but considering the SAAFL keeping using CGraders to keep their bottom placed Agrade clubs alive in div 7, they consequently see a falling participation rate where CGraders cant be f##ked playing AGraders and as youve seen in the last 1.5 years the league has lost dgrade sides from

Broadview
TTG
Sacred Heart
Flinders Park
Salisbury (didnt face agraders)
and now possibly henley

the SAAFL structure must be changed cos its pushing players away and in business when customers are walking away, youve got a problem

That would make sense, except for:

ROCS
TTG
PNU
PACOC (up to a 5th and 6th side)
Hope Valley
Old Ignatians
Unley

all expanding sides in the past 12 months.

The answer is several. Which goes to show that 'waxing and waning' of C/D teams happens regardless of what Division they're in.
I've got a cool idea, they should group all the clubs that can accommodate 4 teams and have something like a C & D Grade "superleague".

Logistics of a 14 team superleague while having a 6 team a Grade League seems a bit silly. Especially when lots of teams in the SuperLeague would be of the same standard as the A Grade League

I wonder if the outcome would have been different if another club was subject to the same voteI have never played against Wingfield and do not know any of their players. I have only heard of their reputation.

Last time I played them a gentleman walked off the field screaming he was going to his car to get his 9mm to shoot our captain.

He returned without a pistol, but waited with several team mates around the other side of the clubroom to assault said captain and his 13 year old son after the game.

I cry no tears for them.

5/238, Head 3/39

All the evidence suggests Zampa is our best batsman and Head is our best spinner.

I hold the view it's about the kids rather than the Clubs. It should be about creating the best environment for children to play football rather than creating some kind of socialized environment to ensure some kind of equal arrangement amongst clubs

Arch44 wrote:Got a feeling Wingies will get the signatures sorted tonight, free keg and bbq for those that sign up should do the trick.

Does make you feel a bit concerned as to their ability to be able to field 42 blokes in the depths of July if that's what it takes

Adelaide University Football Club - The Balcks
Amateur Sports Team

https://www.facebook.com/BobNeil130?fref=nf

Go the Balcks! :)

First jt goose nomination of the year goes to homemaker howard, who in the process of changing the name of our facebook page to broaden the aufc appeal beyond the legend somehow managed to mis-spell blacks. And now facebook tell us that we can only change the name once so it will have to stay as is for ever more. Serve us right for trying to take bob neil's name off it anyway. Carn balcks!!

Uni remain the club with the best sense of humour by far

PS Well done to PAOC for going up, ballsy, and Div 8 will be glad to see the back of them!

I also note PAC is down (ostensibly) to four teams (when they were talking up 6).

I suspect this isn't going to be the last fixture we see!

Colonel Light Gardens
Payneham NU
Pembroke Old Scholars
Scotch Old Collegians
Westminster Old Scholars

I'd wager it's one of these clubs. CLG favourites due to next step statement.

I would suggest the phrase take the next step in OP rules out PNU and Westminster, as implicit in the post is that the Club has made the finals but has not secured a premiership.

That leaves CLG, Pembroke and Scotch.

Re Gradings you get a sense we're potentially in for the same shit fight for season 2016 assuming all 10 teams in D8 retain Cs and Ds, and if any of SHOC, Henley, Flinders Park, ROCs etc. can get their D Grade back up and running.

Can't believe Rocs didn't nominate a fourth side, a mate i worked with said they use to have 10 - 20 blokes missing out on a game each week. They won c1 in 2013? Then year after the club had loads of players and club told them they would be putting in a fourth side in this year. Not sure what changed but if anyone looking for excess players.

To be fair it's not just having extra players, it's also finding an extra coach, team manager, boundary umpire, goal umpire, field umpire, trainers, water runners, training space/times.

The logistics of fielding a fourth side, especially when your club has not built up the infrastructure to do so is a lot more difficult than merely having 95 odd blokes willing to play a game of football.

Speaking from personal experience as to whether a C Grade should go up to Div 7 what we found to be a very real consideration was the drop in players eligible for selection from 25 to 21.

Having 8 less blokes getting a game of football each week was determined not to be in our best interests.

every club with 4 sides to have been in div 7, have lost their dgrade in the past 2 years. We've been through this a dozen times. Correlation does not causation. We've had drops in numbers, the whole league has had drops in numbers. We've lost whole clubs.

The causes of this are many and varied. Blaming it all on C Grade vs A Grade is specious reasoning at best.

you can do your very best to make me look like a tool on here, but the facts speak for themselves, your cgrade vs agrade proposition might be good for you, but its obviously not working for 4 team clubs - IS IT? It would be if it was EVEN and balanced.

Your issue is related to unevenness, not different grades.

u dont seem have any scope for the league as a whole, your whole argument is derived from your backyard, and you have no care for any other club. you just need another quick patch job solution because facing an opposition 3 times in a season makes you all sooky wookie in your own lounge room.

you need to face a long solution for all teams, take your MP jumper off for a day a start caring for a competition that holds integrity, equality and long term sustainability for all clubs, not just yours. Sure thing buddy. That's why I've argued, just a few posts ago, that I really feel for the premiers of D7 this year (hint: it won't be Mitchell Park) as they have been robbed of a genuine flag. I am defending Salisbury West, Houghton, Angle Vale, Flinders Uni and St Pauls right to have a legitimate competition. We pay our fees to the league, yet we are receiving an inferior service. I will be requesting our committee look long and hard at seeking financial compensation, not only due to less games resulting in less revenue, but we are obviously getting the budget version of the SAAFL experience, whilst I am assuming, paying the same as other customers.

Long term sustainability for ... the very few huge clubs at the top? or long term sustainability for all affiliates and fee paying members? I can tell you very clearly what isn't sustainable and will result in fewer clubs and therefore fewer players and therefore less money in the league's bank ....

Farcical and unbalanced fixtures.

If you wanted the "full SAAFL" experience you could have nominated for the vacant spot in Div 6 ;)

All the arguments you have about why Mitchell Park need not have to do that make just as much sense in favour of Div 8 sides going to Div 7.

FWIW I remain of the view the original Div 7/8 fixture with 9 clubs in each was the right balance.

carey wrote:Looks like Smithfield 2015 Premiers. Signing Rob Abdulla as well.

A full strength Brahma smashed by United Long Plains.

Carey's role at Brahma:

Look Good In Leather wrote:

Dogwatcher wrote:Seen one rock, seen 'em all.

Surely there is something worth mining

There's something worth mining at Olympic Dam.

We can't mine it economically.

Why on earth could we mine something economically on the moon?

Q. wrote:There will be a contingency plan if North Pines starts belting everyone.

One can always read that sentence two ways based on my prior dealings with North Pines

You are just so, so, so wrong.

You sound exactly like someone who has only every been at a struggling club and not experienced both sides of the coin.... oh wait...

In 2009 we were effectively in Div 5 (Edwardstown leaving bumped us back up), we effectively had 2 teams (the Cs were all fill ins and were lucky to kick a goal). In 2015 we are Div 2 and have 4 sides.

The off field working of our club is absolutely chalk and cheese. What you have said disregards the hard work done by so many at my club and others.

Ditto, in 2010 (our last Div 1 stint) we were all intents and purposes down to two sides.

To suggest that where we've got to now is a result of pure geography, coincidence and good fortune is a tad insulting to some people who have put in some very hard work.

Q. wrote:PNU aren't even in the bloody div.

To be fair, you're both right

Q. wrote:PNU aren't even in the bloody div.

To be fair, you're both right

norm11 wrote:Who the **** are pnu??

At a recent camp down south locals assumed them to be Port Noarlunga

Just looking to go out and watch the Broadview v Reynella trial this Saturday at Broadview and was wondering what the set up there is like?
Can you park your car around the oval to watch or do you need to park, walk there and take a chair and esky in with you?

I know this is getting a bit old fashioned, but you could choose to support the home club's bar

S Demon wrote:Geez PAC could be the team to beat. Golden Grove's side looked fairly strong..

... just for something new ...

For what it's worth our program for the Day is to have Ode to the Fallen/Last Post/National Anthem played before the senior game with a Minute's silence and a decorated World War 2 Vet/Past Player to toss the coin. The emphasis being on respecting the day, and in particular what the day is about (which it clearly is not about us/football).

In order to do some good the Committee/Coaching Group/A few players are going to the local RSL at 4:30 to cook up the breakfast to allow the usual volunteers/diggers who do that job to enjoy the dawn service for once.

Is that the Anton that used to play for Pooraka? The only astonishing thing about the above is that he isn't banned for life already.


he was actually very mild at pooraka and fit im not sure why they played him under a fake name i think he was registered at eastern park from other year

I saw several haymakers that would suggest otherwise

I wore one from him while he was playing for Pooraka.

Should have hit 12 games a long time ago

This is an internal Henley problem (possibly why they're losing teams of players) rather than a systemic problem

no mate there is no problem. we are new to the 25 player system.

and the whole thing is not a problem at all, its merely an observation.

PNU have played a few seasons with 25, give us some perspective on how your coach shares the pie.

Does every player have to spend time on the bench for PNU CGrade????

Yep.

PNU's C Grade also plays with 22 or 23 because the Coach doesn't want to put himself in a more difficult situation.

There's also the bigger picture, being that winning a C Grade Game (or ultimately flag) isn't the be all and end all. We have a very good situation where i'm very confident we're developing future A and B Grade players (an Under 18 Finishing School really) and what's happening now we won't see the dividends for another 2-3 years.

Is there any truth to the comments that I heard about PAOC in round 1 having a heap of the schools first 18 boys running around in the C grade as they didnt have a game because of school holidays? I am not saying that there is anything wrong with it - I am just curious as they were so much quicker than last season in both C and D grade - I dont have time to look at teams etc just asking the question?

If they did do that very smart. Compensates for their lack of ability to give Under 18s a taste of senior football before committing full time to a senior environment which can only help their transition.

marbles wrote:25 players means at least 10 individuals are gonna hav a shit boring day out if they play at Henley.

Fixed that for you

As someone with a slight tendency to have blown things like this out of proportion with the League I would counsel Golden Grove to drop it and take the lesson (particularly given it's a much better lesson to learn in Round 2 then it is in Round 18). Losing one match in Div 3 shouldn't prevent success. See Kilburn in 2012.

Also, given the definition of "Member Club" and the reference to Under 18s and School the interpretation advocated for above is likely correct.

However, if you really want a lawyer to take your money PM me

Brahma Lodge Mallee Football League (SA) Holland, Shaun

Plot Thickens?

marbles wrote:PNU 2 wins from 3 are looking goods too for the div 1 new comers

All PNU knows is that last time PNU was in Div 1 it took them 18 rounds to get that second win. A lot more fun so far!

Spot On, C1 in 2015 promises to offer a few close matches week in week out, especially with the inclusion of Athelstone, Broadview, SHOC and Henley. SHOC v Athelstone and ROCS v Blacks - should return very high quality games this week. Lets try and get a report on those 2 matches.

Here's your report Double D!

SHOC vs Athelstone
A game of two halves. Both teams really only played a half of football and both ends were the scoring end for half of the game.
SHOC got away to a flyer, kicking with a 2-3 goal wind in the first quarter to lead by16 points at quarter time. Athelstone returned the favour to go into half time with a 4 point lead. Third quarter Athelstone held SHOC to 2 goals while kicking 3.2 to lead by 12 points at three quarter time. Last quarter SHOC kicked 2.6 unanswered to win by 6 points. The margin could have been much more if SHOC had kicked straighter.
The game was a see-saw battle with both teams working the ball out of defense and into attack with plenty of run and skill. When it wasn’t free-flowing, the in close work was hard with plenty of fierce attack on the ball and player from both teams.
Game was played in good spirits. SHOC are a fit, well drilled team which is to be expected considering players are pushing for a Div 1R game. Athelstone should do well in this comp even though there best players are only pushing for a Div3R game

A game of 2 halves cos with 25 players in the sides most blokes only got to play half a game!! :)

If only there was some kind of magical grade which would accept C Grade sides who were willing where you could only play 21?

I think that was called Div 7 and Henley used to have a team there?

Going around starting fights and kicking blokes in the head has nothing to do with the umpires mate, as an adult you know what is right or wrong in a physical sence. Having played against clubs with blatant cheats as umpires (and are notoriously known for it) i have never been involved in a game of footy for my club where we have gone the knuckle just because the umpire didn't have control of the game.

Ingle Farm forfeit

Is that the first one for this grade?

A cynic might wonder if these two things are related.

Ah, i just remember the grand plan to make half the visitors a store room as the room next to the trainers room was vast becoming too small

We still have a series of grand plans for it. All cost prohibitive.

We also suspect that the big second changeroom (and central location and fence) plays a reasonable roll in securing neutral grand finals when necessary

PNU just seem to find a way to win. Down at 3 quarter time, an absolute gutsy effort by the boys to get over the line. Wasn't pretty footy, but sometimes you just got to play ugly footy to win. Huge game against the gullies after the bye, should be an absolute cracker. Milne v Cockshell in the ruck is sure to be an epic battle .

On a nice big Petaringa oval that should be a beauty.

Admittedly neither are Clint Dow though

You are not authorised to read this forum.

I dunno, I reckon Greenies are more eastern suburbs, thanks.

I think this would come as quite a shock to both the people of Greenacres and the Eastern Suburbs!

Technically they're to the West of Salisbury, Brahma, Eastern Park, Central United, Elizabeth and Smithfield ;)

I would put them (as a mental distinction) as an inner north club with Kilburn, Gepps, Pooraka, Ingle Farm and possibly Para Hills as their contemporaries.

Best CHF since Robin Nahas

Q. wrote:What was the result in the Clint Dow Cup?

Meeting was held, now the Dan Hannah cup.

What was the result in the Clint Dow Cup?
Payneham were up by 6 goals in 2nd qtr. TTG fought back and hit front in last qtr, but Payneham too strong by about 4 goals in the end.

Wow PNU certainly one of the surprise packets of the SAAFL this season. Once next round is done we will have a top team (Goodwood/PNU) followed by a very competitive 5-6 teams. I know it's cliche, but anyone can beat anyone on their day in this exciting division.
From the games I have managed to watch, I would say everyone from Districts up could play off in the grand final. It is THAT tight this year!

Agree completely. Big Milne has been influential in the falcons winning streak but the core group that has won premierships the last couple years has only improved again this year. Small forward Paul Lowe was magnificent on the weekend, 4 very special last quarter goals. This week will be huge. Don't think the falcons have ever won at Goodwood. No doubt the falcons will go in underdogs but surely they have proved by now they can match it with anyone. Will be an absolute cracker this weekend.

Bullshit. Won the last game they played there.

(and what a glorious day it was bird of prey and the milky bar kid )

Pathetic form by Woodville-West Torrens there.

I might be naive, but I thought junior footy was about the kids.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/sport/north-havens-matthew-reed-kicks-72-goals-in-11-amateur-football-games/story-fni9llzu-1227426770015

Nice bit of press for Matt Reed and North Haven on an otherwise shitty day

If I could take anything from any sport to add to Australian Rules Football it would be the ironclad rule regarding communication with an Umpire in Rugby Union.

If umpires solely communicated through each team's captain (on the penalty of carding) I think this would significantly reduce behavioral problems.

If this is to work the League needs to be absolutely merciless on the first person caught in breach. The penalty for a first offence needs to be so severe that everyone is too petrified to take the risk (i.e Deregistration for a first offence)

If this is to work the League needs to be absolutely merciless on the first person caught in breach. The penalty for a first offence needs to be so severe that everyone is too petrified to take the risk (i.e Deregistration for a first offence)
Yeah like they are going to catch anyone.
Sponsors and supporters will just give players gifts each week, not a thing anyone can do about it

You'd be naive to think someone wouldn't spill the beans somewhere at some point.

Will they catch everyone? Of course not.

Will they catch anyone. Wouldn't rule it out. And if they de-register the first club they find, would you be willing to take the chance that you'll be one of the ones that won't be caught?

For what it's worth, the assertions coming from opponents of a salary cap that the chief agitators are the Amateur Clubs is off the mark.

For 90% of Amateur Clubs it doesn't affect them one way or the other and for most Amateur Clubs the drain of players to the country is at most a minor treacle.

The prime agitator is the SANFL and League Clubs whose competition is being hurt far more by "big money" country (and city) offers.

The salary cap is their way of dealing with the drain from SANFL reserves without confronting the more serious underlying issues facing that competition.

Zartan wrote:

aussi rulz wrote:heard a whisper last night Kilburn might have a $$$$ issue again......... geez didn't see that coming

No chance.

To be fair, that's what you posted late 2013 early 2014 before the true damage became apparent!

so if this happened in the afl the afl would just say oh nah not our problem its the clubs? come on the only way to hold them accountable is to ban them from the league send a message that its not ok to just cripple your footy club! its happened to many times lately to just say "its the clubs problem"

So in an attempt to stop a club crippling their footy club the League should cripple their footy club by banning them?

morell wrote:Damn jo that was going to be word for word my post.

let stop murder by killing people! lets create peace by going to war!

Or **** for Virginity like they said in @wristwatcher's day

My understanding of the real decline of Presentations is a better understanding of the risks (and a more pronounced policing of) drink driving laws.

That probably coincides with the expected commitment levels of those players

Would it be worth a club trialling putting on mini buses from the clubrooms to the city for free for the younger players.

An example maybe the clubs pays for a mini bus at say 10-10.30 to head into the city

Would that keep players around therefore paying for the bus plus profits over the bar, or would players just have pre drinks at their house and then come back to the club for when the bus leaves

Could you maybe make rules like if players buy 3 drinks over the bar then the bus is free etc etc

Just a thought

I really like this idea and am filing it to bring up at a Committee meeting.

The other thing that stands out is demographics of your playing list. If you have 25-30 blokes 23 and under, all who went to the same school one 21st birthday party from a player, or one of their school mates can cause havoc on your numbers.