Willow
Assistant Moderator
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First up, I think there are some excellent posts in this thread. A few stuck out proving that the passion of the F7s is alive and well.
But one or two negative comments as well. Of course every one is entitled to their opinion.
My advice is to recruit new players from the forums, use your locker room, communicate regularly, and help each other out.
For every match, communication is paramount - make sure everyone in the team (including reserves) knows the detail.
As a captain or senior player, you can't just post a team, tell everyone to post and then walk away. You have to monitor replies in the locker room, if neccessary create discussion and send PMs. Occasionally, I even send SMS messages and phone people. I have found that players don't mind the reminders.
Pretty sure you've made this suggestion before. I recall you being unhappy with teams that get all five posts in, and saying how it is 'unfair'?
I understand how you might want to see the talent spread more evenly, but there is a fundamental flaw in your suggestion:
How can you possibly tell someone where to play? This is not the AFL, it is the F7s.
Who decides? What happens when players leave the F7s because they are forced to play with a different team?
Your idea sounds like poaching sanctioned by a rule. I'm all for helping out other teams with players - I do it all the time. But rather than expecting this, and make it mandatory for other teams to provide you with a squad, may I suggest you simply work harder at recruiting more new players?
For exmaple, you could write about launching a spaceship and travelling to Mars if the crew were made of your favourite league players.
If that doesn't gel, well just pick up the paper and write about the latest breaking news. There's something new happening in the game every second day.
We already have a 15 player cap. Are you suggesting that we cut this back to a lesser number?
IMO, it would mean less new players being introduced to the game. ie more teams with less players in the squad. Such a policy would probably just replace the 5v4 games with more 4v3 games.
If anything, we should be lifting the cap - ie abolish it. That's my 'radical change' - and I can explain how it will benefit the F7s as a whole.
It can only result in more players being introduced to the game. If say three teams each have a 20 player squad, some of these players would move to other teams where they think they might be more needed. And I believe a climate could develop where the majority of captains would do the right thing by recommending players to other teams, but you can't force these things on anyone.
When the 15 player cap was introduced, it was done to stop players being poached from other teams. There was a degree of recklessness going on from a couple of captains and it was causing problems. For example, some players complaining that they were lured away only to be kept on the sidelines. One captain was treating players like currency, and it was creating some negative vibes.
I was a supporter of the 15 player cap at the time because I thought it would put a stop to putting players off the game. But it was different then. It is my view that captains nowadays are far more thoughtful and far more cooperative.
From a Bluebags point of view, we just had to let a veteran player go because he wanted to take the year off. We were at the cap limit and a newbie wanted to join, so I had to cut a loyal player from the squad. The reason why we're at the cap limit is purely because we have been working very hard to bring new players into the competition. The price we paid was to sideline a player who might have been able to play in the semis. But thems the rules.
For the record, a third of the players in the Bluebags squad have never played F7s before. They didn't just materialise, they were sought out and introduced to the game. Some will kick on, some won't. IMO, it is essential that each captain try to bring as many new players as possible into the competition every year.
On a personal note, I find it quite rewarding to see a player I have approached or introduced to the F7s doing well, with or without the Bluebags. A number of them end up in othe teams. Of course we play to win. But at the end of the day, it's all about playing the game.
I also might add that we have a top five semis cut off, thus giving more teams a chance. Once you make the semis, anything can happen.
So never give up. On their day, any team can beat any other team in the comp.
Firstly, the formation and recruitment of the current F7s Dragons was done by me, gorilla and Rexxy. As members of the more established Newtown side, we saw it as a positive for the F7s if a Dragons side was in the comp. We approached fellow forummers and got the ball rolling. After that it was up to you guys.
Secondly, some former Bluebags have been playing in the Dragons. Plus, as you well know, I have recently made suggestions to you regarding recruiting a player and offered to help.
Mate, you have a huge backyard there in the Dragons forum. How big is the Newtown forum? ;-)
But one or two negative comments as well. Of course every one is entitled to their opinion.
My advice is to recruit new players from the forums, use your locker room, communicate regularly, and help each other out.
For every match, communication is paramount - make sure everyone in the team (including reserves) knows the detail.
As a captain or senior player, you can't just post a team, tell everyone to post and then walk away. You have to monitor replies in the locker room, if neccessary create discussion and send PMs. Occasionally, I even send SMS messages and phone people. I have found that players don't mind the reminders.
Sorry, but I can't see how that would work.
Pretty sure you've made this suggestion before. I recall you being unhappy with teams that get all five posts in, and saying how it is 'unfair'?
I understand how you might want to see the talent spread more evenly, but there is a fundamental flaw in your suggestion:
How can you possibly tell someone where to play? This is not the AFL, it is the F7s.
Who decides? What happens when players leave the F7s because they are forced to play with a different team?
Your idea sounds like poaching sanctioned by a rule. I'm all for helping out other teams with players - I do it all the time. But rather than expecting this, and make it mandatory for other teams to provide you with a squad, may I suggest you simply work harder at recruiting more new players?
You don't have to write purely about rugby league, just make sure it is rugby league related. With a little imagination, it's pretty diverse subject matter.
For exmaple, you could write about launching a spaceship and travelling to Mars if the crew were made of your favourite league players.
If that doesn't gel, well just pick up the paper and write about the latest breaking news. There's something new happening in the game every second day.
On the surface it sounds counter productive.
We already have a 15 player cap. Are you suggesting that we cut this back to a lesser number?
IMO, it would mean less new players being introduced to the game. ie more teams with less players in the squad. Such a policy would probably just replace the 5v4 games with more 4v3 games.
If anything, we should be lifting the cap - ie abolish it. That's my 'radical change' - and I can explain how it will benefit the F7s as a whole.
It can only result in more players being introduced to the game. If say three teams each have a 20 player squad, some of these players would move to other teams where they think they might be more needed. And I believe a climate could develop where the majority of captains would do the right thing by recommending players to other teams, but you can't force these things on anyone.
When the 15 player cap was introduced, it was done to stop players being poached from other teams. There was a degree of recklessness going on from a couple of captains and it was causing problems. For example, some players complaining that they were lured away only to be kept on the sidelines. One captain was treating players like currency, and it was creating some negative vibes.
I was a supporter of the 15 player cap at the time because I thought it would put a stop to putting players off the game. But it was different then. It is my view that captains nowadays are far more thoughtful and far more cooperative.
From a Bluebags point of view, we just had to let a veteran player go because he wanted to take the year off. We were at the cap limit and a newbie wanted to join, so I had to cut a loyal player from the squad. The reason why we're at the cap limit is purely because we have been working very hard to bring new players into the competition. The price we paid was to sideline a player who might have been able to play in the semis. But thems the rules.
For the record, a third of the players in the Bluebags squad have never played F7s before. They didn't just materialise, they were sought out and introduced to the game. Some will kick on, some won't. IMO, it is essential that each captain try to bring as many new players as possible into the competition every year.
On a personal note, I find it quite rewarding to see a player I have approached or introduced to the F7s doing well, with or without the Bluebags. A number of them end up in othe teams. Of course we play to win. But at the end of the day, it's all about playing the game.
I also might add that we have a top five semis cut off, thus giving more teams a chance. Once you make the semis, anything can happen.
So never give up. On their day, any team can beat any other team in the comp.
lol Dubo, you've said this before in the Dragons forum. Hey, I let it go through to the keeper once, but not twice.
Firstly, the formation and recruitment of the current F7s Dragons was done by me, gorilla and Rexxy. As members of the more established Newtown side, we saw it as a positive for the F7s if a Dragons side was in the comp. We approached fellow forummers and got the ball rolling. After that it was up to you guys.
Secondly, some former Bluebags have been playing in the Dragons. Plus, as you well know, I have recently made suggestions to you regarding recruiting a player and offered to help.
Mate, you have a huge backyard there in the Dragons forum. How big is the Newtown forum? ;-)
Might be able to help here NT. I understand that two (?) members were banned but asked to be allowed back to play in the F7s. This was last year I think. Both players were un-banned and given access to the F7s. If that's the case, I'm pretty sure they weren't that committed to the F7s. If there's any others, please let me know so I can pass it onto Twizzle.
ex-maple or not :crazy:
