I saw him round the place for years and years but never really had much to do with him. It was only by going to his funeral that I found out what a top bloke he was, and loved by all who knew him. He was unobtrusive but made an impression on those who knew him. RIP Pat.

[jumbo20]

How many recruits have Echunga signed?

[On The Pine]

In regard to Callington fielding a team in C grade, where would their juniors play on sat if there wasn't a senior team to follow?

The HFL has always cheerfully accomodated Div 1 clubs which have too many juniors, such as Hahndorf and Mount Barker. They have allowed their second tier juniors to play in Div 2 when those clubs have no Seniors to follow. They could do exactly the same for Callingtons' juniors.

Would that become difficult if you have one team following say Hahndorf, another following Mt Barker and so on? Especially so if you have children playing in different grades?

Having juniors without seniors would be very challenging for any club. I think the programming would be the least of the worries. Their juniors would have to be the 'visiting' team every time, hence no gate rewards. All Callington's junior grades would have to be assured of the same venue on any given Saturday. Surely having too many junior sides would be a luxury too good to miss for the HFL, and would be a huge boost worth accomodating for the the future of the League?
Do Sedan-Cambrai have juniors? If not, an obvious solution exists.

S/C do have juniors, but struggle for numbers and don't have all teams, so not a bad suggestion if things don't work out for Cally.

[youngpace]

How many recruits have Echunga signed?

4 that i am aware of, Jack Bevalander and two others from bridgewater and another from Reynella, all have signed clearences if i am not mistaken.

[The Low Down]

Question for the HFL country posters (hopefully we've got plenty on here from different clubs)

Is it every clubs aim to be competitive enough to play in the central division (div1) or are most clubs happy to simply play in the country div?

The reason I ask is that has any club ever thought to place almost 100% of it's resources into it's colts for two years, save money in the interim and once the crop ripens buy some stars, move up the ladder to an eventual flag and in to central?

The other question is what the are the pros and cons to running the comp similar to the amauters in WA. For example Central div plays Friday, Saturday and the country play Sunday's. Players can play in both comps up until june 30 aswell maybe... this bit was just an after thought.

[the big fella]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

[The Low Down]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

true big fella but if a club was to use their money for good and not evil then they'd get somewhere. On serious note what Im trying to point at is that if I were to (for example) be in-charge of a country div club I'd urge us to spend up on building a solid foundation by becoming the best junior club period. Build pride, develop players and move them up through the access to good coaches etc all while saving money in the kitty each season to ensure I was keeping the kids at the club when rivals come knocking. Thus building a solid foundation however to do this you need to retain/recruit wisely to stay around the middle of the table atleast in the seniors.

In summary, not impossible but needs to be developed like any good business. If you can save capital by developing your product to compete with the best in the industry then you're on a winner. Good product at half the cost, once you start winning, players come knocking and with them so do supporters, sponsors etc....

[Afterthesiren]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

true big fella but if a club was to use their money for good and not evil then they'd get somewhere. On serious note what Im trying to point at is that if I were to (for example) be in-charge of a country div club I'd urge us to spend up on building a solid foundation by becoming the best junior club period. Build pride, develop players and move them up through the access to good coaches etc all while saving money in the kitty each season to ensure I was keeping the kids at the club when rivals come knocking. Thus building a solid foundation however to do this you need to retain/recruit wisely to stay around the middle of the table atleast in the seniors.

In summary, not impossible but needs to be developed like any good business. If you can save capital by developing your product to compete with the best in the industry then you're on a winner. Good product at half the cost, once you start winning, players come knocking and with them so do supporters, sponsors etc....

Good idea in theory but l see it this way. You do all the hard work in developing these young players then when other clubs (ie. Torrens Valley, Mt Barker, Uraidla etc) see the talent you have produced the big bucks come out and its just too good for a young fella to refuse. They play 100+ junior games for you then they go to the highest bidder. Loyalty is rare these days particularly with this current generation. Good luck though.

[The Low Down]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

true big fella but if a club was to use their money for good and not evil then they'd get somewhere. On serious note what Im trying to point at is that if I were to (for example) be in-charge of a country div club I'd urge us to spend up on building a solid foundation by becoming the best junior club period. Build pride, develop players and move them up through the access to good coaches etc all while saving money in the kitty each season to ensure I was keeping the kids at the club when rivals come knocking. Thus building a solid foundation however to do this you need to retain/recruit wisely to stay around the middle of the table atleast in the seniors.

In summary, not impossible but needs to be developed like any good business. If you can save capital by developing your product to compete with the best in the industry then you're on a winner. Good product at half the cost, once you start winning, players come knocking and with them so do supporters, sponsors etc....

Good idea in theory but l see it this way. You do all the hard work in developing these young players then when other clubs (ie. Torrens Valley, Mt Barker, Uraidla etc) see the talent you have produced the big bucks come out and its just too good for a young fella to refuse. They play 100+ junior games for you then they go to the highest bidder. Loyalty is rare these days particularly with this current generation. Good luck though.

Yeah thats true however I like to be a little more optimistic than that an consider that maybe attitude reflect leadership and while the youth of today can seemingly have no loyalty its actually more the case that the youth are asking why should I be loyal? When they don't get a suitable answer that makes sense then they go. Plus if the clubs already saving costs each season during the development phase then this will boost their subsequent pilfering 2-3 years down the track.
Im not debating here so dont get me wrong, just offering a suggestion I think might work then trying to support it but I think the probable main issue is the hard work involved (among everything else) and the amount of volunteers available. For example getting more out of the clubs top flight players with them working with the juniors, this is still my fondest memory as a kid and I cant even remember the players names. Hell if I had time I'd love to sponsor a club and try this on for size.

[The Gimp]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

true big fella but if a club was to use their money for good and not evil then they'd get somewhere. On serious note what Im trying to point at is that if I were to (for example) be in-charge of a country div club I'd urge us to spend up on building a solid foundation by becoming the best junior club period. Build pride, develop players and move them up through the access to good coaches etc all while saving money in the kitty each season to ensure I was keeping the kids at the club when rivals come knocking. Thus building a solid foundation however to do this you need to retain/recruit wisely to stay around the middle of the table atleast in the seniors.

In summary, not impossible but needs to be developed like any good business. If you can save capital by developing your product to compete with the best in the industry then you're on a winner. Good product at half the cost, once you start winning, players come knocking and with them so do supporters, sponsors etc....

FS, it's not a bad theory but I think you overlooking a big factor - and that is the majority of the Country Div clubs (us included) have only small towns and and areas to get "local" players from. There's no way Birdwood, Kersbrook, Gum, Maccy, Cally, Sedan etc would be able to fully support two senior teams with just locals. We HAVE to recruit in players for two reasons, firstly to make sure we've got enough players and secondly to be competitive and ultimately aim for the flag because winning builds a culture that junior players want to be around. The problem with a lot of younger guys coming up through the ranks these days is that they think they should be getting looked after because they are a local and have been loyal in the junior grades.

The way I see it (and use the theory myself) is that this is my town and community and if I don't take some sort of ownership and put my hand up to support my footy club and do everything I can (including NOT asking for $$) then when my kids grow up, they will still have a footy club to play for.
If you stop paying imports and give the money to the locals, then the success is going to drop off and in the end the local will go elsewhere to try and play with a bit of success.................and then you've got no-one.
Running a country club is a constant juggling act and you have to try and get the balance right between looking after your locals and getting the right imports to build a successful club right through from seniors to U8's.

I would like to think here at Birdwood we have got a pretty good junior program with 6 out of the 7 grades competing and a few colts flags on the wall in the past decade.....................now to try and get an A grade one to put with it!

[On The Pine]

Fs.. good post but how can country div clubs complete with the money being offered by central clubs.

Most country clubs budget for players would be $30/40 k at max.

central clubs would be double that for say Uri,blackwood, Mounts etc

true big fella but if a club was to use their money for good and not evil then they'd get somewhere. On serious note what Im trying to point at is that if I were to (for example) be in-charge of a country div club I'd urge us to spend up on building a solid foundation by becoming the best junior club period. Build pride, develop players and move them up through the access to good coaches etc all while saving money in the kitty each season to ensure I was keeping the kids at the club when rivals come knocking. Thus building a solid foundation however to do this you need to retain/recruit wisely to stay around the middle of the table atleast in the seniors.

In summary, not impossible but needs to be developed like any good business. If you can save capital by developing your product to compete with the best in the industry then you're on a winner. Good product at half the cost, once you start winning, players come knocking and with them so do supporters, sponsors etc....

FS, it's not a bad theory but I think you overlooking a big factor - and that is the majority of the Country Div clubs (us included) have only small towns and and areas to get "local" players from. There's no way Birdwood, Kersbrook, Gum, Maccy, Cally, Sedan etc would be able to fully support two senior teams with just locals. We HAVE to recruit in players for two reasons, firstly to make sure we've got enough players and secondly to be competitive and ultimately aim for the flag because winning builds a culture that junior players want to be around. The problem with a lot of younger guys coming up through the ranks these days is that they think they should be getting looked after because they are a local and have been loyal in the junior grades.

The way I see it (and use the theory myself) is that this is my town and community and if I don't take some sort of ownership and put my hand up to support my footy club and do everything I can (including NOT asking for $$) then when my kids grow up, they will still have a footy club to play for.
If you stop paying imports and give the money to the locals, then the success is going to drop off and in the end the local will go elsewhere to try and play with a bit of success.................and then you've got no-one.
Running a country club is a constant juggling act and you have to try and get the balance right between looking after your locals and getting the right imports to build a successful club right through from seniors to U8's.

I would like to think here at Birdwood we have got a pretty good junior program with 6 out of the 7 grades competing and a few colts flags on the wall in the past decade.....................now to try and get an A grade one to put with it!

Gimp, agree with your sentiments, but 'Gen Y me/what's in it for me?' don't understand that yet. Their attitudes and the attitudes of whatever they're going to call the current junior generation, are the biggest threat to any marginal footy club!

[White Line Fever]

Gimp, agree with your sentiments, but 'Gen Y me/what's in it for me?' don't understand that yet. Their attitudes and the attitudes of whatever they're going to call the current junior generation, are the biggest threat to any marginal footy club!

And it's Gen X and Baby Boomers willingness to pay them the money that is just as equal to Gen Y's attitude to put their hands out.

[the big fella]

Hanna.. Gums to mt Barker

Bevelander.. Brigi to Echunga

just 2 examples of where a club developed a player pnly to loose them to the big$ clubs

PS re clearances on sportingpulse site..i still cant see why the courier can print the list of recruits and the website is nogo???

[toot toot]

Hanna.. Gums to mt Barker

Bevelander.. Brigi to Echunga

just 2 examples of where a club developed a player pnly to loose them to the big$ clubs

PS re clearances on sportingpulse site..i still cant see why the courier can print the list of recruits and the website is nogo???

Bever has always been we$$ looked after at bridgy, lack of success was the reason for his move (i'm sure he'd still be getting some $$ though).

[woody]

Gimp, agree with your sentiments, but 'Gen Y me/what's in it for me?' don't understand that yet. Their attitudes and the attitudes of whatever they're going to call the current junior generation, are the biggest threat to any marginal footy club!

And it's Gen X and Baby Boomers willingness to pay them the money that is just as equal to Gen Y's attitude to put their hands out.

Gimp a great post but where are all the players from the 2009 senior colt's premiership team?
How many are fronting up this year?
After watching a talented group of young players come up through Birwoods junior ranks it is very dissapointing to see them head of elsewhere.

[The Gimp]

Gimp, agree with your sentiments, but 'Gen Y me/what's in it for me?' don't understand that yet. Their attitudes and the attitudes of whatever they're going to call the current junior generation, are the biggest threat to any marginal footy club!

And it's Gen X and Baby Boomers willingness to pay them the money that is just as equal to Gen Y's attitude to put their hands out.

Gimp a great post but where are all the players from the 2009 senior colt's premiership team?
How many are fronting up this year?
After watching a talented group of young players come up through Birwoods junior ranks it is very dissapointing to see them head of elsewhere.

Of the 22:
3 playing at SANFL Ressies or underage (BJ Cunningham, Jake Snowden and Brodie Topham)
12 still playing at Birdwood
1 stopped playing
6 left Birdwood to play for another club (2 moved away and the other 4 wanted to play with their brothers at another club)
Not too bad a conversion I reckon. You could add the three down at SANFL as they would all play A grade at the moment.