Maybe we were all sold lies when the club pleaded that 'we don't pay players', 'we don't try to buy championships'.

100-0, real quick. Maybe when the cash stopped?

Eltham never tried to claim that they didn't pay players.

They've obviously changed the direction they decided to go in. You can see in their women's program they have a fairly high numbers of actual club juniors. Can't really say that about many other Championship level sides. They're still young and will continue to grow.

Their men's program has been disappointing. At the same time, they have kept a lot of the group from last year and will continue to add pieces as they are required.

The VJBL comment is ridiculous. Country players come to their program but the VJBL now stops clubs from having more than two transfers in any team. So even if they wanted a heap of outsiders, they simply aren't allowed to have them!

(Mod: Removed at the request of Cameron Lloyd.)

I think you mean appalling not applauding. Don't let their media fool you, they may be the biggest basketball CLUB going around but as far as associations go they are tiny. 240 domestic teams v Kilsyth Knox and Dandenong at about 900 each, DV and Nunawading over 600, Eltham are nothing special when it comes to size. And the reality is that most of their VJBL teams are no better than C grade domestic. Doesn't make them a power.

Don't know where the "poaching" info comes from. They have trials like everyone else where you have to have the proper permissions &/or clearances from your current/previous club before you can trial.

We went down this road 3 years ago when my son became dismayed with his previous rep club. This is our 3rd year with Eltham and we're decent;y happy. We have not seen any favouritism, each player has made it into their team based on a panel's assessment of how they trialled. Not everyone agrees with the final decision, but its never been based on a "Not what you know , but who you know basis". And that includes players trialling from other clubs.

As for Big V.. I missed much of last season .. but at least the one improvement was Youth player snot having to make up half of the men's team.

See what happens thsi year.

btw ...

as for the comment about teams being average... you can say that about almost any team from Metro 3 down ( depending on how strong your domestic comp really is). Have a browse through the VC ranks in boys & girls and see that at least one Eltham team is there in everyone of them except one. ( u12 boys have 2).

Last year was much the same.

At last someone stating facts not just taking uneducated pot shots from the stands. Well done Southern Joe!

Southern Joe
No Eltham team in Under 14 Girls VC...
Girls and boys managed (mis-managed?) very differently at Eltham.
Eltham teams may be mediocre, but at least the kids are playing, occasionally winning and enjoying it.

"They have trials like everyone else where you have to have the proper permissions &/or clearances from your current/previous club before you can trial."

Southern Joe - none of that means a club is not poaching. Those things would happen after the poaching took place if they were poaching.

And I am not in any way reflecting on Eltham. they are not a club commonly mentioned as big poachers..

HO.

This is inferring that kids are being guaranteed spots in 1sts teams. If you can prove this ... I'd be interested to know.

In my 3 years as a parent of an Eltham player .. I have not seen thsi occur.