"There is no money to sign new players and importantly experienced assistant coaches"
My understanding, and I believe it is very accurate, is that's not true. The Dolphins are going ok financially. Trading profits don't tell all the story. Whether they can maintain that medium to long term is the challenge.
Thanks Paul..always respect your input. I have similar mail in that they are travelling OK, but are not yet in a position to spend. I guess we will see in a few months with their recruiting..
Are you going to Coburg on Saturday? Should be a good one - Burgers always produce their best against Frankston.
It doesn't really matter where Coburg and Frankston are on the ladder, it's game on! A genuine rivarly in a comp really lacking them now. I feel for the Burgers, as they've played some good footy at times this year, but the Dolphs really need this win.
Re recruiting, the biggest issue Frankston face, and have for quite some time, is location. It's hard to convince people living inner city to drive past a lot of other clubs to play down south, and if you do it's often not money well spent as they won't hang around.
It's not all gloom and doom out there guys, from what i've been told the incoming AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, is very supportive of the current VFL structure and if clubs do fall by the wayside it will only be due to financial issues or being uncompetitive on-field, they won't be forced out by the AFL wanting to make the VFL a purely AFL Seconds or Reserves comp.
Re recruiting, the biggest issue Frankston face, and have for quite some time, is location. It's hard to convince people living inner city to drive past a lot of other clubs to play down south, and if you do it's often not money well spent as they won't hang around.
Its a good point Paul. Its probably one reason why player retention is so difficult for Frankston. We have lost some good players because of relocation of home or work. Eg, Mitch Cox, Corey Rich, Taylin Duman, Mitch McCarthy, Jason Pongracic, Jack Mentha to name a few.
Robbo, I didn't have any doubt that the VFL would continue in its' current structure next year......it might for the next 5-10 years, but that's not the point. The point is wondering where we are headed in the long term.
Firstly, there can be no doubt that the league are at best apathetic about the survival of the standalones. The attitude coming from the AFL seems to be that if we can find a way to survive then good luck to us. But we're not on a level playing field to do that.
I think it's great that Werribee and Willy have found a way to flourish on the field this season. Obviously their pokie $$$ have allowed them to pay some decent players, and while I haven't seen enough of Willy to comment, it's pretty obvious Werribee have assembled a group that have a strong team ethic. Great if they can go all the way and win the thing. I'm sure that they worry about players being drafted just like the rest of us though....if they can hang on to the blokes they have, that's terrific.
I look at Brodie McLaughlin as a case study......he's not the first from Frankston to be drafted, but the story is a familiar one all the same. Yes, we're more than pleased for him to go on an play league footy, but he hasn't. No, he's spent the year in the VFL kicking goals for Gold Coast rather than Frankston. In fact, the ultimate kick in the teeth comes when he kicks a bag AGAINST us as the Suns rout the Dolphins. So you ask, how the hell do we build and retain a team as a standalone that is capable of playing finals footy? When the cream of our crop gets taken year after year, only to run around in the reserves for an AFL club against us? How handy would Brodie and Reidy have been for the Dolphins this season?
For our clubs to survive, we need members. To get members and people coming through the gates we need a competitive side. How can we build that competitive side when we lose our best players constantly to AFL clubs who play them in the reserves against us, to other standalones who have pokie money to spend, or to cashed up local clubs?
So, to build the kind of side that can keep the money flowing in, you need blokes who are close to good enough for an AFL list but don't want to make one, and who are loyal to helping you build a strong second tier side. That's a rare kind of bloke in truth. We're very lucky to have one in Will Fordham, but they're a rare commodity.
I want to see my club survive and flourish. I still want to see that elusive premiership (96 and 97 still burn in my gut). Not gonna happen under the current league format though, no way no how. Give us an even chance at success, because without it there is very little hope for the future.
You really think he'd care Bearsman? I don't think anyone at AFL House cares one iota if Frankston/Willy/Port/Coburg/Preston/Werribee survive. They can't kick us out because of the backlash there would be, but they can slowly exterminate us by giving us no realistic chance at competitiveness, which they're doing nice and slowly. My honest opinion is that unless some kind of breakaway happens in the next ten years, we're all headed for oblivion.
They don't want to exterminate those clubs while they're providing chances for mature-aged draftees. No, the history of those clubs probably means stuff all to AFL HQ (especially with the lack of footy people on the commission), but the role they play in the current landscape is seen as important.
There's been a running assumption about an agenda to get an AFL reserves comp for a long time now, but it misses the point that a return to that comp doesn't serve the AFL's purposes as well as the current set up.
"There is no money to sign new players and importantly experienced assistant coaches"
My understanding, and I believe it is very accurate, is that's not true. The Dolphins are going ok financially. Trading profits don't tell all the story. Whether they can maintain that medium to long term is the challenge.
Thanks Paul..always respect your input. I have similar mail in that they are travelling OK, but are not yet in a position to spend. I guess we will see in a few months with their recruiting..
Are you going to Coburg on Saturday? Should be a good one - Burgers always produce their best against Frankston.
It doesn't really matter where Coburg and Frankston are on the ladder, it's game on! A genuine rivarly in a comp really lacking them now. I feel for the Burgers, as they've played some good footy at times this year, but the Dolphs really need this win.
Re recruiting, the biggest issue Frankston face, and have for quite some time, is location. It's hard to convince people living inner city to drive past a lot of other clubs to play down south, and if you do it's often not money well spent as they won't hang around.
It's not all gloom and doom out there guys, from what i've been told the incoming AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, is very supportive of the current VFL structure and if clubs do fall by the wayside it will only be due to financial issues or being uncompetitive on-field, they won't be forced out by the AFL wanting to make the VFL a purely AFL Seconds or Reserves comp.
Re recruiting, the biggest issue Frankston face, and have for quite some time, is location. It's hard to convince people living inner city to drive past a lot of other clubs to play down south, and if you do it's often not money well spent as they won't hang around.
Its a good point Paul. Its probably one reason why player retention is so difficult for Frankston. We have lost some good players because of relocation of home or work. Eg, Mitch Cox, Corey Rich, Taylin Duman, Mitch McCarthy, Jason Pongracic, Jack Mentha to name a few.
All 21 clubs will be participating in 2024 season!!!!
Robbo, I didn't have any doubt that the VFL would continue in its' current structure next year......it might for the next 5-10 years, but that's not the point. The point is wondering where we are headed in the long term.
Firstly, there can be no doubt that the league are at best apathetic about the survival of the standalones. The attitude coming from the AFL seems to be that if we can find a way to survive then good luck to us. But we're not on a level playing field to do that.
I think it's great that Werribee and Willy have found a way to flourish on the field this season. Obviously their pokie $$$ have allowed them to pay some decent players, and while I haven't seen enough of Willy to comment, it's pretty obvious Werribee have assembled a group that have a strong team ethic. Great if they can go all the way and win the thing. I'm sure that they worry about players being drafted just like the rest of us though....if they can hang on to the blokes they have, that's terrific.
I look at Brodie McLaughlin as a case study......he's not the first from Frankston to be drafted, but the story is a familiar one all the same. Yes, we're more than pleased for him to go on an play league footy, but he hasn't. No, he's spent the year in the VFL kicking goals for Gold Coast rather than Frankston. In fact, the ultimate kick in the teeth comes when he kicks a bag AGAINST us as the Suns rout the Dolphins. So you ask, how the hell do we build and retain a team as a standalone that is capable of playing finals footy? When the cream of our crop gets taken year after year, only to run around in the reserves for an AFL club against us? How handy would Brodie and Reidy have been for the Dolphins this season?
For our clubs to survive, we need members. To get members and people coming through the gates we need a competitive side. How can we build that competitive side when we lose our best players constantly to AFL clubs who play them in the reserves against us, to other standalones who have pokie money to spend, or to cashed up local clubs?
So, to build the kind of side that can keep the money flowing in, you need blokes who are close to good enough for an AFL list but don't want to make one, and who are loyal to helping you build a strong second tier side. That's a rare kind of bloke in truth. We're very lucky to have one in Will Fordham, but they're a rare commodity.
I want to see my club survive and flourish. I still want to see that elusive premiership (96 and 97 still burn in my gut). Not gonna happen under the current league format though, no way no how. Give us an even chance at success, because without it there is very little hope for the future.
Beautifully said AJ. You should email it to Andrew Dillon.
You really think he'd care Bearsman? I don't think anyone at AFL House cares one iota if Frankston/Willy/Port/Coburg/Preston/Werribee survive. They can't kick us out because of the backlash there would be, but they can slowly exterminate us by giving us no realistic chance at competitiveness, which they're doing nice and slowly. My honest opinion is that unless some kind of breakaway happens in the next ten years, we're all headed for oblivion.
They don't want to exterminate those clubs while they're providing chances for mature-aged draftees. No, the history of those clubs probably means stuff all to AFL HQ (especially with the lack of footy people on the commission), but the role they play in the current landscape is seen as important.
There's been a running assumption about an agenda to get an AFL reserves comp for a long time now, but it misses the point that a return to that comp doesn't serve the AFL's purposes as well as the current set up.
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