J Fjeldstad's insulting anti-SANFL tirade in the Sunday Mail

[spell_check]

As I understand, Ebert had a good year at North Melbourne, I think Victorians expected him to win the Brownlow or something.

My understanding is that Ebert had the most possies in the VFL that year

I know he played in every match, and as McAlmanac pointed out polled a few Brownlow votes too.

[Blue Boy]

This morning I felt the angriest I ever have felt after reading a newspaper article.

On page 44 of the Sunday Mail, Fjeldstad ridicules Graham Cornes suggestion that SANFL legends like Peter Carey, Paul Bagshaw and Rick Davies deserve to be in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Among other infuriating comments, he compares the SANFL to country Leagues and his main evidence that the VFL was far superior appears to be that Glynn Hewitt only played 15 VFL games...

I am preparing a critical, detailed response to email Jesper, but I would be first interested to hear other people's thoughts on this ill-informed, biased piece of journalism that is an insult to anyone who has played in the SANFL.

My response for you is - let him have it mate and dont hold back !!!

[Benchwarmer]

I can give you the drum ... he's a Victorian!

He used to write in the Melbourne suburban newspapers there before graduating to free CBD rag "MX", which is read by many and digested by few (it's mainly gossip, glamour and glitz ... ie. a handout version of No Idea or Witless Day, with one page of sport, consisting of not very much).

He is using a Victorian bias as you'd expect - he was still writing in Victoria in 2003 or 2004 so he has seen less than 3-4 years of SA footy in the flesh.

Just laugh it off as another parochial Victorian moan!

[Benchwarmer]

Tas

450 SANFL games pre-1991 is equivalent to 450 VFL games ... don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

[FlyingHigh]

If we are to take one season as evidence for Ebert, Davies and Cornes not making it in the VFL, then how should we judge Wayne Johnston's effort for Sturt and Port in 1991 in a competition that had just been de-valued by the introduction of the Crows plus several others going to Melbourne, ie D Jarman, M Robran. My guess is Jesper would still believe he is a Carlton (and Victorian) legend.

Similarly, how about the number of players that come back and for whatever reason find themselves playing reserves footy, ie Harry Miller, Lokan, and others.

If those stats about Ebert are right, then to denigrade Ebert as not making VFL-standard proves the whole point of the Vics (still) having their heads up their arses in these sort of issues. Even in the SANFL Ebert wasn't a Magarey medallist every year here before he went.

[LBT]

He wrote for MX?? a load of rot that is... leaves the Melbourne transport system looking like a cat litter tray every night after peak hour. But now knowing he's victorian, i must say his comments do'nt suprise me.

[Benchwarmer]

Flying High

Watch out, you're picking on my boyhood idol!

The Dominator's knees were shot even before he left Carlton so I was stunned that he went to play in SA after he left the Blues. You guys would definitely not have seen him at his best.

Yes, he is a Carlton legend but not a Victorian legend. If he got a HoF gong then I would be amazed.

[Sojourner]

You realise that the article contains his email address and that you can write to him your comments!

I gave it a go, I wonder how many he gets?

[giffo]

Fjelstad's article was utter crap. As a young ruckman, I used to admire Carey & Davies even though I'm a Doggies supporter!

[TroyGFC]

I have started a petition to send on to AFL \;

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/peter-carey-for-australian-football-hall-of-fame.html

[bayman]

Flying High

Watch out, you're picking on my boyhood idol!

The Dominator's knees were shot even before he left Carlton so I was stunned that he went to play in SA after he left the Blues. You guys would definitely not have seen him at his best.

Yes, he is a Carlton legend but not a Victorian legend. If he got a HoF gong then I would be amazed.

did you know that when he came to sturt that he got the reserves coach (tony roach) to tie up his lace up jumper every week he was here because he had no idea how to do it & never mastered it

[Dirko]

Benchwarmer wrote:
Flying High
Watch out, you're picking on my boyhood idol!
The Dominator's knees were shot even before he left Carlton so I was stunned that he went to play in SA after he left the Blues. You guys would definitely not have seen him at his best.
Yes, he is a Carlton legend but not a Victorian legend. If he got a HoF gong then I would be amazed.

Hey Benchy, the Dominator had a run out at Glenunga in the A5 ammies (they are dead last), during the week when Richmond played at Footy Pk twice (He's a runner for them??). Did allright too apparently in the forward pocket !

PETITION SIGNED TROYGFC...WELL DONE!

[biscuit]

Fjeldstad makes the mistake that too many of today's media make - they look at the current second tier status of the SANFL, or perhaps they even remember back further and compare the relative strengths of the SANFL and the VFL/AFL of the late 1980's, and extrapolate that comparison back through time. For instance, many of the best South Australian players were playing in the VFL in the leadup to the expansion of that competition to a national one. That wasn't always the case. Whereas there was 137 South Australian players on AFL lists in 1997, there were only 7 South Australians playing in the VFL in 1976. So where were the other best 130 SA players playing then? It was in the SANFL.

If his point about membership being related to the relative strengths of the leagues is correct, then what about Hall of Famers from the first quarter of the 20th century? That was an era in which SA won 40% of its interstate matches against the VFL, and it was when the SA league clubs had won 6 of the 7 Championship of Australia titles on offer between the premiership clubs of the two states. So which competition was the strongest in that era? One would think that there should be just as many South Australians as Victorians in the Hall of Fame from that era, but, sadly, that isn't the case.

Surely the only fair way to decide this issue is to base the relative numbers of membership in the Hall of Fame on a per capita basis. For the four southern states, in each of which there were similar per capita numbers of participants and spectators, and where the cultural significance of the game was similar, the membership should be loosely assigned on a population proportion basis. In that way, there would be about 1 South Australian Hall of Famer for every 3.5 Victorians. The current ratio is about 1 to 7.

The Vics just don't get it either. They still like to think that they brought football to SA in 1991.

[Benchwarmer]

The Dominator cuts such a large figure in that yellow runners garb

[pipers]

I am preparing a critical, detailed response to email Jesper...

Don't bother. Just call him a ****

[Benchwarmer]

Ecky

Will the following phrases be included in a sentence at the end of your letter???

"utter contempt"
"disrespect towards South Australians"
"should hitch-hike or walk"
"back to Victoria"
"after making an apology in your last article this weekend"

[Benchwarmer]

Jesper should tell Cornes, Carey, etc. that they are not worthy of recognition face to face ... with no head start for him to run away!

[Magpiespower]

Sounds like the oxygen thief is getting the exact response/outcry he wanted.

Don't give him the air to breathe...

[pipers]

Sounds like the oxygen thief is getting the exact response/outcry he wanted.

Don't give him the air to breathe...

Exactly.

It's like Rebecca Wilson, Patrick Smith and all those other types who write deliberately controversial stuff. People respond with vitriol and the owners of the papers see that as an indicator of readership and direct that more of the same be written.

I stopped reading the Australian about 6 years ago because of Smith's daily turd.

We do get the Saturday Tiser, and while I'll happily read Conrsey's article (which often is a historical piece on the once glorious SANFL) and generally find him to be quite fair-minded if he is being critical of anything, I simply flick past Wilson's page, pausing only slightly to consider tearing it out, setting in on fire and then putting it out by pissing on it...

[am Bays]

We're quick to give Rucci "Brickbats" on this site, in most cases warranted, but he deserves "Bouquets" too: case in point the footnote in his artice today on KG and the Hall of Fame:

FOOTNOTE: Sunday Mail colleague Jesper Fjeldstad's observations at the weekend of the Hall of Fame will prompt reaction.

But, Jesper, the premise of your argument - that South Australians in the SANFL are not as great as Victorians in the VFL and so have less merit to Hall of Fame induction - is flawed. The Hall is not about greatness but the contribution to Australian football.

And on this point Carey, Paul Bagshaw, Rick Davies, Graham Cornes . . . and "KG" have done more than some Victorians ushered to the Hall through the VFL.

Full article: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22129972-21546,00.html

BTW KG is a long last behind those august names and behind G Phillips too, IMO