SA Footy

Amazed the article in today's Sunday Mail hasn't already prompted a flood of posts from people.

What are everyone's thoughts on the issue?

Benefits? Negatives?

Will it further impact on the integrity of our great competition? Will it see more funding? Is it being pushed by the AFL?

Dogwatcher wrote:Amazed the article in today's Sunday Mail hasn't already prompted a flood of posts from people.

Maybe because most of us don't read that gutter rag to get out informed football news. I sure as hell don't.

But without having read it, and making obvious assumptions about the nature of the article, what is there to say? It has been said here already, with much passion and fervency, and it will likely never come to pass.

I say this now in all honesty: I will never attend a SANFL game involving any team attached to an AFL side. I suspect I am far from alone.

Not this again...

Dont agree with it, wont support it, I think it disrespects the colours of all the existing SANFL clubs.

Many people watch the SANFL because they dont like the AFL, so why put more AFL BS into the local competition? We have done just fine and attendance's are up without their help. If Cows and Smears fans want something else to do when their sides are not playing, maybe something like a movie at Wallis Cinema might be more appropriate.

Not a bad idea, with the SANFL being a week behind the AFL at least a Crows and/or Power team would get at least one game in September depending on the Round 23 bye!

Think it was yesterdays Addy not the Sunday Mail.

I did look for an online version of it but cant find it. Its Rucci's latest crusade. Basically quotes Malthouse saying he loves having a reserves side in the VFL, but of course he would cause he is speaking on whats best for his team/club. If he was in charge of the VFL would it be the best thing for the comp?

Most know Im not a Neil Craig fan but he was absolutely spot on with his comment on it on how they have to respect the SANFL brand. Well played.

This cannot happen, we put up with some small changes to our team from the AFL clubs but to have to play against some AFL manufactured sides would be a disgrace and my interest in the comp would be quickly lost.

Rucci put up a postive as "getting rid of the bye" - I think the 9 team comp and having a bye is one of the most minute issues the SANFL has. In a lot of ways its a positive for the league to have the bye.

Sorry Dutchy, you're right about it being in the Addy.
I read it on the way to the footy GF yesterday, a lot of beers/wine were consumed between then and now!

I don't think this will ever happen.

Yes, the Melbourne based clubs with directly linked teams in the VFL seemingly have an advantage but these things are cyclical. 5 years ago it seemed the non-Melbourne clubs had all the advantages and would dominate the comp. Now it's swung back the other way and in 5 years' time it will have swung some new way.

Are Collingwood minor premiers because they have their own VFL team or because they have recruited well and are coached well?

I don't think you dismantle the fabric of the SANFL competition just because the 2 local AFL teams are having a rough patch. Those clubs have been successful before working under the existing system with the SANFL.

The entry of a Crows and Power team into the SANFL will be the death of the league.

I for one, can see myself moving on and only going to Adelaide United games.

The league would be reduced to an A1 competition. They talk about the Crows and how do they find $300K to run a team, errrm, excuse me, we own the Crows, so it would be the 9 SANFL clubs that would be finding that $300K, not the Crows, what comes out of their bottom line comes out of ours, its not some other magical money they get that we have no claim to. Likewise, making the Magpies the Power, just means we're all paying for Port to compete in the league.

Nope. I will never support it.

Once it happens, that's it, my membership goes and I finally become 100% soccer. As it is, I watch maybe 1-2 AFL games a year, that league is destroying everything football once was... it was great, now its just our corporate gridiron equivalent.

csbowes wrote:I for one, can see myself moving on and only going to Adelaide United games.

I understand your feelings but...some might question why you'd desert something 'artificial' for a league which aims to do the same thing as the AFL and has deserted the origins of the sport in this nation. Adelaide City supporters would certainly be amongst them.

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?

Dogwatcher wrote:

csbowes wrote:I for one, can see myself moving on and only going to Adelaide United games.

I understand your feelings but...some might question why you'd desert something 'artificial' for a league which aims to do the same thing as the AFL and has deserted the origins of the sport in this nation. Adelaide City supporters would certainly be amongst them.

I understand what you're saying, but the league was right, Adelaide City / Juventus / West Adelaide / Hellas did not represent me, they represented the Italian and Greek communities.

If they want to have Adelaide City / Juventus for example, go for it, but then I want a Coventry City or Wycombe Wanderers to follow, I can't act Italian... then again, I'm part Ukrainian, so maybe I need a Dynamo Kyiv in the league.

More propaganda. Just like this:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21372

Yeah I saw Rucci's article in the 'Tiser yesterday. My lasting impression was: why would we want a league where two teams continually have the best players and the other eight get the rest?

Dutchy wrote: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?

And if a played was picked up in the mini-draft and was supposedly out of form because his drafted team "plays him out of position", he can always change clubs. History shows when that happens, they don't last long at that AFL club anyway. That suggests the SANFL club reads where he is better suited on the park.

IMO the only workable solution would be to place these reserves sides in the VFL with the other "reserves" sides.

Not a great outcome for the SANFL obviously but at least all the AFL reserves sides would be in the one competition.

Given that scenario will never happen for many reasons (mostly logistical), the Crows and Power will never have reserves sides.

FlyingHigh wrote:

Dutchy wrote: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

Hondo wrote:IMO the only workable solution would be to place these reserves sides in the VFL with the other "reserves" sides.

Not a great outcome for the SANFL obviously but at least all the AFL reserves sides would be in the one competition.

Given that scenario will never happen for many reasons (mostly logistical), the Crows and Power will never have reserves sides.

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?

It just goes to show you what the AFL want as a "feeder" club = Peel Thunder.

And what they don't want, because winning flags comes first = Central District.