I thought this was an interesting article. I think it's great Rooch wants to give state league clear space....now.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/a ... 7281043833THANK you Kevin Sheedy.
It is rare for Australian football’s greatest ambassador to be stumped or short of a word. But “Sheeds” did stumble at The Advertiser Foundation footy launch at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday when he was asked to name SA football’s greatest player.
Despite walking past the statue of triple Magarey Medallist Barrie Robran — the only SA “Legend” in the Australian Football Hall of Fame — Sheedy did not name the greatest of the SA stars. To his credit, Sheedy did remember Ken Eustice — a South Australian who definitely should be in the national Hall of Fame. He should have been there from the start of the Hall in 1996.
On the defence, Sheedy — as is his way — attacked. He challenged South Australians to know their greatest player. (We do Sheeds — it is Barrie Robran). He questioned why SA has not named its greatest team. We have Sheeds — many times, usually around anniversary events such as the SANFL’s centenary in 1977. The Advertiser went there again last year as SA football returned to Adelaide Oval.
But thank you, thank you Sheeds. You captured how South Australians — not by any inferiority complex — feel ignored when the grand picture of Australian football is surveyed. And the West Australians would feel the same. Let’s not even stir up those forgotten souls in Tasmania.
It seems the only time Victorians think of South Australians — or the Sandgropers or Taswegians — is when they need a player to save their clubs. Sheeds called up from the SANFL such heroes as Gavin Wanganeen, Michael Long, Paul Weston, Stephen Copping, Greg Anderson, David Grenvold and Tony Antrobus. The honour roll is even greater from the WAFL.
They may argue the SANFL and WAFL and the split leagues in Tasmania were not of the standard of the VFL. But Sheeds and his fellow Victorians cannot say the players brought up in the SANFL were not of equal standing to many VFL heroes.
Year after year, the old guard of SA football watches the inductions to the Australian Football (not AFL) Hall of Fame. More than one will say as an old VFL star reaches the pantheon: “How does he make it when I used to beat him regularly in State games.”
Thanks Kev. In one stumble while reflecting on SA football’s great past, you highlight a problem of the present — and future. It was one thing for SANFL football to be ignored from outside its borders, but the threat now is within.
The AFL juggernaut — now in its 25th season in Adelaide — is suffocating the SANFL’s profile. In a decade, that question on SA’s greatest-ever player could become a debate on Mark Ricciuto, Andrew McLeod, Gavin Wanganeen, Travis Boak, Patrick Dangerfield ... no, maybe not Paddy. If you have not played in the AFL or had your game captured on high-definition television and in colour, you don’t count.
Football did exist in SA before 1991.
The SANFL today is debating what theme, what slogan, what image to present as the oldest and longest-running Australian football league tries to find its future. Declaring the SANFL is the “second-best competition” in the land will not cut it. This only reaffirms the best are elsewhere.
Ultimately, the SANFL’s future will not be decided around the SA Football Commission table or by the SANFL league directors who want to regain power in setting the SA football agenda. Rather, it is at the AFL Commission with men and women who are charged with not only managing an elite competition (the AFL) but in guarding the Australian game. The commission has long looked to its American forebears at the NFL. The answer may be in the States yet again.
Simplistically, American football works to theme that Saturday is reserved for college football that commands enormous passion, loyalty and following. The pros play on Sunday. Or Monday night for television.
So why not dedicate Saturday afternoon to non-AFL games in State leagues, amateur competitions and country competition? Why not have the millionaires stand aside to leave space for the grassroots to grow without fans conflicted on whether they turn up for their community club or reflect on how much they spent for an AFL club membership or seat at Adelaide Oval or the MCG or the new super stadium in Perth?
Why not leave a day exclusively for non-AFL football — and force the television moguls to invest in State league football that would provide content for their Saturday afternoon schedules? Why not give non-AFL football the chance to breathe and grow?
After all, the AFL has Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday — and now Thursday night — for its professional athletes. It has stadia with floodlighting to allow for night football that is preferred by television executives for their ratings points. And it is in the AFL’s best interests for the State league and bush to thrive rather than just survive.
So thank you Kevin. In being troubled to recall SA’s great past, Sheedy has highlighted how fragile the future beyond the Crows, the Power and the AFL could be. And next time Sheeds, remember the greatest SA player of all time is Barrie Robran.
KEV, HERE’S OUR GREATEST
And Sheeds, we are naming the team in the true SA way of forwards first.
F: Bob Quinn, Ken Farmer, Neil Kerley
HF: Mark Ricciuto, Barrie Robran, Paul Bagshaw
C: Lindsay Head, Russell Ebert, John Cahill
HB: Dan Moriarty, Len Fitzgerald, Geof Motley
B: Gavin Wanganeen, Ian McKay, Rick Davies
1R: Tom Leahy, Malcolm Blight, John Platten
Interchange: Stephen Kernahan, Tom Mackenzie, Walter Scott, Graham Cornes
Emergencies: Peter Carey, Bob Hank, Andrew McLeod
Coach: Fos Williams
Umpire: Murray Ducker
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:24 pm
