therisingblues wrote:Booney wrote:TRB, this was the start of that portion of this discussion.
Dutchy wrote:Play to the competitions strengths, suburban, tribal, local, 2nd tier footy based around the next best from the AFL....simply make it the competition that players want to be part of once their AFL career finishes or stalls. And one that the grassroots footballer wants to be part of.
Imagine a comp that seriously attracted ex-AFL players and the best of the Ammo's/Country (there are thousands playing each weekend that are good enough), it would be a serious 2nd tier comp
Okay, I missed the start.
I wouldn't rule the possibility out altogether though. After all, this IS what the SANFL was before the reserves entered.
The level of popularity that the SANFL would attract if it returned to that model, albeit without current AFL players participating, is as yet an unknowm quantity. But an under recognised selling point of that
old SANFL was that it was a more honest version of the game. Without the media saturation, the flashy lights, the players who've been personally trained to say the right things when a mic is stuck in their face, without the constant rule changes, etc.
The old SANFL far out performed the WAFL and other domestic leagues in terms of popularity. I believe the reason is that there is a true appreciation of the traditional aspect of life about South Australians. I reckon it is an innate understanding that there are more important things in life than flashy lights and seeing who can jump high enough each time some big corporation promises more flashy lights in exchange for souls. (Okay, that is comes across as a bit heavy, but it is a basic truth.)
I believe this is one of our state's strengths.
Take the reserves out, it won't ever be the old SANFL in the corporate world football now finds itself in.
I know the reserves are the overwhelming point to the debate, I know, but thinking about days or yore are, in my view, futile. If ( not so much when ) the reserves leave then I don't see how the corporate dollar will keep coming in to support the clubs, if as proposed by Dutchy, they endeavor to recruit more and more ex-AFL talent.
Your point about Reilly, Battersby, Martin and MacMahon are perfect examples, they have or did live in SA, to convince ex-AFL players to come to SA based on $50k and a job wouldn't, IMO, be viable for those who have no connection to SA.
I'm all for the SANFL flourishing once more, but I don't think the recruiting drive to ex-AFL is a sustainable one. Not for many of the clubs who struggle financially, not just now, but perennially.