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Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Tuesday, December 21 2010 @ 01:15 pm ACDT
Contributed by: Brett Northey
Views: 5,456

Africa

Kevin Sheedy and his GWS Giants are continuing their quest to uncover talent of African origin. A recent story revealed Sheedy checking out tall talent at the Sudanese Australian basketball championships at Cambridge Park in western Sydney, and another story focussed on the athleticism and football ability of youngster Zarchariah Sesay, originally from Sierra Leone.

Sheedy also reiterated what he has often stated, which is his desire (and now intent) to chase US basketball talent. "Some 4500 basketballers go through the college system in America but only about 60 get drafted".

With the backing of his new club it will be intriguing to see the ethnic makeup of the GWS Giants in their first few years in the AFL. It could just become the sport's greatest advertisement for enticing future generations of migrants to the game, not to mention the sport's slowly growing international following.

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Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Michael Christiansen
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 11:42 am ACDT

The story on Sesay is interesting. Hope the kid does well.

I also note the Blacktown Advocate has the following sports categories :

"Australian Rules/footy"
"Rugby League"
"Rugby Union"
"Soccer"

a nice example of disambiguation.

Thank god they don't use a dicky 'AFL' header!!

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 12:00 pm ACDT

Totally agree. Although the top league is clearly and proudly the AFL, the sport is Australian football, and (although our colleague Stephen Alomes will shoot me) I'm happy enough to see Australian Rules or Aussie Rules used as well. It still irks me that the national ABC use the term AFL to brand all forms of the sport. It seems in common usage in New Zealand now, although plenty of reports still distinguish.

I've said it before, people sometimes ask me, "you play AFL don't you?" to which I say "I wish".

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Michael Christiansen
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 03:21 pm ACDT

if "Australian Rules" occurs in conjunction with 'footy', then, I'm quite happy!!!

It's the 'footy' bit that really surprised me.

One thing that seems apparent with the current Greg Inglis situation is that there's less of the anti AFL hysteria that surrounded Izzie and Karmichael.

That and I reckon no one seriously expects that Inglis will ever play AFL.

I do reckon though - the people on the ground are becoming a little less radical in their opposition of all things AFL. Gee, that and Sheffield Shield matches at Blacktown to more clearly illustrate that the venue was a shared project b/w AFL-NSW and Cricket-NSW.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 03:48 pm ACDT

The AFL itself has pushed for anything Australian Football to be branded AFL, pressure being brought to bear even on the SANFL to change a while back I believe. I never played AFL either, it was always Aussie Rules or footy.
Its that Aussie habit of turning every thing into a -----y eg. footy, barby, tinny, treadly, that has prompted Australian football to be largely referred to or called footy in the USA I believe.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Joel Adin Porretta
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 03:42 pm ACDT

I know it sounds a bit soccerish but they shouldve called em GWS United cause of all the different backgrounds playing as one.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 05:07 pm ACDT

Agree GWS United fits the multicultural mix, although I do cringe at the soccer sound of it, but then they aren't targeting me as a member.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Troy Thompson
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 09:19 pm ACDT

United has become a term in footy sadly associated with the demise of country footy teams as numbers in those towns declined over the years and teams merged for example Nyah-Nyah West United. In that sense it certainly is not an apt term to associate with a new startup club based on the great population growth that is "demanding" their own team.

Also happened a lot with cricket clubs, to me it is no more associated with soccer than other sports.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Aaron Richard
on Wednesday, December 22 2010 @ 10:32 pm ACDT

I agree with Troy. Furthermore, in footy parlance it usually isn't the nickname of the resulting club:

TTU (Traralgon-Tyers United) Bombers
MDU (Meeniyan-Dumbalk United) Demons

Personally, I prefer Giants over United.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Thursday, December 23 2010 @ 01:49 pm ACDT

That surprises me, in 99% of cases I've heard United used in soccer circles. Maybe the Vic country occurrences are a localised usage.

I prefer Giants over United too. But then I liked West Sydney Wombats. Warriors would've appealed to the Polynesian community too I reckon. Giants is okay.

I think back to when the Adelaide Crows formed, and looking at the new logo there was a real sense of importance, as in they had to get it right, did it fit, does it sound okay, but within a few years it just kind of blends in as unimportant, i.e. once you support a team I don't think it really matters that much.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Friday, December 24 2010 @ 01:20 pm ACDT

A couple of amalgamations on the Eyre Peninsular here in SA went the "United" way but when you look around the mid north they went, BMW (Booleroo, Melrose. Wilmington)
BSR, (Bute, Snowtown, Redhill) there's another one BH? (Burra, Hallett, ?) I think. A while back Gladstone was called Gladstone Combine(a combine also being a big grain harvester), But when Gladstone merged with Laura they became Southern Flinders. "United" could be the way to go when amalgamations occur but not a real goer for even Western Sydney.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Friday, December 24 2010 @ 01:31 pm ACDT

Bulls might have been a good moniker too as the Sydney abattoirs were out that way in Western Sydney not all that long ago I believe. Slaughtermen might not have gone down too well tho':-)

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Aaron Richard
on Tuesday, December 28 2010 @ 08:40 am ACDT

Some in Victoria became acronyms rather than XYZ United as well. Devon-Welshpool merged with Won Wron-Woodside to give DWWWW (aka D4W or 4WD ;). At one point they were calling themselves the East Coast Allies, but I can't remember if they still do.

About two years ago, a group of them broke away to form the Woodside and District Wildcats in a different league, but D4W haven't dropped the W for Woodside from their name.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Sheedy and GWS continue African-Australian search

Authored by: Joel Adin Porretta
on Friday, December 31 2010 @ 12:05 pm ACDT

Nah they don't call themselves East Coast Allies anymore although they still retain the Allies nickname. And if your wondering the league Woodside play in it's the North Gippsland Football League, how do I know... well lets just say GO CHURCHILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN