OPINION PIECE: The CDFC and the second tier competition

[Dogwatcher]

Why the Doggies must take on the best of the rest

By ROB McLEAN

I HAVE thought and thought and thought about this subject for a couple of weeks before putting pen to paper, so to speak.
Upon initially hearing of the proposed second tier national football competition to be played between the top teams across the nation, I was initially suspicious.
As much as I love the AFL and the style of play exhibited at the ultimate level of the Australian game, I am naturally concerned about the true motivations behind this proposal.
Like a true conspiracy theorist, the FOXTEL proposal which, by necessity, has the support of the AFL, makes me wonder whether the SANFL will be further usurped by the national league.
I love the SANFL for its trenchant suburban roots, its easy accessibility and its inexpensive nature.
The club I support, Central District, is just around the corner from where I grew up. I used to see my heroes at work in the local supermarket (Peter Beythien), sports store (John Platten) or at school football clinics (Robert Fraser).
My family's financial planner was even a 300 game legend in Peter 'Milky' Vivian.
That kind of accessibility to the stars is totally different to that of the heroes of the AFL today.
The very nature of the professional league means that the players aren't as available as they once were.
You may see them occasionally and they stand out because they are different from you. They live in a different world to the average punter.
SANFL footballers are more like you and I, an average joe. They remind us that sometimes ambition isn't enough but that you can still strive to reach your potential and, like the US Army slogan says, be the best you can be.
And here it is, via a circuitous route, that I reach my point and that is that the CDFC must play in this second tier competition, in order to be the best it can be.
Club CEO Kris Grant is right to be guarded about the proposal but in the long run, this is a wonderful opportunity for the Bulldogs and their legion of fans to parade on a larger stage.
It is well documented that the CDFC has based the blueprint for much of its recent success on the Port Adelaide Football Club and its professional approach prior to its ascendancy to the big league.
Former coach Allen Stewart set the juggernaut rolling during his tenure as coach in the early 90s and it has been followed by successive coaches in Steve Wright, Peter Jonas, Alistair Clarkson and the formidable Roy Laird (he who has more premierships than hairs on his head).
Port Adelaide in its SANFL incarnation was a club that thrived on challenges and it is that attitude that took it to the next level, the AFL.
And that is why Central District must say to itself "WWPAD?" and take on the second tier competition opportunity that is being offered.
The club, of course, will show due diligence in its decision making but hopefully I will have the opportunity, along with my colourful Bulldog brethren, to cheer on my club at a higher level.
Uuuuuuuu Doooggggsssssssssss!