Crows/Power reserves sides in SANFL

[Reddeer]

Just the load of garbage this so called "sports writer" comes up with when there is not much to write about his beloved Port Adelaide.
It is all the plan to save the magpies from the eventually inevitable bankruptcy that unless the SANFL isn't very careful may take them with it.

[FlyingHigh]

As long as the SANFL is a strong comp then I think the AFL clubs here appreciate that their players go back and play in the best league possible outside the AFL, even if the players are out of their control to a degree. Im also sure there are benefits of some of these young draftees going into a real histroical footy club environment, rather than the manufactured junior comps and special squads they are in the previous few years.

And what happens when the Crows have 12 injuries and only have 5-6 players playing in the SANFL? The team will be mainly ring ins and dilute the standard of the comp even further.

Im confident the SANFL will not explore this option, at the end of the day it would be up to the the 9 clubs to approve anyway wouldnt it?

I actually think it will work the other way, Dutchy, and is why it has to be an absolute no-no because it would turn the SANFL into a joke with Port and the Crows being amongst the top teams each year.
Why do I say this? Let's use Mark McKenzie as an example. Picked up from Vic by Port, with probably little knowledge of SA footy. Gets moved on by Port after a couple of years. If he wants to play in Adelaide, who is he likely to play for? The team he has represented before and has a few mates at, ie Port reserves. Given there may be 10-12 AFL-listed players/rookies available, him and others in a similar situation become their 12-18th ranked players.
Also, how about the time and effort the clubs put into getting players like Hentschel, Gill and Bryce Campbell to Adelaide? Hypothetically, if original SA locals like Jaensch and Vince were delisted, who are they then attached to? Their original SANFL club or the Crows reserves to fill in the numbers.
Why should we have to bastardise our competition any further, yet scrubber clubs like the Bulldogs, St Kilda and North Melbourne continue to be part of a "national" competition with continued assistance from the AFL?

I would think someone like that would prefer to play for a traditional club, not a manufactured team. I personally think neither team would make the finals on a regular basis, their sole goal would be to develop players, not win games, which means some guys wouldnt even be up to SANFL league standard, yet would be getting a game.

Im going to ignore your last sentence

Yep, fair enough, which would mean the likes of McKenzie would be lost to SA footy, further weakening the standard.

As for my last sentence, it wasn't meant to be anything personal, but it does me the sh!ts when people say how great it will be when/if St Kilda win a flag in the AFL, when, given the same benefits it could just as easily be South Adelaide. But, no, these Melbourne suburbs keep getting propped up while we are supposed to bastardise our competition further.

[Hondo]

Agree, not sure it wouldnt happen, Gold Coast played in the VFL and GWS will do the same, so why couldnt it happen to a Crows or Port ressies sides?

Will those teams continue to play in the VFL? I don't know. I think Brisbane has a reserves teams in the QAFL.

I was also thinking of West Coast and Freo who would want this same "advantage" yet couldn't surely entertain the concept with the 4 hour flight time.

I just think the Crows and Power would prefer the current system over having their reserves fly to Melbourne every weekend. If nothing else, just to save the costs involved which wouldn't be small. Then you would have to work out whether those extra $ could be re-invested back into the club in some better way. How much would you pay just to get this so called advantage of having a reserves side?

[HeartBeatsTrue]

If that goes ahead then their games shouldnt be played for premiership points.

[Psyber]

The crowds are barely enough to support the present 9 teams.
10 or 11 would spread it more thinly and dilute the dividend the Crows pay to the SANFL.
[Don't the Power run at a loss already - why add more costs to support a seconds team no one will follow?]
The SANFL needs to be 8 teams unless there are ground to keep the bye and the periodic break it provides.

[baggy8]

Can't see it happening. A MagPower side might be competitive with their combined resources (although it would probably mean the end of the Magpies), but a Crows reserves side would be an embarrassment to the competition. They just wouldn't be competitive. How would they attract/recruit top-up players? How would they be affected by the SANFL salary cap? Apart from their contracted players, who'd want to play for them? Who'd barrack for them? (I imagine most Crows fans still have a leaning towards an SANFL team even if they don't see them live any more.) Where would they play their home games? It wouldn't be worth opening up Footy Park for a 500-crowd. Would they play home games at all?

It's worth noting that the Sydney Swans reserves finished a poor 4th in the ACTAFL this year. I'd like to think that the SANFL is still of a superior standard to the ACTAFL.

IMO a Crows reserves side would only be worthy of a place in the comp. if they 'took over' an existing SANFL club (read South Adelaide, as all the others would tell the Crows where to go). And that would still leave a 9-team competition anyway.

It would also only work logistically if the Southern Expressway is duplicated - both happenings, the road and the AFL reserves sides for the Crows and the Power are a long, long way off.

[mighty_tiger_79]

put the reserves sides in the vfl

[whufc]

Would be the death of the SANFL if it came in,

Who would blokes like Symes, Vince and Jaensch play for if they were dropped by the Crows.

If they went through an injury crisis who props up there side surely they wouldnt grab players from the ammos. They wouldnt have a ressies so every week there would be a team who would only have the league game on.

Could you imagine a Crows Reserves vs Glenelg Grand Final f**k that.

If they bring in AFL reserves teams watch for age restriction rules to come in next eg, league side must have 3 players under the age of 21 playing etc etc.

How could Port justify 300 000 a year to run a reserves side (based on Geelongs cost per year source: jokevertiser) especially when this does not guarentee success in the AFL comp.

If this comes in well then i will no longer support the SANFL which will be a huge move for myself as the Dogs are a huge part of my life. BUT this will be another massive step towards the league being a feeder comp.

If they want Reserves sides put them in the VFL for f**k sake.

[mighty_tiger_79]

i agree whufc

bring them in and i will convert over to adelaide united

[FlyingHigh]

If this comes in well then i will no longer support the SANFL which will be a huge move for myself as the Dogs are a huge part of my life. BUT this will be another massive step towards the league being a feeder comp.

If they want Reserves sides put them in the VFL for f**k sake.

More SANFL for me. I'd rock up in all my Eagles gear to barrack for the Legs or Sturt or Bays against these reserves teams.

[whufc]

If this comes in well then i will no longer support the SANFL which will be a huge move for myself as the Dogs are a huge part of my life. BUT this will be another massive step towards the league being a feeder comp.

If they want Reserves sides put them in the VFL for f**k sake.

More SANFL for me. I'd rock up in all my Eagles gear to barrack for the Legs or Sturt or Bays against these reserves teams.

Maybe thats the difference, i support Centrals to support Centrals.

I dont support Central to hate other teams.

I would probably cross over to A-League as well BUT i support Melbourne Victory so it would be tough to see them every week.

[FlyingHigh]

If this comes in well then i will no longer support the SANFL which will be a huge move for myself as the Dogs are a huge part of my life. BUT this will be another massive step towards the league being a feeder comp.

If they want Reserves sides put them in the VFL for f**k sake.

More SANFL for me. I'd rock up in all my Eagles gear to barrack for the Legs or Sturt or Bays against these reserves teams.

Maybe thats the difference, i support Centrals to support Centrals.

I dont support Central to hate other teams.

I would probably cross over to A-League as well BUT i support Melbourne Victory so it would be tough to see them every week.

This would be more of a protest than anything.

I'd still support the Eagles obviously.

[Booney]

I have a feeling, although it only a gut feeling, that this is inevitable and will see it in the next 20 years.

Why ?

Well, when Adelaide and Port Adelaide move to Adelaide Oval ( supposedly ) and increase revenue for the SANFL/SACA then Adelaide and Port will have more weight to their argument if they choose to pursue reserves teams in the SANFL.

[whufc]

I have a feeling, although it only a gut feeling, that this is inevitable and will see it in the next 20 years.

Why ?

Well, when Adelaide and Port Adelaide move to Adelaide Oval ( supposedly ) and increase revenue for the SANFL/SACA then Adelaide and Port will have more weight to their argument if they choose to pursue reserves teams in the SANFL.

Crows will never play at Adelaide Oval, SA Government will never build a 45000+ all seated stadium, once again Adelaide will be the city of artists impressions.

[Royal City]

Like to think the other 8 clubs wouldn't have a bar of it; maybe form a breakaway league if it is imposed on us?

[Harry the Horse]

Like to think the other 8 clubs wouldn't have a bar of it; maybe form a breakaway league if it is imposed on us?

Drastic move but I agree they should do it if threatened with Crows/Power reserves teams.

Rucci no longer respects the SANFL because his mob, in his mind, is now in the AFL so to hell with it. Yes, it's his crusade for a comp he no longer finds relevant.

Wonder what his view on this would be if Norwood was the second AFL franchise in 1997 and Port was still in the SANFL.

Anyway, they've both won flags in the last 12 years. Can there be any greater illustration of the fact our two AFL clubs DON'T need reserves teams (as much as they would like them)?

[Dutchy]

Heard on the weekend Sydney Swans play 16 players on the field in the Canberra league, can anyone confirm?

If they want to do this do it in the SANFL reserves, dont touch the league...

[FlyingHigh]

Agree Dutchy.
Could give them the chance to also play some players for a few games who aren't actually on the list but they may be looking at, either to assess their talent or start introducing them into the club. For example, the talent id program Taylor Walker was involved in (forget it's name), or bring a player in from perhaps the ACTAFL for a few weeks, or converts from other sports or countries.
If they simply played the team with the bye, at times it could work for the SANFL team by giving them a chance to get some game time into a player coming back from injury.

[Sam_goUUUdogs]

Like to think the other 8 clubs wouldn't have a bar of it; maybe form a breakaway league if it is imposed on us?

couldn't agree more, invite the stand alone vfl clubs to join also, the afl would just love that.

[Royal City]

Like to think the other 8 clubs wouldn't have a bar of it; maybe form a breakaway league if it is imposed on us?

couldn't agree more, invite the stand alone vfl clubs to join also, the afl would just love that.

Obviously the clubs would have to investigate how to deal with the combined assets etc and get $$$ for the AFL licences and stadium etc, but even the threat would probably make them back down anyway.

We're being targeted and need to stand up for ourselves eventually.