Great question as to where it went wrong.
I don't know if anyone really can answer that or if it has gone so wrong.
Has it changed that significantly apart from a loss of clubs.
As I mentioned previously we left (ROOS) not because of the league but because we could not fit the leagues model of Saturday juniors.
What does the past tell us about dominating periods
- 35 years ago Plympton dominated the league - new to league and amazingly strong (Potts Coaching)
- 20-30 years ago it was the Valley - south influence and strong juniors
- 15-20 years ago the Emus - result of massive junior program
- Noarlunga (excellent recruitment and talented pods of junior players), Reynella (strong juniors), Brighton (massive juniors) also had some periods
And now it is Flaggies
The domination by Flagstaff Hill was a long time coming given their amazing juniors of the last 20 years.
Is what we are seeing with clubs struggling a result of the following:
- lopsided juniors,
- aging demographic in the catchment of some clubs
- restrictions the points system imposes on clubs to recruit pivotal top up players.
- what else????
There is lots to consider.
I do however believe that the cycle will change and that the clubs will catch up with Flaggies and the league can prosper.
The SFL as a league is good but not great at the moment given the current issues.
Time to spend some time unpacking what the real issues are and once these are understood then you can develop informed strategies/solutions.
Still miss that amazing Saturday of 5 games.