WAFL accepts Freo & WC reserves

[Jim05]

Seems to me that there's no option BUT to have the reserves sides in the VFL.

Agreed 100%
Also they cant take anyone that is on an SANFL list as top up players.
Where will the sides play their games?
Maybe the SANFL sides could charge them rent to play at their grounds

[Jim05]

Shows how much the Eagles care about the WAFL.
Was announced today that WC will play Richmond on the Foundation Day public holiday in Perth.
I believe Foundation day is usually a massive money maker for the WAFL with a couple of local derby's played on that day and attracting huge crowds. Dont think the WAFL clubs are happy that the Eagles have hijacked their big weekend

[PhilH]

Very disapaointing and typical of the AFL attitude to fill every possible worthy timeslost with an AFL game and suffocate the ability of state leagues to have even one day they can promote as their own.

[Lynwood]

I see ressies for the AFL coming closer and i think Phil's idea is the only one which will work although it will hurt the Magpies by having a smaller reserves side. I personally would like to see the Power working towards their own ressies team after two to 3 years of this. Even look at a second Club which may be struggling financially and put half in them to save on their costs of running a full ressies side. I know North Melbourne split players over two teams in the VFL. On bye weeks playing WC and Freo Reserves. I know this would mean an 11 team SANFL reserves comp but for the sake of my club having a joint ressies team with the Power will hurt us in our ability to develop our players.

Having Ex AFL Favourites in the SANFL Reserves can also help crowds with people coming out the watch them and sticking around to watch the league match. I believe Collingwood had ex players playing in their reserves team to hlep develop players. The 9 SANFL and two AFL clubs can then work together to want the SANFL stronger which will make the Ressies more competitive.

[FlyingHigh]

Though it might mean less reserves players coming through for the Maggies, the flip side is they get first crack at delisted interstate draftees as the maggies will be the only club they know in SA, potentially a Mark McKenzie. Same with Sturt if their reserves become the Crows 2's.
One query though. If there are sufficient players, and there is a magpies reserves player who is better player than a young Power rookie, who gets selected?

[RB]

I'm no Cory Bernadi but I think the 'slippery slope' argument is valid here. If Power reserves players are allowed into the SANFL Reserves League, how long before the Power and the AFL muscles them in to the SANFL League competition? I hope the league directors are as resistant to this as we keep being told they are.

[PhilH]

But there are already AFL players in the SANFL league comp, so in many ways this is a step "back up the slope"

I guess my logic is

AFL clubs have a right to do with their players as they wish
but they have to negotiate with another organisation to find a place for their surplus players.

SANFL clubs have a right to keep their league competition free of reserves teams
but as current licence holders they should work with their AFL clubs to make them as successful as possible.

Within those paramaters the reserves idea works best for me IF the AFL clubs want to change the status quo.

[daysofourlives]

Graham ... your points are mostly fair, although I assure you a lot of though had gone into it.

My aim is to not to produce a perfect solution for everyone ... it does not exist.

My aim was to suggest the best alternative that allows
- the SANFL league to be untouched from having AFL reserves sides in it.
- the AFL clubs to have 100% control of your players if they really want it.
- the most cost effective, especially for PAFC

Re Power / Magpies reserves
- Yes there will be less people on the Magpies senior list, for mine that is better than there being no Magpies.
- The best of their development zone will still have a pathway to SANFL League Football.
- It's just some more on the fringe will have less and that have the backup of transfering to another SANFL club
- You talk about some kids being lost to SANFL. If the alternative is no Magpies and the SANFL reduces to 8 zones how many kids will be lost then?

Re Crows
- They will need top up players from somewhere.
- these top up requirements will change week to week, so a lot of these players will need a second home
- so how do you manage this with the least impact to league (SANFL, Amateurs) competitions?- from this squad of 16 it may be only 2-3 are needed for a game, or it could be as high as 12, because these movements are happeneing at a reserves level, not league as currently, the disruption that MUST occur is limited in its impact.

There is nearby country leagues that have a bye every week. Perhaps the AFL clubs can ask say a few local U23 guys to fill in and in return the AFL clubs could run a training for the juniors at that club the week they are using the players.

[Pseudo]

Graham ... your points are mostly fair, although I assure you a lot of though had gone into it.

My aim is to not to produce a perfect solution for everyone ... it does not exist.

My aim was to suggest the best alternative that allows
- the SANFL league to be untouched from having AFL reserves sides in it.
- the AFL clubs to have 100% control of your players if they really want it.
- the most cost effective, especially for PAFC

The current system satisfies the first and third criteria.

If an AFL club wants to have control over how a particular one of its players develops, they ought to request that player line up in SANFL reserves level, and get to stipulate how that player is used. Alternatively the AFL club could allow that player to line up in SANFL league, but at the complete control of the SANFL league coach.

This would go some way to satisfying criterion 2. There would be some cost in having to monitor each of 8 or 9 SANFL clubs, but would be more than balanced by the savings in not having to field a standalone reserves team.

[Pseudo]

I'm no Cory Bernadi but I think the 'slippery slope' argument is valid here. If Power reserves players are allowed into the SANFL Reserves League, how long before the Power and the AFL muscles them in to the SANFL League competition? I hope the league directors are as resistant to this as we keep being told they are.

^ this.

I for one will NEVER attend a SANFL game featuring an AFL reserves team.

[wild dog]

But there are already AFL players in the SANFL league comp, so in many ways this is a step "back up the slope"

I guess my logic is

AFL clubs have a right to do with their players as they wish
but they have to negotiate with another organisation to find a place for their surplus players.

SANFL clubs have a right to keep their league competition free of reserves teams
but as current licence holders they should work with their AFL clubs to make them as successful as possible.

Within those paramaters the reserves idea works best for me IF the AFL clubs want to change the status quo.

Yes within those parameters it is a sound idea and keeps integrity within the league competition intact. I just think the SA AFL teams are acting in an immature manner to try and make their vision come to fruition, and are not able to see the level and passion involved with the competition they are trying to ruin. The arrogance in their idea that they will buy Sturt or annex Port Adelaide and somehow we will all just turn up to watch as though everything is the same is breathtaking. This attitude when on average, between our two SA "flagship" clubs they cant fill Footy Park beyond 50% for the year, despite saturation media coverage.

There is no negotiating with the likes of Sanderson, Trigg, Thomas etc. The SANFL directors should dismiss the idea of reserves teams in the competition without any concession.

[wild dog]

I'm no Cory Bernadi but I think the 'slippery slope' argument is valid here. If Power reserves players are allowed into the SANFL Reserves League, how long before the Power and the AFL muscles them in to the SANFL League competition? I hope the league directors are as resistant to this as we keep being told they are.

^ this.

I for one will NEVER attend a SANFL game featuring an AFL reserves team.

100% agree.

[topsywaldron]

Very disapaointing and typical of the AFL attitude to fill every possible worthy timeslost with an AFL game and suffocate the ability of state leagues to have even one day they can promote as their own.

An active poster on SaFooty works at a pretty high level in the AFL and has been very, very vocal recently at how much the SANFL means to him, it's a shame he can't see his way to changing the seemingly intransigent attitudes towards the State Leagues in his workplace.

[FOURTH ESTATE]

Shows how much the Eagles care about the WAFL.
Was announced today that WC will play Richmond on the Foundation Day public holiday in Perth.
I believe Foundation day is usually a massive money maker for the WAFL with a couple of local derby's played on that day and attracting huge crowds. Dont think the WAFL clubs are happy that the Eagles have hijacked their big weekend

South Fremantle vs East Fremantle
(always a good crowd for this game 6,838 this year and and Easts home by 8pts)

West Perth vs East Perth ( 4,905 and the match was a draw)

11,743 spectators for these two games, with another 3,777 attending the the other two games for a total 15,520 attending the WAFL on that weekend

Just goes to show that the AFL don't want local grass roots footy to survive

Shame on the Eagles & AFL
Shame Shame Shame

[PhilH]

Not having a go at anyone in particular Topsy ... I just know that Foundation Day in WA provides a wonderful windfall for the WAFL clubs involved in the East Perth v West Perth derby and South Fremantle v East Fremantle derby and they get crowds that match, even surpass what we can get at a SANFL minor round game.

West Coast generally sell out their games whenever they are played.
What extra benefit do they get from playing on Foundation Day
against the loss the WAFL clubs will incurr.

[JamesH]

Very disapaointing and typical of the AFL attitude to fill every possible worthy timeslost with an AFL game and suffocate the ability of state leagues to have even one day they can promote as their own.

would love to see some sort of replication of the what NFL do...... they leave Saturday free for college and frioday night for highchool football. The AFL should play every timeslot except Saturday afternoon to boost local footy and participation

[JamesH]

Shows how much the Eagles care about the WAFL.
Was announced today that WC will play Richmond on the Foundation Day public holiday in Perth.
I believe Foundation day is usually a massive money maker for the WAFL with a couple of local derby's played on that day and attracting huge crowds. Dont think the WAFL clubs are happy that the Eagles have hijacked their big weekend

South Fremantle have threatened to send WCE a bill for money lost if it does happen

[Lynwood]

Very disapaointing and typical of the AFL attitude to fill every possible worthy timeslost with an AFL game and suffocate the ability of state leagues to have even one day they can promote as their own.

would love to see some sort of replication of the what NFL do...... they leave Saturday free for college and frioday night for highchool football. The AFL should play every timeslot except Saturday afternoon to boost local footy and participation

It would give those who play footy a chance to go see more AFL matches as well

[MATT IN WA]

STILL nothing official on any of the 4 clubs or WAFL sites that this is a 'done deal'....

[SDK]

The Crows and Power have kids developing in the best comp outside the AFL and they are not happy ???? To me that is an advantage and they should fight to keep it.
I do believe the AFL clubs here should have more input into where and how their players are used plus who they play for.
Seems head in the sand stuff to me .... " We want a reserves side." Full stop. Little or no thought has gone into it.
I too would never attend a match featuring an AFL reserves side.

Example : Would Luke Brown develop more playing for Norwood against Centrals etc. at League level or playing against his mates but with 20 yo kids in the reserves with no mature age leadership ????