by DOC » Fri Feb 11, 2022 8:37 am
THE SANFL is prepared to work with Port Adelaide and Adelaide this year in the event
their playing squads are wiped out by injuries and a Covid-19 outbreak.
But the state league is yet to commit to a plan for AFL clubs to use its competition to
access top-up players for the coming season.
The AFL has told clubs that they must endeavour to field 23 players each week of the
2022 season.
SANFL general manager football Matt Duldig told News Corp they were talking to the
AFL over the possibility this approach could require state league players stepping up.
“We understand the AFL are working through a number of contingency plans should
Adelaide and Port Adelaide’s AFL teams be impacted by Covid-19 this season but are
waiting on further details from the AFL,” he said.
“However, we understand the plan to access state league players for the AFL is a
possibility and, therefore, will continue to work closely with the AFL, AFL clubs and
SANFL clubs to find a solution to these potential challenges which, importantly,
protects the strength and integrity of our competition.”
Preliminary discussions have started and the talks are set to continue over the next few
weeks with the South Australian situation set to be a tricky one for the AFL.
Club sources believe the most likely situation will be that clubs have to use their statelisted players, who aren’t on their AFL list, as top-up players in the event of a Covid-19
outbreak. But SANFL rules limit who the Crows and Port can have in their state league
programs, compared to their interstate rivals.
While Victorian clubs are able to add an ex-AFL player to their VFL lists, Adelaide and
Port Adelaide can only contract a delisted AFL player that has not played AFL or state
league football for the past 12 months.
This used to be 24 months before the rule was relaxed late last year.