First Edition - Season Ends, Draft Begins

Hi and welcome to the very first post on the blog 100% dedicated to the AFL and Aussie Rules Footy. Tonight we'll take a quick look at; the up-coming draft, some young rookies to look out for, players that may be traded, and what deals could be struck between clubs.

G'day and welcome to Up There Cazaly. Hopefully this blog can become, over the years, a mecca for fans of AFL who are starved of information and footy action over the summer break. With the exodus of Fox Footy recently I understand what all you footy fans are going through. You can never get enough of the greatest sport on Earth.

Well today was the official beginning of the AFL draft camp. At the moment the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra is a hub of activity with scouts, club officials and coaching staff closely analysing the most talented and gifted footballers in the country.

72 young players will make the trip to the capital while another 115 will remain in their cities and take part in state-based screenings.

The tip this season is that the 3 important names to watch out for are; Bryce Gibbs, Lachlan Hansen and Scott Gumbleton from Perth.

Although the draft is a great way for clubs to get a first-hand look at some players they'd like to recruit next season, it's not always the way most AFL stars get their start. State leagues such as the WAFL and SANFL still contain un-drafted young players who improve dramatically over time and reach their peak performance in their early 20's or late teens. Rather than being invited to the draft, they will be picked up by a local team via the Colts system, play a few brilliant seasons for them and then they will get the attention of AFL clubs.

However there are those young players who really do have what it takes yet lack the dedication and love of the sport in order to make a career out of it.

For example, I remember my final year in junior footy. It was the Marist 17's in 1999. We won the premiership and I was surrounded by some of the most talented athletes I'd ever had the pleasure of calling a team-mate.

Of course I was lucky to be quite athletic as well in my youth (and if I'd actually played on a little longer and tried out for colts who knows...) however I was nowhere near as naturally gifted as many of these guys. The skill and pace at which they played the game was very judd-esque. The one little problem was in their attitude.

Now I'm not bagging anyone out here because these were all top blokes, very reliant and someone you'd want down in the trenches beside you. However most of them lacked the passion or the dedication to really call footy a career. It's a sad thing when you think about it because I can remember leaving training sessions with these guys and wondering if they'd be playing for an AFL club the very next year.

Andrew Embley is a good mate of my cousin Dave. As you all know Andrew won the Norm Smith medal in West Coast's grand final win over Sydney. I've had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions and watching him play back in his pre-AFL days. We all knew then what everyone knows now, the boy can PLAY.

We knew he was gonna be an AFL career man because of his dedication. You could see it out on the field, you could see it when he talked.

I remember finding out the very next year that Andrew had been drafted into the rookie list by West Coast. I was pleased to see that because not only had he broken into the AFL at such a young age, but he was playing for the team I had supported since 1987. And I knew that West Coast would be the perfect team to develop a young player. Look what they've done with Cousins, Judd, Glass, Waters, Cox, Kerr......the list goes on and on.

Remember, it's not always raw talent and skill that make a great player; it's also the way the club develops their skills, their talent, their pace, their leadership qualities, their determination and their desire for success.

The AFL may be a business, but it's still a passionate sport, and the players, while they should be brought up to be professional, should also be allowed to tap into their raw desire to be the best and to play with a fiery passion.

This is why only the most dedicated players will really cut it in the AFL. However there are sometimes when that doesn't hold true.

Take for instance Shane Woewodin. The 2000 Brownlow Medallist. Hailed as one of the greatest players at the time. Where is he today? At East Fremantle that's where. Why?

Shane did everything right. He didn't touch a drop of alcohol at all. He trained harder than any other player. He had awesome ball skills. A great determination. He always strived to be better.

Well in 2002 Melbourne was struggling to fit under the salary cap. Shane offered to take a pay-cut to allow the club to afford other certain players. The club wouldn't listen to him. Instead they traded Shane and he ended up at Collingwood where he had a miserable couple of seasons. He was then approached by the Kangaroos, a club where it looked like Shane would probably see out the rest of his career. This wasn't to be the case in the end. The Roos looked past him and sought out a younger player, a player who ended up dropping right out of AFL altogether.

Apparently now Shane wants to make a come-back in 2007, however with the way current drafts are being performed at the moment and with Shane having turned 30 this year, this seems highly unlikely.

Now onto some possible trades for next year. Hopefully there won't be anything as stupid as the 'Camporeale trade' the Bombers made last season.

However the only thing that could top that would be a 'Gardiner trade' by the Bombers, who are set to take an early draft pick and really begin a rebuilding phase at the club.

Carlton get the first pick for the second season running, perhaps their scouts are working overtime to work out what the smartest pick would be. However they also have the option of giving up some picks in return for a good trade. Players such as Jason Ackermanis and Peter Everitt are on the hunt for a new club. However Jason would be the better decision as 'Spida' is more than likely to end up at the Swans.

The Eagles, having won the premiership aren't really in a position to look at top draft picks, however they do have the Gardiner card to play and it would appear that a trade of the ruckman to a club over east would mean a swap of a draft pick. The Eagles however do have a quality side and a number of players who have been under utilised in 2006. Perhaps 2007 will be their year to build experience and become staples in the team.

So that's it for this first edition of 'Up There Cazaly'. If you have any comments please don't hesitate to post them here and remember to keep visiting as this blog will be updated often, even in the off-season.

Catchyalater!