Is Willy the Collingwood reserves ?

[jeremiah]

I wish to inform everyone that Dale is correct in regards to the present day competition and if we are to move onto the next century of football we have to remember that when a National competition was introduced that ended the current format of the footy. Football to compete with different codes has to move on and with the AFL its the national competition so the VFA which was the 2nd strongest comp. became the domestic competition. Collingwood in their wisdom looked at a club that had history, strengh and character and Williamstown fitted the bill. We have both very similar backgrounds, with the strongest supported base, but we were formed in 1864 with collingwood forming some years later. If you are to be a successful club, your players, when not playing in the National comp., need to be playing in a well organised club. We offer quality players (Williamstown Listed) to help teach the new recuits as well as great support to Collingwood listed players. As regards to Brad Gotch being assistant to Mick that is because he is valued as a coach and who better than to advise you on a players ability that their coach, this way Mick does not have to be concerned about player development. Please get your heads around the new competition and move on because whether you like the new comp. or not its here to stay. Williamstown has a very very long history and have been a power club for over 139 years with many champions some who could have played in the old VFL but chose to play with us for whatever their personal reason was. You should all agree its a marriage made in heaven and the other clubs would kill for such a great alignment, other states got it wrong but we have it right - so go with it and we will remain the greatest alignment in Aussie Rules for the next 100 years. The song was changed so that the players could bond better which was a compromise we thought appropriate. I am a fourth generation Williamstown person and it was hard to embrace the new comp but I want Willy to remain a force and the alignment with Collingwood was a business and emotional choice as they too are the strength and character in their competition. Move forward with the mighty maggies and seagulls, 2 clubs that make up one great army.

[Magpie_Dan]

They are pretty much our seconds when you consider players that can play for the Pies play at Willi when they are not in the Pies senior team.

Go The Pies!

Dan

Go The Richo!

UNLEASH THE VL TURBO

[jeremiah]

[quote="Magpie_Dan"]They are pretty much our seconds when you consider players that can play for the Pies play at Willi when they are not in the Pies senior team.

Go The Pies!

Dan

Go The Richo!

UNLEASH THE VL TURBO[/quote]

Like the players that were best on ground in the finals - Fletcher, West, Lloyd, Baldwin, Mahoney,Cranage, Smoker, etc if I am not mistaken all Williamstown listed players. cheers

[Joel]

It's called generalisation Greg.

[Blanch]

Official documents may suggest that they are not our 2nds but perception is reality and NOBODY can escape that. If you are a collingwood player and can't make the first 22, you play for the 2nds - simple. That team just happens to officially have its own identity. Fact remains that most people still see Williamstown aligning itself with Collingwood and letting Collingwood use them as a 2nd's team.

Most people see Williamstown falling under the Collingwood wing, not the other way round. They may not be our "reserves" team but they are our 2nds.

[Dale61]

As I have stated previously, I'm not fully up to speed with how the alignment came to be, but I understand that it was Collingwood that approached Williamstown and not the other way around. (I'm sure someone with more knowledge will correct me if I'm wrong.)

Blanch, does your reasoning mean, for example, that if a Freo player doesn't make the starting 22, does their WAFL side become the Freo reserves? Pretty sad state of affairs when every WAFL game is Freo reserves versus Weagles reserves! You could also say the same about the SANFL.

[Joel]

It's called generalisation Greg.

To what are you referring to specifically Joel?

I don't know if I put it the right way. I think Eddie might have referred to Williamstown as the Collingwood seconds because people are so used to that concept.

One might say, "a creature of habit".