As a number of us have said, its not only the numbers its the flat atmosphere at the games.

Adelaide Football Club SANFL chief Phil Harper wants to keep the Crows in the State league — and hold the same one-team model that is under fire today.

“We honestly believe being in the SANFL gives us an advantage no other AFL team has because the SANFL is a better competition than any other outside the AFL,” he said. “If we are not in the SANFL, that $400,000 licence fee goes from the SANFL to a travel company taking us to another State league (like the VFL).”

Of the one-team model with no academy team or SANFL recruiting zone, Harper said: “We are not rethinking it. If we had less injuries, we would have better results. Our model is working quite well.”

No sh*t you want to keep the seconds in a top notch league. Why wouldn't you. However this isn't about your success, its about my f*cking clubs survival, and you Harper and your mediocre organisation need to remember that. Adelaide has had a solid gold 25 years with an adoring public gazing on, and the fully fledged backing of a platinum organisation in the SANFL. You knew you couldn't fail, and it made you lazy. The Adelaide football club is a lazy, bloated and spoilt club that deserves no more sacrifice from the SANFL clubs and its members.

For Harper and his cohorts to issue such a statement just reinforces that they don't get it. I cant believe I actually supported the pricks.
To be fair this describes every AFL club

Yep, I like Schiller. Good pace and breaks the lines. He was a standout last year or the year before out at Elizabeth when Sturt had a good win.

In the context of finals it does, as much as possible anyway. No one can tell me it's fair to have an enforced salary cap in a competition for 8 teams and open slather for two others and all play for the same trophy that has been competed for over a hundred years. That's just f***ing stupid.

I'm at the age where I was steadfastly a Sturt supporter way before the AFL was ever invented thus Sturt is my number one team. I'll follow Adelaide in the AFL with varying interest. I don't own an Adelaide scarf but I'm more than happy to wear my Sturt scarf to any AFL match, I couldn't give a flying f*** what anyone thinks.
It's a complicated and imperfect situation for supporters in SA and probably WA. I can't see there's much right or wrong in what people choose to wear to a game re scarfs.
I've always thought it was a bit rich for SANFL supporters to take the high moral ground about AFL reserves sides in the SANFL while more than happy for their AFL reserves side to f*** up another state comp with their reserves team.
That's just my opinion, the whole set up, (if you can call it a set up), nationally is a total mess and lacks any leadership, integrity and structure. It's the biggest failing in Aussie Rules and nobody in power wants to discuss it seriously.

I've struggled to get to all Sturt games this year due to going to the soccer and being away. Yesterday was the third game I've attended. I've vowed not to go to any AFL reserves games this year as it just leaves me with bitter feelings towards the comp. I've given the reserves teams a fair go but no longer.
One thing that really irks me is that one of the "benefits" pushed by the media for the inclusion of the reserves teams was the eradication of the byes (which I never really minded), yet 7 rounds in and Sturt have had 2 byes already, I struggle to take the comp seriously if backflips and lies like these are shoved down my throat.
I've been a Sturt member for many years and this is the first year I haven't felt compelled to. Do I feel guilty, a little, enough for me to join up? Possibly.

The comp has taken so many hits to the guts in recent years I think it's pretty well terminal now. The advent of the AFL imposed deliberate OOB rule is just another punch to the head, I don't think anyone likes it and I think the umpires struggle with it also.
I can't see how attendances are going to increase with the current situation. Something major has to change but no one in any position of power or influence has the balls to make a stand publicly. It's pretty sad and pathetic.

Why don't the SANFL let the clubs make a membership package that incorporates a media package where all the clubs' games are available for download? Clubs need revenue, this would be a good way to increase that. At $25 per game that's pretty expensive, surely more access and more hits to a website can bring in more advertising and sponsorship revenue, it's not like CH7 are paying for the broadcast rights which they can then argue hurts their ratings etc.
I've thought the same should be done with the A-League, the problem being that SBS and Fox pay for the broadcast rights and have a fair complaint if people can download games and affect their ratings.

Strong gutsy win by Sturt, North's spread worked well in the first half and part of the third and Sturt's forward entries were pretty poor, similar to last week, once we cleaned that up we got on top. The move of McMahon up forward was the decider, he presented beautifully, ended up with 11 marks.

Muppetangelo would write this up as "diehard SANFL supporters deserting their clubs when they need them most" yet he'll report Power supporters not going to games at Footy Park when they were $hit as "a stoic protest by the Port faithful".

Strangest mindset I've ever come across. Blame the SANFL for all their woes. Call it a shit comp and deride the other 8 clubs. Yet flood tears and teenage angst when they have to abandon their juniors to turn their proud club into a reserves team. Either you rate the comp or not, if not what's the grief with the juniors.
Schizophrenic at best.

The commission is backed into a corner now, they have no choice but to back in the AFL teams, I get that. However PLEASE just admit what the problem is and do something pro-active about it. Denial, pure and simple.
Agree with this and a few other posts. A bit of honesty would be respectful, if it's all about AFL money and survival of the clubs then say so but people know why crowds are down so don't bullshit them if you want them to stay or God forbid, return.
I don't like the two teams being in but I accept it but it'd be nice if a few simple adjustments were even just discussed publicly that would appease the supporters that feel so disenfranchised.
Discuss having the two teams barred from the Magarey and finals, discuss a limit on AFL players in any one game (although I don't like this idea as it defeats the whole purpose), come up with something that shows some respect and understanding of the supporters that have been through thick and thin with their clubs.
This whole thing has been handled so appallingly and the clubs have to lump some of this discontent as they're the direct link to the supporters.

I'm not going to pot anyone on how they choose to show or vent their displeasure of having the reserves teams in the comp, we all have supported our clubs differently and across different eras, each to their own.
The main issue since the change has been the total lack of interest in what the disgruntled have to say from the clubs, from the league and especially from the media. The only journo that really seems to give a stuff is Warren Partland. Because of the ignorance from those with a say that wield some power the discussion of possible solutions isn't even proposed, God forbid any purposeful change could even be seriously considered.
The article in the OP talks about SA footy being the envy of every other state, imagine if we actually enforced the salary cap and barred the reserves teams from finals and the Magarey but still gave both AFL teams a place to develop their players in a great comp, we could have the best of both worlds with some sort of happy compromise for all. Maybe the VFL could follow and have their comp split in two come finals and the WAFL could seriously question both alignment clubs if it's what they really want if they're barred from finals instead of whoring themselves out for short term gain.
Unfortunately none of this gets any air time or consideration from those in their ivory towers and while this pigheaded ignorance continues the punters will continue to protest whichever way they choose.
I see no real reason why some discussion about some real change can't be had in the public sphere, unless of course they know what the answers are and don't want to implement them. People deserve respect and there's none on the horizon.

I attended a SANFL game at Alberton last season and it was a dingy, almost mournful atmosphere. Clearly support for the Magpies continues to drain away despite whatever spin KT puts on it. Perhaps in this economic climate support only carries so far. That would be the kind interpretation of the Magpies state. Given the 'system' though they are stacked well for talent and South Adelaide have taken a massive hit. I hope Eddy and Leinert get a go at the AFL sooner rather than later.
The Port crowd was one of the unique phenomenae in SANFL footy. Even after they went into the AFL there were plenty of Port folk that stayed loyal to the Magpies, and when Port were doing well, a certain number of Power fans would turn up also.
When they made their bid to convert the Magpies into the Power reserves, even the Port cheer squad held uup the "No AFL in the SANFL" banner, prompting a visit from one of the Port dicks from upstairs to lecture them about how much better it would be once the Magpies are no more :roll:
I'd rather be a Lion free on the plains than in a zoo. The Magpies are no longer free, they're caged. They are not even puppets, their skin has been stretched around the Power's seconds side. Calling them the Magpies is just complete crap, it's bullshit. They are the Power's reserves, and they have thoroughly kicked the interest out of what loyal fans held on.

I think that's now every thread in the SANFL forum to have this, or something like this, posted in it. Well played to those who bring it into a conversation that this has nothing to do with.
Probably because every facet of the SANFL is affected by these bull$hit inequities. Until they're sorted out it won't stop and why should it. Why should anyone stop voicing their opinions if it still is a major issue in a comp we all love. Tough titties if it makes some feel uncomfortable in their ugly advantages while spruiking fairness, equal footing, we get what we deserve bullshit in the media.
Surely it's not that hard to understand.

We've all had to put up with the myopic, paranoid carping by Port supporters as to how unjust they've been treated by the SANFL, how Footy Park was too "Crows" centric, how the SANFL has stolen all their money etc etc. What's the difference? Apart from the fact one is founded in clear evidence and the other comes across as a speech that Trump would make.

Lots of Booney's in the sea.

Well done to all at SFC, that's $1.2m profit over three years. To put this in perspective, 2016 profit is almost $500k more than what PAFC have posted over the last two years.
Who's living beyond their means Michaelangelo Rucci?

What a f***ing disgrace. Rape the traditional clubs of their players and officials, pay nothing for them and then have them compete against them for a flag while being hobbled by a salary cap. Any other club would have to pay at least $30k for Eddy.

GIGGITY

I think in a tv interview he called coaching Sturt one of and if not the biggest part of his football life.
He did, it was with Mike Sheehan. Mike very quickly wanted to brush over it but Phil wanted to get his point across.
PC was interviewed on SEN last week, not too bad.
https://audioboom.com/posts/6018384-phil-carman-on-jesaulenko-you-beauty

The point was that SANFL crowds should be up given Port being second on the ladder and a top four crowd puller.
The other part was an innocent question, for a top four crowd puller I would expect to see more Magpies fans, not just this year, but previous also.
No need to get our dicks out, but it was a bit silly to say that we will not get a larger crowd than the Port one this year, when we have already eclipsed it at 2 out of 3 of games we have played there thus far. The other game suffered through the absence of the promised 4000 Crows fans but that is another story.
You can lead a horse to water....etc etc.
Basic facts don't sit well with Port supporters but Booney knows his dicks apparently.

So reduce the salary cap to make it even harder for traditional clubs to maintain competitiveness against two teams who have just had their AFL salary caps increased. What the f*** are they thinking?

First bit of research Gucci has done for quite a while, looked back through his own archives and rehashed one of his own articles. Well done Muppetangelo Gucci you can now add "investigative journalist" to your crayoned resume.

I don't know the full story in this but I think it's pretty easy to see what has more than likely happened.
Adelaide Security bloke who probably doesn't follow footy is irritated by banging on the fence signs, mentions it in passing to someone else off his own back, this is then relayed to a West official and then the jump is made that it's an offical complaint from Adelaide.
Gucci gets wind of it and flogs himself raw over it as do people on here and social media.
It's very easy for this not to involve any lies from anyone but a series of Chinese whispers from something that wasn't actually anything.
As mentioned before, the narrative feeds many stereotypes and agendas that are easily fuelled.
If I put myself in Adelaide's shoes I ask myself what they gain from said complaint, what the recoil would be and why the f*** they'd even care in the first place.
It is just so blindingly moronic to think that this really happened as presented by Gucci and other idiots.

Dogs64 wrote:Has it been mentioned here about Willaston getting caught breaching the salary cap, with their payments to Glenn?

Norwood obviously did well to sign him after the season had begun. Great budgeting or just lucky they'd left room in their salary cap.

Room????
Salary cap????