Standard of SANFL this year?

[Barto]

Standard appears better than last year as the speed of the teams has increased with maybe some skills being left behind due to the increased pace of the game. Sadly with 2 new AFL teams ready to plunder both junior and many mature age players in next 2-3 years these could be considered the last of glory days for our comp .

They said it was over when the VFL expanded. They said it was over when the Crows joined the AFL. They said it was over when Port Power joined the comp.

Probably the only real threat is an AFL reserves comp.

[Jimmy]

Standard appears better than last year as the speed of the teams has increased with maybe some skills being left behind due to the increased pace of the game. Sadly with 2 new AFL teams ready to plunder both junior and many mature age players in next 2-3 years these could be considered the last of glory days for our comp .

They said it was over when the VFL expanded. They said it was over when the Crows joined the AFL. They said it was over when Port Power joined the comp.

over...over...?? was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbour? (germans? forget it, he's rolling) it aint over till we say it is....wormald dead...marmalade dead...neidermier.......



sorry just had to do that

[doggies4eva]

Watched the 70 GF on ABC on the weekend. I'd say that this years grand finalists would play at a higher standard than that and the 70s is generally regarded as the heyday for SANFL.

[Mr Beefy]

Get rid of the Burley's and bring back the Sherrin!

get rid of 'em both, bring back the rossy faulkner

[Turbo]

Its frigging awful, a slow decline started about 5 years ago but its become steep in the last 2 years.
Some SANFL clubs try to play the AFL style that was in vogue before Geelong revolutionised the AFL and don't have the skills to pull it off.
Amateur, Country Footy or SFL is more appealing to watch than the current SANFL standard.
Go watch a couple of VFL games, much better to watch. (WAFLs probably same but I haven't seen any recently)
Let the abuse begin but that's my opinion.

I agree. I'd rather watch a local SFL game than go to the SANFL. I'm afraid my SANFL viewing will be limited to watching it on the ABC.
I am no SANFL expert but the standard has decreased over the past few years perhaps due to a number of players opting to go to regional leagues instead

[The Panther]

The standard has dropped i believe because there is so much money in country leagues that players leave for big cash and little effort in regards to training and it has to be hurting the standard.
Stil love the local footy , would rather watch the SANFL on the ABC than the circle work the AFL puts us through.
The kids still aspire to play league football and the league clubs are the gate way to the BIG COUNTRY COIN !

[Gravel]

Watched the 70 GF on ABC on the weekend. I'd say that this years grand finalists would play at a higher standard than that and the 70s is generally regarded as the heyday for SANFL.

Do not agree with that comment. IMO the standard is relative to the highest standard of footy played. In 1972 North beat Carlton in the Champions of Australia match. 2009 Central would not get with 30 goals of the 2009 Geelong side. Central have SANFL stars but no players that have excelled at AFL level. North had Barrie Robran - who at Central could possibly match up on him (no one) and the Carlton side that North beat included Jesaulenko,Walls and Nicholls just to name a few. Almost all of the best SA footballers played in the SANFL in the 70's but now the best 60 or so are all playing AFL.
The current SANFL standard is no where near what it has been in the past but we go because we love our clubs.

[LPH]

As for not living close Wedgie (Reynella???) mate, you are 1/2 way to Adelaide Oval from MY place @ Compass !!! LOL

I said I don't live close to my mates that I catch up with at the footy, how do you know where they live?

WOuld this be the same person that complained about junior footy being played and that he "only" had an hour and 10 minutes to get from Unley Oval to Adelaide Oval to catch a state game.

I will retort (you wouldn't expect me not to, would you?)

Smithy, that PARTICULAR instance was SCHOOL FOOTY (my son went to an inner city school @ the time), we were actually playing @ Scotch Primary Oval, Mitcham. If you recall, that post was to do with the ROAD WORKS @ the time on Goodwood Rd.
Back to you...

[smithy]

Why let the facts get in the way of a good story ?

[redden whites]

The 2 North games have been to this year and left saying " B graders trying to play the A-grade game style"

[centrecirclelegend]

in the (3) live games Ive seen the flooding type AFL game being is more prevelant......

unless a team has pace to clear the ball they will struggle............

have also noticed the umpires want to run up and down the corridor instead of getting to the contests and are missing or misjudging many decisions.........frustrating all....."GET TO THE CONTEST"!

otherwise still enjoy going to SANFL games than the AFL......

[topsywaldron]

The standard has dropped i believe because there is so much money in country leagues that players leave for big cash

Geez, imagine how much Damon White would be on out in the country then. Quarter of a million?

[MagareyLegend]

Many good judges (and indeed it was the opinion of many learned football administrators 10-15 years ago) thought that there should only be 2 levels of football.
AFL then "community football". I now tend to agree.
Bit like too many levels of government - Federal, State & Local - too many levels and none are effective.
Imagine it - as was the proposal - AFL then a second level that was promotion relegation so South Adelaide could end up in Div 5 local/suburban/country/amateur and Goolwa (with player buying power) could end up playing against Centrals.
Think about it.

[whufc]

I disagree with most people on here imho

Teams improved from 2009
-North
-West
-South
-Eagles

Teams stayed around the same
-Central
-Glenelg
-Sturt

Gone Backwards
-Port
-Norwood

[GWW]

Which of the current League sides would get within 10 goals of their equivalent from the mid to late 80's? I doubt Glenelg or North would get within 15 goals.

[whufc]

Which of the current League sides would get within 10 goals of their equivalent from the mid to late 80's? I doubt Glenelg or North would get within 15 goals.

Players fitness levels in the 80's automatically rules them out from beating any of the current SANFL teams. Have spoken to the Thomas and Cochrane familes about this and the fitness level and times that the juniors can run compared to their snr counterparts is amazing, both sprints and distance. Quickest players at Central in the 70's/80's ran the 100 meters in roughly mid 13-14 seconds, there are blokes in the SANFL now that can run 100 meters in a tick over 11 sec

Strategies and structures are that well inplaced in current SANFL footballers that players from the 80's just constantly kicking long to packs in the forward line would be easy to defend.

Skill levels are at a totally different level these days with players being able to kick goals from any angle in the air or dribbled along the ground. These days the majority of SANFL footballers can kick with accuracy over 40 meters left or right foot.

[MagareyLegend]

If Peter Vivian was running at 13-14 seconds pace I must have been on drugs.
Blokes like him were as quick (and as good) as anything today - go back and remind them of that.
Please

[FlyingHigh]

The standard has dropped i believe because there is so much money in country leagues that players leave for big cash and little effort in regards to training and it has to be hurting the standard.
Stil love the local footy , would rather watch the SANFL on the ABC than the circle work the AFL puts us through.
The kids still aspire to play league football and the league clubs are the gate way to the BIG COUNTRY COIN !

Would agree with that. More country clubs are having to pay to keep up with the competition. Unlike years ago where some players may have stuck it out, now if they haven't made it after three or four years they look elsewhere, partly because of the money and partly because of the lesser prestige of being involved with an SANFL club.

[MagareyLegend]

Skill levels are at a totally different level these days with players being able to kick goals from any angle in the air or dribbled along the ground. These days the majority of SANFL footballers can kick with accuracy over 40 meters left or right foot.

Ah yes but we could kick screwies - can they?
We had to play in the mud - do they?
We didn't need our mummies and daddies there to do everytihng for us - do they?

[whufc]

If Peter Vivian was running at 13-14 seconds pace I must have been on drugs.
Blokes like him were as quick (and as good) as anything today - go back and remind them of that.
Please

This exact comparison was brought up at my work and i cant remeber the exact figures but if Jamie Thomas memory was correct Paul Thomas runs the 100 at least half a second quicker than Vivian ever did in their trials they had at training back in the day. Paul Thomas is quick but is by no means a speedstar in the current SANFL environment.