West Coast, Fremantle hail WAFL 'reserves' deals
By Nathan Schmook
4:29 PM Wed 31 Oct, 2012
WEST Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett has welcomed the club's alignment deal with WAFL club East Perth as a step towards matching the AFL's best development programs.
The WA Football Commission announced on Wednesday that West Coast and Fremantle would be aligned with East Perth and Peel Thunder respectively, ending their long-running battle to have standalone reserves teams.
The historic deal, which is a compromise of the reserves model pitched by the AFL clubs almost two years ago, will be in place for the 2014 season, with a minimum term of five years.
Fremantle and West Coast will pay $450,000 a year each to the WAFC for the right to have their 'reserves' players in the one team and playing under the same coach, who will be appointed by the AFL club.
Nisbett said the Eagles were aiming to use the alignment deal to match the proven development systems of clubs like Collingwood and Geelong.
"When [our players] are dropped or coming back from injury they'll get the opportunity to play the same system and make sure they're getting the same sort of coaching," Nisbett said.
"Then all of a sudden when they come into the senior team they're going to be ready to go.
"They're not going to be playing against each other, which they really loathe.
"It's taken a long time (but) we needed to make sure we got things right … we're really pleased with it."
Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich welcomed the deal, which he said would boost the state league, despite outspoken opposition from some WAFL club presidents.
"We are very pleased that this long-term strategic and important issue has been resolved and that the WAFC has been able to negotiate an agreement that bodes well for the future of both the WAFL and WA’s two AFL clubs," Rosich said.
"In addition to enhancing the development of our players and ensuring best practice in areas such as player welfare and well being, the positive impact of this initiative will be felt across the WAFL."
West Coast and Fremantle will be required to provide the league coach for their partner clubs and Nisbett said the Eagles were happy with Brian Dawson's appointment at East Perth in early October.
Nisbett said the Eagles could have one of their assistant or development coaches working closely with Dawson from next season.
"We hope 'Daws' will go along the lines of what we're trying to achieve here so our players play a similar style of play," he said.
"The coach will have the final say on how he implements that."
The alignment agreement will include a transition phase in 2013 with all newly drafted interstate recruits to be allocated to East Perth or Peel Thunder.
However, AFL players recruited from non-partnering WAFL clubs will remain at that club through 2013.
AFL-listed players allocated to WAFL clubs in 2012 will remain at their existing clubs, except those at Peel Thunder and East Perth, who will transfer to the respective partnering club of their AFL team.
The WAFC will maintain the right to review the partnering system and make "appropriate changes to maintain an even (WAFL) competition."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/150562/default.aspx
