TOPIC:

Like most, I've been reading about the possible merge between EP and WCE, or Freo and Peel amongst other clubs... If they went with a stand alone team then the question is:-

How strong would a WCE Reserves team be?

Take this for example:-
NEAFL Eastern Conference - Season 2012
Both the GWS Giants and Sydney Swans have reserves sides in this league.
These clubs play teams from the old ACTAFL, which had quite a proud 100 year + heritage.

The Queanbeyan Tigers recruit mainly locally from the satellite city on the NSW side of the ACT border.

The only player with any AFL experience being Jason Atkinson who played 96? games with Essendon. There may be another one or two who have played TAC Cup for the ACT/NSW RAMS. The rest no other experience.

The Tigers coach / captain is only around 22 years of age himself, yet managed to lead the team to a premiership this season against the Sydney Swans.

Remembering that Sydney had a full strength side at the end of the AFL finals campaign, the reserves side had plenty of AFL dept amongst their list, plus ex VFL and WAFL players.

The AFL considers the ACT based teams to be a couple of notches under the WAFL and SANFL in skill level. This comment was published in the NEAFL Record last season.

Its worth pondering over...

Can of worms here Mike. I said before, if we see the EP Eagles and Peel Dockers, then I won't be renewing my WCE membership...I hate EP so couldn't bring myself to sign up to their parent club. I won't even go to any of either team's games. If this goes ahead, I'll be dirty on the EP backstabbing sleazebags, the arrogant WCE/FFC WAFL destroyers and the p!$$ weak WAFC.

I have no loyalty to either of the WA AFL Clubs. I have always been a SD supporter. I'm only 34, but old enough to remember when WAFL was the only choice of football in the state.

I remember being pulled aside with a number of other kids when we refused to get Chris Mainwarings signature during a vist at high school. We didn't care much for the Eagles, and certainly not an East Fremantle player... We had David Ogg a Swans 1990 Premiership player as our sports master, and we were zoned East Perth with many kids travelling to school from a Swans zone anyway.

I must admit, as we all did - when the Eagles started crushing the Vic teams week after week in the early 90's it was good! Possibly because of the homegrown WAFL stars in this team.

The Dockers came along and started to show that they wanted some WAFL heritage, and displayed this a little more than WCE. I think this got many people, including myself a bit more on side.

When I moved East 10 years ago, I was still swans, but no one knew who the Swans were except a couple of people, so instead of being branded West Aussie - Must be Eagles, I chose the Dockers - the underdog.

With all the recent bullshit that the two WAFC's AFL teams have brought up in the last year, I can't stand either of them. I don't care, and I don't watch them.

What I don't want to see is 106 years of tradition with East Perth, or any other club for that matter, (with the exception of Peel, who I still consider to be an experiment that has held on like a dag to a sheeps bum) to be "sold off" for a cheap attempt at a premiership flag.

WAFL silverware should not be bought...

After watching the NEAFL with the likes of Eastlake, Ainslie and Queanbeyan Tigers v AFL teams, in addition to the Foxtel cup where Claremont crushed everyone else without trying, to how East Freo nearly toppled them in the GF this year, I really don't think a flag is going to come the way of the AFL reserves easily.

In a perfect world, I don't want to see the two reserves sides in the WAFL, however I'd prefer stand alone clubs rather than host clubs.

The WAFC do not market the WAFL well, and any reseves league with just AFL reserves will be marketed just as well as the AFL. Just think, Fox Footy...

I think the WAFL need to be careful. Its catch 22, but the WAFL could die a fast death with no TV coverage, lack of media coverage and more competition.