SA Footy

Normally I couldn’t give a finger load of snot for problems in the Artificial Football League, but I can’t help wondering if
too many foreigners in our plastic teams are the reason for such dismal results. When the fledgling Crows in their very
first battle were thrown up against eventual premier Hawthorn, our locally grown boys stuck it up ‘em like a vet’s
thermometer up a shaky Shih Tzu. The Vic’s didn’t know what hit ‘em, you could hear their clackers clicking at Bordertown.

So that leaves 3 questions …..

1) Do imported players REALLY bleed for the jumper and give 110% at all times for the club AND South Australia ?
2) What is the ratio of home grown/mercenary players in the Crows/Power line-ups ?
3) Could this be the REAL performance problem ?

SABRE wrote:Normally I couldn’t give a finger load of snot for problems in the Artificial Football League, but I can’t help wondering if
too many foreigners in our plastic teams are the reason for such dismal results. When the fledgling Crows in their very
first battle were thrown up against reigning premier Hawthorn, our locally grown boys stuck it up ‘em like a vet’s
thermometer up a shaky Shih Tzu. The Vic’s didn’t know what hit ‘em, you could hear their clackers clicking at Bordertown.

So that leaves 3 questions …..

1) Do imported players REALLY bleed for the jumper and give 110% at all times for the club AND South Australia ?
2) What is the ratio of home grown/mercenary players in the Crows/Power line-ups ?
3) Could this be the REAL performance problem ?

How many Qlders were in Brisbanes team 01-03? What about port, syd and west coast in 04-06? I don't think where a player comes from makes any difference. Port Adelaide play for the club and supporters, and Adelaide plays for its club and supporters. The players don't walk off the ground thinking "We have won for our state" and nor should they. Port and the Crows don't represent the state league of the state they play in.

If this scenario was really the case, then the English Premier League would have a fair few issues.

CK wrote:If this scenario was really the case, then the English Premier League would have a fair few issues.

NBA, NFL, MLB, NRL, NBL etc, etc.

I don't think it's necessarily a performance issue, but I do think a 'tool' that could be used to squeeze out an extra 10% for victory has been lost by the dillution of 'local' playing lists.

On a similar note - I think SA born/raised players and coaches have a much better understanding of the place AFC/PAFC has within South Australian culture, and that this would be an advantage to them in dealing with off field pressures (ie - one paper town, increased scrutiny of performance, increased recognition by general public on the street).

So a 17 year old kid from Victoria is a mercenary if he gets drafted to an interstate club? I think most of them would prefer playing for a club in their home state.

When players request a transfer, more often than not it's to go back home. Adelaide has a few "back home" in their team.

Every year clubs put up players for trade, or offer players more money to play at their club. So the majority of the time, it's the clubs own doing.

Good on blokes like Ablett jnr, Bock, Krakeur etc for going where the money is good. The AFL has just made 1.5 Billion, (and counting), for TV rights for the next 5 years, thanks to the footballers.

If you are drafted to a team outside your home state and paid the basic minimam salary for first year players how does that make you a mercenary?

Also, "mercanaries" played important roles in the Crows and Power premierships: Caven, Stevens, Connell, Johnson, Thiessen (Crows); Hardwick, Carr, Montgomery, Schofield, Bishop, Mahoney, Cassisi (Port).

Chris Judd did reasonably well at West Coast too from memory

Mick O'Loughlin, Fosdike and Crouch bled appropriately for the Swans in their 2005 premiership team despite being SA boys.

There's many other examples I could give.

This belongs in the 'Regionals'

I think the 2 SA clubs' current lack of success relates to:

- poor list management/drafting
- bad administrative decisions
- limited amount of early draft picks
- unfavourable father-son rule as it applies to them
- low crowds resulting in decreased "crowd factor"

GWW, I'd add the inability to be able to attract South Australian born players back from interstate clubs via trades

I think since the 90s the overall package of being a footballer in Melbourne is far more attractive (be it media work, sponsorships, being in the centre of the AFL universe, probably other opportunities) than returning to Adelaide to play for the Crows or Power. I don't think a Darren Jarman type would come back home these days.

I know the Crows made a huge play for Ryan Griffin last year. No cigar.

There should be a zonal component in recruiting whereby teams get priority to draft players developed in their state.

Remember the West Coast Eagles in the early 1990's? The team was almost totally made up of Western Australian players. They were playing for Western Australian pride and would crawl over broken glass for the Black Swan. Their performances bore testimony to this too.

The tribal element has been lost in the AFL and and the system should change so that Western Australian, South Australian, Queensland, NSW and Victorian teams get priority access to players from their state.

"But what about Victoria" I hear people say " There are too many teams there to share the Victorian players around"?

And therein lies a problem that blind Freddie has been able to see for years......there are too many AFL teams based in Victoria.

If an AFL coach is relying on emotion to string wins together, he's in the wrong business.

Please try not to see the word 'mercenary' as having overtly negative connotations.
It is simply a description of a paid professional who goes into battle with or for locals at a price or benefit.
I see the system forced upon us as being at fault, not so much the players who are unfairly told where to go.

Are true blue, heart felt, local talent more effective when push comes to shove and the going gets really tough ?
Personally, I think the old 'State Of Origin' standard proves this point beyond any and all argument.
People loved going to these games to see their very own men do battle with those from other SANFL clubs.
That's where the mega-crowds used to be !

Could more local content help the falling standard of the un-AFL and help positive Crow/Power outcomes ?
At local SANFL clubs, a couple of imports become locals very quickly and often for good. Are there just too many
'ring ins' at un-AFL clubs to get excited about, thus a huge drop in parochial crowd interest and numbers ?

IMHO Victoria simply MUST be made to produce their own talent. With 4 or more times the population of some other states
they have no right whatsoever to pinch interstate players. Indeed, they should be supplying a glut to non Aussie Rules
states in the so-called AFL, with SA and WA only supplying their own player numbers.

Cheers to all responders. Maybe my disgust of all things 'pretend-AFL' suggests I should return to SANFL threads only.
Sorry to impose.

Why didn't the Crows or Power recognise the talent of Lower, Puopolo, Duigan etc? It's not like those players are rookies.


I think it's funny that SANFL die-hards use terms like 'pretend-AFL' or 'Artificial Football League' when SANFL coaches are using game-plans that AFL coaches have long discarded. SANFL game plans aren't 'real' football, it's just catch-up football.

Quichey wrote:Why didn't the Crows or Power recognise the talent of Lower, Puopolo, Duigan etc? It's not like those players are rookies.

Agreed 'Q', you betcha, they should have been.

Quichey wrote:I think it's funny that SANFL die-hards use terms like 'pretend-AFL' or 'Artificial Football League' when SANFL coaches are using game-plans that AFL coaches have long discarded. SANFL game plans aren't 'real' football, it's just catch-up football.

Can't apologise for the terminology mate, how many of these game plans were stolen from outside Victoria along with all the players ?

Quichey wrote:I think it's funny that SANFL die-hards use terms like 'pretend-AFL' or 'Artificial Football League' when SANFL coaches are using game-plans that AFL coaches have long discarded. SANFL game plans aren't 'real' football, it's just catch-up football.

In some cases yes, but in some cases SANFL clubs can have a unique aspect to their game because there's things in the SANFL you can get away with, that a team hasn't been able to since the 70's or 80's in the VFL/AFL.

SABRE wrote:When the fledgling Crows in their very first battle were thrown up against reigning premier Hawthorn, our locally grown boys stuck it up ‘em like a vet’s
thermometer up a shaky Shih Tzu.

Being pedantic as Hawthorn did win alot back then but they didn't in 1990.

sapaul wrote:

SABRE wrote:When the fledgling Crows in their very first battle were thrown up against reigning premier Hawthorn, our locally grown boys stuck it up ‘em like a vet’s
thermometer up a shaky Shih Tzu.

Being pedantic as Hawthorn did win alot back then but they didn't in 1990.

Cheers for that 'sapaul'. Quite right. I should have said the club that was the Premier in 1991 shouldn't I.
Time for a quick edit eh?

Done.
Wish I could remember where I left my memory tablets LOL

JK wrote:

Quichey wrote:I think it's funny that SANFL die-hards use terms like 'pretend-AFL' or 'Artificial Football League' when SANFL coaches are using game-plans that AFL coaches have long discarded. SANFL game plans aren't 'real' football, it's just catch-up football.

In some cases yes, but in some cases SANFL clubs can have a unique aspect to their game because there's things in the SANFL you can get away with, that a team hasn't been able to since the 70's or 80's in the VFL/AFL.

I can only comment on recent seasons. I don't think SANFL coaches are pushing the envelope of revolutionary game plans, however, they are limited by the inferior skills set & fitness base of their playing group (compared to AFL standard). Some do work very well within their means though.

SABRE wrote:

Quichey wrote:I think it's funny that SANFL die-hards use terms like 'pretend-AFL' or 'Artificial Football League' when SANFL coaches are using game-plans that AFL coaches have long discarded. SANFL game plans aren't 'real' football, it's just catch-up football.

Can't apologise for the terminology mate, how many of these game plans were stolen from outside Victoria along with all the players ?

Admittedly I can only get to a few SANFL games a year, but I doubt that AFL coaches are stealing much from their playbooks!

If the SA teams fail to recognise the talent of SANFL players and/or fail to develop SA recruits, then why punish interstate teams who do recognise the talent and are better at developing them into good elite level players.