Amazing how news of a couple of recruits from a foreign country stirs so much interest from AFL supporters. I guess they’re just really looking to find someone outside of Australia that cares (or knows) about their sport.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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”.

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.

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

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.

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

http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/rugby_league/Floridian_Down_Under.shtml

I know this doesn’t exactly fit with the AFL’s current stance on binge-drinking, but we have to play to our strengths…