Vic pathway flawed: Wallace
5:05:18 PM Tue 15 August, 2006
Paul Gough
Sportal for afl.com.au
As debate continues to rage over why the non-Victorian sides are dominating the AFL, Richmond coach Terry Wallace believes the answer might lie in what he described as a flawed set-up in Victoria's footballing pathway.
Wallace believes the structure leading into the AFL is superior in Western Australia and South Australia than Victoria - giving youngsters in those states the opportunity of playing senior football far earlier and also giving them more opportunity of being chosen as rookie list players if they miss out on being drafted.
And that, combined with the fact the wealthy non-Victorian clubs are generally able to afford more rookie list players than their cash-strapped Victorian counterparts, means far more opportunities for those players to be snapped up by the likes of Adelaide and West Coast.
Wallace's comments come at a time when four non-Victorian clubs could fill the top four positions on the ladder at the end of the home and away season for the first time.
Full article at:
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=289575
