Pridham vents growing frustration
SWANS chairman Andrew Pridham used his chairman’s address ahead of yesterday’s Essendon match at the SCG to continue his case for academies in NSW and Queensland.
Pridham says the argument against the academies of achieving a level playing field is a furphy.
There were no insults towards Eddie McGuire as there had been during the week; in fact he didn’t mention the Collingwood president at all.
“Our frustration with some of the Melbourne-based clubs who continually seek to tear down what are important strategic initiatives under the guise of ‘let’s have a level playing field’,” Pridham said.
“I’ve got news for them — the only level playing field in the world is a cemetery.
“When the grand final is played at the SCG, we travel just three or four times a year, the father-son picks are gone and there are no blockbuster games — maybe we can move to some form of level playing field.”
Pridham pointed to the Swans line-up for the match against the Bombers to illustrate the limited effect the academies have had on the team.
“To those who say the Swans have special advantages of the 22 playing today, 10 are rookie list promotions,” Pridham said. “That means they were available for any club to select. I think it is very premature to tear up this initiative. So far five players have graduated from the Sydney Swans academy and played AFL games for the Sydney Swans.
“That’s 64 games at the cost of $7 million. Today there will be three players — Dan Robinson, Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills. The dividends are broad and the cream is thin, that’s less than one per cent of boys who go through the academy play a game in the AFL. None of those who have played have a Brownlow vote yet.”
Pridham also said the academies have boosted the number of NSW players in the AFL.
“Before Academy there were seven players on AFL lists from the Swans academy zone, now there are 15; in the Giants there were 19 and now they are 28,” Pridham said. p wh ferocit Ma ru BEV BEVO’S boys are back. T The magic mojo resto stored. The system trumpi ing selection, with that electric ball movement dominating despite the absence of three key halfback creators. The Western Bulld dogs ultimately edged a re remarkably efficient Adelai elaide in another absolute belte belter between these modern-da ern-day beauties last night. The final margin was 15 points, t the Bulldogs delivering themselv themselves a fun slice of redemptio demption for last year’s heartbreaking finals loss. Admittedly, the Dogs were only really stifled last week. But this was every bit as pulsating as that September special and entering the contest you wondered if that North Melbourne loss last week would deny a repeat. WHEN Danyle Pearce dribbled through his magic goal 17 minutes into the final term, it teased the Fremantle crowd before eventually making them believe.
The deficit was less than two goals and the roar that accompanied it might have been worth another goal in itself.
That next goal never came and neither did the Dockers’ first win of the season.
Greater Western Sydney kicked its only goal of the last quarter on the siren.
That was enough. Having tasted six defeats from six matches in Perth, the Giants’ song was heard at Subiaco Oval for the first time.
One line in the song says: “The other teams are quaking”.
In their fifth season in the AFL and having busted another hoodoo with the 18-point win, 14.11 (95) to 11.11 (77), it rings true for the first time.
The four previous meetings GOALS BEST UMPIRES
There wasn’t a patch where the tempo dropped below exhilarating and just about every contest was met with players believing the next possession chain could lead to a GOALS BEST UMPIRES between the two clubs had all resulted in Fremantle wins, at an average winning margin of 76 points.
Nathan Wilson was busy for the Giants in the win. This goal within seconds.
A Bailey Dale behind should have iced the game with just two minutes remaining. But from the kick out, Crows captain Taylor Walker marked the ball in the middle and hoofed it long into the forward line, where Eddie Betts was waiting.
The result was Josh Jenkins’ eighth goal — a career-best haul — and a three-point margin.
But this time the Dogs would hold their nerve.
Dale would set up Marcus Bontempelli for a set-shot which did ice the game with a clutch goal.
Bontempelli ( pictured) missed his moment last September but he took it last night — and was mobbed by every single teammate bar one.
That one was Dale Morris, who calmly stayed stationed at full-back with that unshakable concentration which turned Betts invisible all night. GWS outfit wasn’t the same team that had ventured west in previous years.
And neither is this the same Fremantle team — the one that had turned Subiaco into a purple fortress for much of Ross Lyon’s first four seasons in charge. The one that is now 0-7 and a shell of its former self.
Ruckman Jon Griffin and stoppage star Lachie Neale did a fine impersonation of missing duo Aaron Sandilands and Nat Fyfe.