JUNIOR FOOTBALL

[Mister Footy]

Clearly I have hit a sore point DTH - every club has to work at player retention and every club has kids playing school footy

And if you are asking who cares about winning a Sunday team competition I would say Brighton do. Otherwise why would you have a team of yr 8s and a team if yr 7s? Why dont you think about evening up your teams - there is nearly a 100 point scoreline between your 2 teams playing on Sundays in the 14s.

Yeah you can say it is about mates playing together but really what are they learning by flogging another clubs true second side by over 100 points as has happened almost every week for your yr 8 team? I would reckon it would be hard for these kids to remain humble when they are winning by that much week in and week out let alone what it is doing to their opponents.

[Down the Hill]

To be honest MF, we assessed the talent across all the Sunday lads and feared that if we tried to even up the teams then we would still have clearly the 2 strongest teams and probably play each other in the GF which would have people like you saying it was even more of a mockery. We thought our Yellow's may be in the mix to win at least half their games but didn't expect them to only lose 2 games and finish 3rd. Having said that, injury and illness have meant they have used some good Saturday players (they were the ones to putting their hand up to play) in several games to put together a team of 20 to 21, which may have helped them win a couple of extra games. Come finals they have their core group of 20/21 Sunday players so it will be interesting to see how they go. Sure the Blacks are favourites based on the minor round but there are dominant teams in many footy and other sport competitions so what can you do.

In 2009 Brighton won the Sunday Under 14 comp but did lose 2 or 3 games during the season. They beat HV in the GF by only 4 goals and that HV team was mainly 13 year old lads who then formed the basis of the HV Saturday U/14 premiership last year. HV had previously fielded their 2nd U/14 team in the Saturday comp and got flogged by the top 6 or 7 clubs. The Sunday comp enabled HV to develop these lads as a team in a comp more suited to their ability and size which no doubt put them in good stead the following season.

[shoe boy]

Participation?? All for it,but at this time of the year participation becomes blurred with SOME clubs pushing the rules to the fine line and in some cases cheating!! Also the ethical issue of having lads and their families told sorry mate this lad has your spot!
Also the time of year sec of the SFL earns his keep.

[Mister Footy]

To be honest MF, we assessed the talent across all the Sunday lads and feared that if we tried to even up the teams then we would still have clearly the 2 strongest teams and probably play each other in the GF which would have people like you saying it was even more of a mockery. We thought our Yellow's may be in the mix to win at least half their games but didn't expect them to only lose 2 games and finish 3rd. Having said that, injury and illness have meant they have used some good Saturday players (they were the ones to putting their hand up to play) in several games to put together a team of 20 to 21, which may have helped them win a couple of extra games. Come finals they have their core group of 20/21 Sunday players so it will be interesting to see how they go. Sure the Blacks are favourites based on the minor round but there are dominant teams in many footy and other sport competitions so what can you do.

In 2009 Brighton won the Sunday Under 14 comp but did lose 2 or 3 games during the season. They beat HV in the GF by only 4 goals and that HV team was mainly 13 year old lads who then formed the basis of the HV Saturday U/14 premiership last year. HV had previously fielded their 2nd U/14 team in the Saturday comp and got flogged by the top 6 or 7 clubs. The Sunday comp enabled HV to develop these lads as a team in a comp more suited to their ability and size which no doubt put them in good stead the following season.

So what you are saying DTH is you looked at the talent you had available and decided to form 2 uneven teams. I hope you enjoy the premiership - pity those kids wont have actually got to play against the best the SFL has to offer in this age group.

I know the SFL are looking at the junior competition and it wouldnt surpirse me to see some big changes next year in what club are and are not allowed to do in the Sunday comp

[Down the Hill]

Get over yourself MF. Some of those kids were able to test themselves "against the best" early in the season before school footy started. The reality is that these kids can't play regular club footy on Saturday due to school footy. DO YOU GET THAT. Ask Sturt why Trengove only played a few games for them before he got drafted, likewise Viney at North before he moved back to Melbourne with his dad. The Hartletts played all their footy at Edwardstown because they played in a Sunday comp. Different schools have different rules when it comes to school footy but Sacred Heart are pretty strict. In the recent Samboy Cup U/15 GF between Glenelg and North played on an early Saturday evening, Glenelg had players in their team that attended several colleges and they wrote to each of those schools requesting the lads to be excused from school footy that morning and only one refused. Guess who ? Sacred Heart. I know HV have an outstanding Westminster lad who managed to juggle Saturday and school footy in Under 14's and also may have got out of playing school footy last season when he played Under 16's for HV but I've noticed that he hasn't played any HV footy this season because I beleive he is playing school footy.

Why are you so concerned about the Sunday comp and who wins or loses matches. Its about giving kids a game of footy for the club they want to play at, which for many is the club they've played at since the age of 7 or 8. For some clubs that gives a game for the kids who can't make the Saturday team, and for other clubs it caters for kids who have school footy on Saturday's or may play another sport on Saturday. We have had a few Sunday players over recent years who play basketball, soccer or rugby on a Saturday and play footy on Sunday.

Why don't you concern yourself with some of the junior footy issues at HV such as out of control parents (maybe you're one of those) and coaches quitting before season ends etc. and let us at Brighton go about our business. Last time I checked our A grade were top of the ladder and that's ultimately what we really strive for as a club. Maybe that is HV's current problem, people like you who are more concerned about minor issues and what othe rclubs are doing.

[Mister Footy]

Get over yourself MF. Some of those kids were able to test themselves "against the best" early in the season before school footy started. The reality is that these kids can't play regular club footy on Saturday due to school footy. DO YOU GET THAT. Ask Sturt why Trengove only played a few games for them before he got drafted, likewise Viney at North before he moved back to Melbourne with his dad. The Hartletts played all their footy at Edwardstown because they played in a Sunday comp. Different schools have different rules when it comes to school footy but Sacred Heart are pretty strict. In the recent Samboy Cup U/15 GF between Glenelg and North played on an early Saturday evening, Glenelg had players in their team that attended several colleges and they wrote to each of those schools requesting the lads to be excused from school footy that morning and only one refused. Guess who ? Sacred Heart. I know HV have an outstanding Westminster lad who managed to juggle Saturday and school footy in Under 14's and also may have got out of playing school footy last season when he played Under 16's for HV but I've noticed that he hasn't played any HV footy this season because I beleive he is playing school footy.

Why are you so concerned about the Sunday comp and who wins or loses matches. Its about giving kids a game of footy for the club they want to play at, which for many is the club they've played at since the age of 7 or 8. For some clubs that gives a game for the kids who can't make the Saturday team, and for other clubs it caters for kids who have school footy on Saturday's or may play another sport on Saturday. We have had a few Sunday players over recent years who play basketball, soccer or rugby on a Saturday and play footy on Sunday.

Why don't you concern yourself with some of the junior footy issues at HV such as out of control parents (maybe you're one of those) and coaches quitting before season ends etc. and let us at Brighton go about our business. Last time I checked our A grade were top of the ladder and that's ultimately what we really strive for as a club. Maybe that is HV's current problem, people like you who are more concerned about minor issues and what othe rclubs are doing.

DTH - easy there big boy

Yeah we all know you have the Sacred Heart boys but how does that excuse setting up a team that will THRASH THE PANTS off of every other team including one of your own. I dont like seeing kids who are genuine second side players and have just come up from subbies getting beaten by over 200 points - does nothing to their confidence

As far as the parent issues with the Saturday side we have dealt with that as a club I believe and now have parents who are foccussed on getting the best out of their kids and enjoying their footy

As far as coaches that quit I hope our committee are looking long and hard at the B grade table to see who they should have appointed 2 years ago

[Down the Hill]

I hear you MF but we shouldn't have to tell kids that they are too good for the Sunday comp so go and play for Plympton etc. We don't take joy in smashing teams and thats why the coach is teaching the lads a brand of footy and teamwork and playing players in lots of different postions so that they can still develop their footy. HV have won the last 2 saturday Under 14 flags and are right in the mix again this season so the Sunday comp must be of benefit to your club. A few smashings from Brighton maybe the "tough love" you advocate for these kids. Some of the Sacred Heart kids play in the Year 8B team at school and cop the odd hiding when they are drawn to play other school A teams so it works both ways.

A lad who played Sunday Under 14 for us last year has played some Under 18 games for the Bays this season. He has been a dominant player all his footy life but I dare say last year was the first time he got some proper instructional coaching, which has improved his footy further. The coach has played SANFL footy and won an SFL Mail Medal so he knows what he's on about. Don't worry, we are also looking for solutions to provide all Under 14 players with competitive footy most weeks. We are about to appoint a new Junior Footy Director who is intimately aware of our unique situation and he has several ideas that hopefully will benefit us and other clubs that field teams in the Sunday juniors.

[vics01]

DTH
I hear you MF but we shouldn't have to tell kids that they are too good for the Sunday comp so go and play for Plympton etc. We don't take joy in smashing teams and thats why the coach is teaching the lads a brand of footy and teamwork and playing players in lots of different postions so that they can still develop their footy.

DTH They all run forward of the footy on a regular basis. They do not get players behind the footy, which in a reasonable comp. will result in defeats due to turn overs.

Bring em over and make a real game of it.

[Down the Hill]

Thanks for that Vics01. I wouldn't dare question the coaching philosophies of the Cove Mafia, because going on recent history any coach that does gets shown the door.

[WHEELS&DEALS]

Maybe some clubs shouldn’t look at it as a second grade comp. I think the Brighton Sunday 14’s and 16’s team would give most Saturday teams a run for their money and I would hope that we would be more than competitive. I think the Sunday competition has gotten better and will continue to improve. There are teams getting flogged in all grades whether they play on Saturday or Sunday. The main thing is that a lot more kids can play football in the SFL because they have a choice of playing on both days.
We look at the Sunday comp as a lifeline to our club, which will hopefully lead to these kids playing senior footy for us in the next few years. So what if we don’t have teams playing Saturday, we finally have a path for kids to go from under 8 through to seniors and that is something my club hasn’t had for a while. Next year we should have under 18’s in the Saturday comp, it will be hard as some of or private school kids won’t be able to play but hopefully they can still get a few games in if rostered off or playing early. I would recommend any club to come and play in the Sunday comp if they could. I know all our kids and their parents enjoy playing and watching it. Just think if we didn’t have a Sunday comp most of these kids would be playing in the metro south league and maybe my clubs junior grades as well.

[Mister Footy]

Thanks for that Vics01. I wouldn't dare question the coaching philosophies of the Cove Mafia, because going on recent history any coach that does gets shown the door.

I'll pay that one DTH

[Down the Hill]

Nice comments Wheels. Exactly right. The main issue is more kids playing footy and an opportunity to play at their club of choice.

Mister Footy - Thanks for the debate. I think we can call a truce and admire each others passion on this topic.

[Mister Footy]

Nice comments Wheels. Exactly right. The main issue is more kids playing footy and an opportunity to play at their club of choice.

Mister Footy - Thanks for the debate. I think we can call a truce and admire each others passion on this topic.

Good on ya DTH - its good that there are some people at footy clubs that do have a passion for junior as well as senior footy and would have loved to have the best 22 of Brighton against the best 22 from the Valley in the 14s and 16s - would be cracker games

Good luck for the rest of the season mate

[Mister Footy]

As predicted the Sunday 14s finals result was a blow out in the 1st v 2nd on the ladder with the Brighton superstar A grade team of yr 8s beating MVP only U14s team by 81 points - close game for those Brighton boys

On a happier note although the Valley team lost in the first final of the day they did well to make finals so good on ya lads and your coach Rammo

Will be interesting to see what happens to the U16s game that was abandoned - Valley lad badly concussed needing an ambulance early in the game - hope the lad is OK

[Bag The Points]

As predicted the Sunday 14s finals result was a blow out in the 1st v 2nd on the ladder with the Brighton superstar A grade team of yr 8s beating MVP only U14s team by 81 points - close game for those Brighton boys

On a happier note although the Valley team lost in the first final of the day they did well to make finals so good on ya lads and your coach Rammo

Will be interesting to see what happens to the U16s game that was abandoned - Valley lad badly concussed needing an ambulance early in the game - hope the lad is OK

Website now showing Preliminary Final to be played between Happy Valley and Cove ---- originally showed Semi to be replayed Wednesday Night.
Does this mean that the Valley have conceded ? Can anyone enlighten me on this ?

[Mister Footy]

have followed this up for you BTP - Valley have conceded and wanted to avoid playing Wednesday night and then Sunday with some of these kids possibly playing Saturday as well

The young lad who was injured on the day has also been given the all clear for neck injuries - great news

[Bag The Points]

have followed this up for you BTP - Valley have conceded and wanted to avoid playing Wednesday night and then Sunday with some of these kids possibly playing Saturday as well

The young lad who was injured on the day has also been given the all clear for neck injuries - great news

thanks MF, and very good to hear that the lad is OK

[vics01]

WHEELS AND DEALS
Maybe some clubs shouldn’t look at it as a second grade comp. I think the Brighton Sunday 14’s and 16’s team would give most Saturday teams a run for their money and I would hope that we would be more than competitive. I think the Sunday competition has gotten better and will continue to improve. There are teams getting flogged in all grades whether they play on Saturday or Sunday. The main thing is that a lot more kids can play football in the SFL because they have a choice of playing on both days.
We look at the Sunday comp as a lifeline to our club, which will hopefully lead to these kids playing senior footy for us in the next few years. So what if we don’t have teams playing Saturday, we finally have a path for kids to go from under 8 through to seniors and that is something my club hasn’t had for a while. Next year we should have under 18’s in the Saturday comp, it will be hard as some of or private school kids won’t be able to play but hopefully they can still get a few games in if rostered off or playing early. I would recommend any club to come and play in the Sunday comp if they could. I know all our kids and their parents enjoy playing and watching it. Just think if we didn’t have a Sunday comp most of these kids would be playing in the metro south league and maybe my clubs junior grades as well.

Wheels I think you miss some of the points being made. 1st let me say it is great that you have juniors up and running.
However the Sunday comp was established to take the overflow of kids from the Saturday Competition and clubs involved at the start were/are using it as a second tier, development grade for kids that were not at that time up to Saturday standard. We all know Brighton always like to be different and have used it as a college team playing for points.

So what if we dont have teams playing Saturday

The strength of the SFL has been the whole day experience at the footy, having all the kids involved in and with the club.
Yes we could all play our kids Sunday and lose the unique family day at the footy we have now.

Really this is a no win discussion. As it stands BDOS will win the Sunday flags yet again and we will all move on to the real deal at South Adelaide last Saturday in Spetember.

[MZ]

Mister Footy and vics01,

As you are both well aware of the problems Brighton face in terms of junior numbers attending Sacred Heart, Westminster and Immanuel, have you got any suggestions for them in how they may structure their sides? I bet they are seeking ideas as what is occuring is not ideal. No one likes lop sided games no matter what end of the stick you are on. Sometimes, however, they are unavoidable.

Please post constructive feedback and I will ensure it reaches the junior football club.

Working out a system where 60 kids must fit into into 3 teams where all bar 15 of them have school sport committments on Saturday mornings is not an easily solved problem?

I think the Bombers decision to split the sides in a year8/year 7 fashion was the best thing for the Sunday competition. You argue that playing a superstrar year 8 side is not good for the competition, however, if they played 2 hybrid teams that were equal you would have 2 teams vastly superior to the rest.

Look at the Bombers results againt Cove this year. The Year 7s won by 3 points in a cracker of a game and the year 8s won by 136 and 71 points. Surely two hybrid teams would have resulted in three 10 goal losses for Cove. At least they were competitive in one of the games.

Looking at the other results the resoning behind the split is sound. I guess the Bombers were trying to avoid a Brighton v Brighton GF which no one would want. They may get it anyway.

It is my understanding that things aren't going to improve with about 30 kids entering U14 next year from the Bomber minis and another 45 the year after (majority Sacred Heart kids).

At this stage it appears the Bombers will have enough for 2 Sunday 16s and 2 Sunday 14s teams at least for the forseeable future. Its a problem that needs solving.

As you two are 'thinkers', let's hear your ideas guys.

[Mister Footy]

Think you are being pretty egotistical there - I am sure if Valley decided to do the same to their 2 Sunday 14s teams and play a "A" team and a "B" team on Sundays we would have had a more lopsided competition - instead we tried to develop kids

Sorry mate no one believes you were trying to avoid a Brighton V Brighton GF - just wonder how those kids in your yr 7 team are going to feel about getting smashed by a fellow Brighton team - must really set up a good club culture down there. I would suggest if you ever have 3 teams in the same age group again you look at the development of your kids rather than what is best for the competition. The weaker players actually gain confidence and motivation from playing with stronger players

From what I hear the SFL are reviewing those clubs with 3 teams in a division and there will be some changes as they too arent happy

Many clubs have 2 teams in these divisions - it's a pity for your kids that dont get to match themselves against the best in the league - enjoy your Sunday flags - the rest of us are trying to beat the best in the SFL and develop our lads