By Michael DiFabrizio
February 9th 2010 @ 12:35am
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American colleges could be AFL’s next frontier
Kevin Sheedy is always keen on making headlines and last week was no different, suggesting that his Greater Western Sydney club will look to California to find playing talent.
If it weren’t for the fact he made good on his original promise to scour the globe by signing a South African just a few days earlier, his comments might have been written off as an act of publicity.
But it seems as though the great man is indeed headed across the Pacific. “I’ll be going to California to chase players don’t even worry about that,” he assured us all.
Where exactly he’ll be looking and whether he will find anything is anyone’s guess.
However unearthing future Aussie Rules talent in the States mightn’t be as tough a challenge as some would assume it to be, especially if you’re going in with the sort of optimism that Sheedy possesses.
Believe it or not, in the past couple of months two former college basketball players have made their way onto AFL lists.
The first to do so, Daniel Bass, was admittedly born and raised in Melbourne. But he had a limited football background even before his four-year stint at Metro State University in Denver, Colorado.
The club that recruited him – curiously they chased after him, and not the other way around – was Port Adelaide, who have a history in this area after they plucked Dean Brogan from the NBL. Brogan would go on to become a big part of Port’s premiership-winning team and one of the game’s elite ruckmen.
The other signing, Seamus McNamara, hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After his college stint, at Marist College in New York, he played a season of professional basketball in Germany before putting together “audition tapes” in the hope of catching the attention of an AFL club.
His CV landed at Collingwood and after a series of trials, he became an international rookie at the club. In spite of his inexperience, he was the surprise opening goal-kicker at the Pies’ intra-club game last week.
Both are around the 200cm mark and have been earmarked as potential ruckmen or, in McNamara’s case, perhaps even a key forward. Both, however, are viewed as medium-term prospects at best, so not much is expected in the near future.
It will be interesting to monitor their progress.
It’s not as if the US college system is short on athletic talent. Huge numbers of athletes don’t go on to the professional level in their chosen sport, be that basketball or otherwise.
The success of Brogan’s recruitment shows that a transition is certainly possible.
But perhaps the most enticing motivator for clubs is that international rookies are basically a “free hit” on top of the existing list. They can bypass both the draft system and the salary cap.
So whilst Sheedy coming out boldly stating that he’ll venture to California in search of talent may at first seem a tad crazy and unlikely to lead to much, there’s clearly some method to his madness.
The likes of Port and Collingwood may only be scratching the surface of what could be a much bigger talent pipeline.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see other clubs making similar moves in the not too distant future.
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Mr Real Australian it's called Football Man formerly known as Kurt said | February 9th 2010 @ 4:19am | Report comment
Living in a hot-bed of College sports here in North Carolina I can confidently state that there is one thing that would be absolutely guaranteed to get elite first & second year College athletes interested in the AFL – the opportunity to drink alcohol before turning 21. Tell ‘em the AFL will fly them out to Australia four times a year where they will have the opportunity to drink endless beer in the sunshine without the need for a fake ID.
I know this doesn’t exactly fit with the AFL’s current stance on binge-drinking, but we have to play to our strengths…
Matt S said | February 9th 2010 @ 8:18am | Report comment
sorry, above quoted in American Rugby Site:
http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/rugby_league/Floridian_Down_Under.shtml
Corey said | February 9th 2010 @ 8:41am | Report comment
Basketball players are what Sheedy is looking for, though I must say I thought he would be looking for local talent. GWS needs to endear the GWS public by embracing them, not just their land. Yeah grab some outside talent by all means, but look in the land you came from. Its easier to grow fruit in your own backyard then keep stealing it from your next door neighbours.
Redb said | February 9th 2010 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
The AFL is spending most of its development money in Western Sydney not overseas anyway. It has set up AFL academies in NSW and QLD. If you read other recent articles about GWS there is a clear direction on developing as much home grown talent as possbile. To quote Sheeds “there are gold nuggets in Western Sydeny to be discovered” in terms of football talent.
Redb said | February 9th 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
In my opinion, the US is a waste of time for AFL from a recruitment perspective.
There are far better prospects closer to home, like PNG, Pacific Isles, NZ and even though its not so close to home, South Africa.
There is a stable of some 60 footy teams in the States, but they are spread out with very few junior programs, it is purely a social league.
Redb
Al said | February 9th 2010 @ 11:01am | Report comment
Sheedy should spend his time at spring break because he is wasting his time, the yanks would hardly even know where Australia is let alone being interested in aussie rules.
College Australian Football said | February 9th 2010 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Interesting, if they really want to go down this path though it might be worth the AFL funding some sort of College Australian Football program.
If they could get that into 8-12 colleges and get people playing the game at College, it might be possible to create a recruitment path straight onto AFL rookie lists.
Targeting those athletes (American Football & Basketball perhaps in particular) that may not make the US Major Leagues would be the best way to go because there’s no doubt some of these guys would surely be capable of playing various positions in Australian Football.
Offering it up as a viable alternative version would surely be worth it.
If they could get it going in 8-12 colleges (Perhaps along the West Coast primarily?) then as it develops its own momentum other colleges might willlingly start up their own programs.
It could snowball (Over a period of 20-40 years or so) into something very significant – but unlikely to ever compete in a professional sense with the AFL.
Redb said | February 9th 2010 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
It might be worth a try but not worth a lot of effort.
Strangely enough there appears to be a gap in junior sports in the USA. It is not too difficult for many young Australians to get full scholarships in US colleges playing basketball. The reason is apparently a lot of US kids dont play organised club sport from such a young age like they do in OZ. The Aussie kids are in demand becuase at 17 they are so much further along in their development.
For a country the size of USA and its huge population there should be no apparent need to top up College basketball teams.
The structures are different and therefore less easy for other sports to tap into.
The AFL has created an Under 16 & 18 ‘World’ team to compete in a tournament in July this year (at Blacktown), the bulk of the kids will come from the pacific and Sth Africa, it’s available in the USA but with so few juniors it is literally starting from scratch.
Redb
Mick said | February 9th 2010 @ 5:40pm | Report comment
Sheedy should concentrate on getting players near the GWS area instead of trying to get another expenses paid junket overseas for the various officials
Ziggy the God said | February 9th 2010 @ 7:28pm | Report comment
I bet that if the Seti institute announced that they had received a message from another civilization, Sheedy would be on the phone to see if we could send them a Sherrin.
bever fever said | February 9th 2010 @ 7:29pm | Report comment
I have heard this before from Sheedy and Barassi and i am in agreement with RedB about focussing more on PNG, SA and the pacific.
Ex basketball players have come into the AFL and performed well in the ruck position, think Brogan is the only player to win a AFL premiership and NBL one as well so it can be done.
For a lot of basketballers the phsicality of football can be a bit of a put off, Australian basketballers have usually experienced our footy codes, American basketballers have not.
Dont keep an eye on the basketball scene these days but going back a long way i always felt that Mark Bradtke and Larry Sengstock could have been good/great footballers, Phil Smyth could have been a pretty handy midfielder as well.
Norm said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:09pm | Report comment
Sounds like Sheedy is looking for an excuse to visit Disneyland.
Moonface said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:34pm | Report comment
More like showing his lack of faith in Western Sydney AFL players if he thinks he can do better in South Africa and California.
Lots of focus on growing the game globally by the AFL in one way or another and as Sheedie says himself he’s getting his name and the team in the papers every week.
What’ll he think of next to grab a headline or two in the Herald Sun?
Not long before AFL becomes not just the game that made Australia, but “the game that made the world”.
Ian Whitchurch said | February 10th 2010 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
There appear to be some people in this thread who know less about footy than Kevin Sheedy does.
Let us take for example Barry Church of Toledo, a footy player you’ve never heard of. He’s 6′2, 210 pounds and runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.
He, in short, has height and pace. He was a safety, which means he has some experience in judging the flight of the ball and trying to catch it or punch it. Oh yes, and he can also hit.
Is he likely to be unemployed this time next year ? As the 10th best safety prospect in this draft, the answer is “probably” – safeties are not in high demand.
Can he kick ? No. Can he handpass ? No.
Can he spot the player breaking for the ball and be able to put physical pressure on them ? My judgement is yes, particularily when you tell him that defensive pass interference is legal.
Can he develop the endurance to become an AFL player ? Maybe.
If he goes undrafted or gets cut in training camp, would I tell him to bring his boots to Australia ? Heck yes.
And I think I could find another dozen prospects with his physical measurables.
Dogz R Barkn said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:05pm | Report comment
I have to perfectly honest here Ian, and say that I’m not sure what you are getting at.
That AFL clubs would clamour for a 6ft 2 bloke who can’t kick and handpass??
I’m really not sure that there is a lot of demand for that!! (that can’t be satisfied by the 1,500 18 year old Australian kids who nominate for the draft but don’t get picked)
bever fever said | February 10th 2010 @ 7:03pm | Report comment
I think thats why the AFL has had some sucess with basketballers – tall ones, plenty of kids around that size (6′2″), maybe not as fast but with footy skills and possibly the endurance side of things.
What is in short supply is genuine big guys around 200cm (6′6″)who are mobile, basketball fills the bill and Australian football ruckman have many similarities with basketballers.
I have no idea of the sort of guys who get cut from the NBA but basketball has some pretty good leagues around the world so their is plenty of options for them, if Sheedy and GWS decide to target some of them you would expect a decent bit of coin to tempt them.
Redb said | February 12th 2010 @ 8:58am | Report comment
I use to resent the inference that basketballers could play football. But when you look at ruckman and their all important role in the clearances out of the centre, a good tap ruckman who can tap a ball to a running midfielder is invaluable in the clutter of todays centre bounces.
Michael C said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:13pm | Report comment
fyi -
Seattle Grizzly and US Revolution rover, Zach Johns, has joined the West Australian Football League’s Claremont Tigers for their preseason training. Johns hopes work hard over the summer and make it onto Claremont’s senior list..
Johns follows in the footsteps of James and Jarod Brunmeier who worked out with the WAFL’s West Perth Falcons in 2007. James Brunmeier played every game with West Perth’s Reserves in 2007 kicking 5 goals. Brunmeier has given great advice to Johns as he prepares for his footy adventure.
Point here is that there’s a level of exchange already happening – and, it need not take that much to have this raised a cog or two – - now, if there were half a dozen guys from the US each year in the WAFL (1s or 2s) developing away – - well, who knows?? Just what structures need to be in place here and in the US, that’s another part of it.
bever fever said | February 11th 2010 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-4711-0-0-0&sID=56333&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=11266626§ionID=56333
Here is another one MC.
The Western Magpies have thrown their recruiting net across the Pacific to sign 24-year-old Bryan Dragus from Los Angeles, California.
Starting to become open slather really.