Category B indigenous/multicultural rookies

As was one Zach Merret before he turned to full on Footballing… jus sayin’

Ahh,… I clicked the article,… not back to the post.

A quick google tells me he was signed for try out and then cut from their roster, but joined their practice squad.

It also told me:

Practice squad players must be paid at least $7,200 per week for the 2017 season. If a player is on a team’s practice squad for the entire regular season, that amounts to $122,400 for the year.

So while I doubt he’ll have an NFL career he will still make more money for 1 practice squad season than he would have being a rookie for us.

Why in the world would we target a QB anyway? They have no skills that would to transfer to AFL. The most likely would be WR or CB, but they would still start a long way behind.

Half the sides in the comp throw the ball all game, may aswell join them

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Haha!

Quite so.

We would still be the only ones pinged by the maggots though.

Even when we handpass properly the maggots still stitch us up (as happened to at least Jobe this year. The maggots microphone picked up Jobe’s comment which may have went “You couldn’t have even seen it from where you were. You’r not supposed to make it up!”).

Yep, remember that vividly. I was going off my dial.
The Storm don’t complete as many passes as what Richmond did yesterday. I swear Rioli threw it about half a dozen times

Essendon Football Club representative Darren Harris said he is “humbled to be appointed to the board”.

Essendon Football Club’s initial focus on Tiwi is to establish its academy programs, with a long term commitment to the Tiwi Bombers and the sustainable development of football on the Tiwi Islands.

AFL Northern Territory CEO Michael Solomon said: “it is reassuring to see the club find an appropriate financial model that not only supports the Premier League Club but also Under 15 and Under 18 girls teams”.

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Did you read the next article? They have some governance issues…

Must have Dean Wallis entering in the Team Sheet Details :slight_smile:

Are we looking at any more category B rookies this year?

If so doubt it would get out. Being kept under wraps.

Don’t want them being selected in rookie draft so are available to be taken as CatB

I think we need some more quick small fwd/winger depth so hopefully we do have someone lined up.

For a club that boasts that we’re the best club in the AFL for supporting and providing opportunities for indigenous young people… we better put our money where our mouth is, and give an opportunity to a young fella.

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I agree.

You don’t want someone selected for the colour of his skin, or his heritage (or not selected for these reasons either). Having said that, it’s disappointing when previously it felt like we were leaders in this area, now it seems that for all the work we do in indigenous communities, we don’t select them at the draft.

Before Yestin Eades in 2015, the previous main draft Indigenous selection was Anthony Long in 2009. Even counting rookie picks it’s not a lot better, Tippa also in 2015, Jake Long as a F/S rookie in 2014 and then nothing until Jarrod Atkinson in 2007.

For a club that long took a leadership position in regards to indigenous players it is disappointing. It would be easy to argue that Richmond and Essendon are two of the least deserving clubs to play the Dreamtime game based off indigenous representation on their playing lists.

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Port Adelaide should create their own dreamtime marque game.

Not having a crack at you, because clearly you have the same frustrations. But the quote above is generally the argument of people who don’t share our belief about opportunities.

The concern I have, is that we are overlooking the best players available, because of the extra resources that needs to be provided to young men from rural areas that haven’t come through the tradition AFL pathway program. Are we refusing to draft players because they don’t have a traditional family set-up? considering that we are now a club that has the least number of indigenous players on our list, it’s a legitimate concern imo.

And in this situation we’re talking about list spots that only exist for players of specific heritage, so…

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I know it’s the argument of the opposition a lot of the time, but that doesn’t make it untrue :). You wouldn’t want a player selected just because he was indigenous, or another selected because he wasn’t.

I agree completely with your second paragraph. We clearly have a reluctance to select indigenous talent, I don’t for a second think it’s because of their skin colour, but as you indicated because we think they are less likely to make it due to personality, family or cultural factors of some sort.

It seems odd given that we obviously have no qualms about selecting interstate talent and backing ourselves to help with any homesickness/go home factors and have extraordinary success with retaining our interstate talent, despite many attempts to poach them by their home state clubs. Why are indigenous kids different?

Can’t have a marquee game infront of 30,000 people

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