SANFL and the Mt Burr Mozzies

[Sojourner]

Do you think that the SANFL and potentially the Glenelg Football Club should have done anything different in this case to compensate the Mid South East Football League and the Mt Burr Mozzies Foorball Club?

From the ABC,

Country footy short-changed by successful Gamble
Friday, 4 August 2006

Taken as pick 43 by Geelong in the most recent AFL draft, Ryan Gamble made history as the first player from South Australia's Mid South East Football League to ever break into the national competition. But the experience has been a bittersweet one, with Gamble's old league and old club feeling short-changed by the SANFL over transfer fees.

Footy in South Australia's Mid South East League is about as grassroots as it comes. It relies on gate raffles and goodwill rather than the pokies' halls and large sponsorship deals available to the big city clubs.

It was in this league, in the green and gold guernsey of the Mt Burr Mozzies, that the talents of a teenage Ryan Gamble were spotted by Glenelg, the SANFL club affiliated with the state's South East.

Gamble only played a handful of games in the Glenelg reserves before being taken by Geelong. Which is why the Mid South East's president, Dennis Mahovics, feels so hard done by over a set-up that means country footy only gets 20 per cent - or $5,000 - of the AFL's transfer fee.

"Unfortunately, the system that has been devised by the SANFL is very biased towards them getting the most amount of money."

Mahovics says the Mid South East has given most of its cut to the Mt Burr Mozzies. But he says the club would be far better off financially from Gamble's success if they were in Victoria. There, he says, the system rewards country and suburban clubs with the lion's share of the AFL payment.

"Unfortunately, the only way to get drafted (in SA) is to come through an SANFL club because we don't have an under 18s competition like the Victorians do."

Why are things so different across the border? "I would suggest that the clubs (in SA) have the opportunity of taking the money. It's a simple as that."

The SANFL is being greedy? "Yes, to a certain extent."

Mahovics, along with his counterparts from the fellow South East leagues, are pushing for a 40 per cent cut of such payments in the future. And they may have an unlikely supporter - the football manager at Glenelg, Ken Applegarth.

"I would like to see the country leagues dispersed more money. There's no doubt about that," says Applegarth.

"Let's not underestimate what Mt Burr and the country footy has done for this lad. Without country footy, there is no Ryan Gamble. And Mt Burr have got to take a lot of credit for nurturing this boy.

"We just sped it up (his development). He could mark and kick and do all those things beautifully."

But the SANFL's general manager of football operations, Glenn Rosser, believes the current system is not only fair, but that it was agreed upon by all parties.

"The (SANFL) league clubs do, in most cases, the majority of work in the development of players."

Rosser says it is unusual for a player, especially a metropolitan player, to only have limited game time in the SANFL before making the draft. At the other extreme to Gamble is a player like Bryce Gibbs, a likely top three pick in this year's draft.

"He's been involved with Glenelg since the under 13s, under 14s, under 15s. He's played a year or two of under 17s football. He's now played a year and a half of league football at Glenelg and played very well.

"This figure (of an 80/20 split) is across the board. So it covers the Ryan Gambles who have limited involvement...whereas a Bryce Gibbs has had a significant involvement."

Rosser also denies the situation is better in Victoria, and says that home clubs in other parts of the country get as little as $500 from transfer fees.

But while the different tiers jostle over money, Ryan Gamble is, most importantly, getting closer and closer to making his AFL debut.

[MagareyLegend]

That's the Gamble you take.

[rod_rooster]

Cue a Simon Goodwin joke

[Rushby Hinds]

Boo no mention of John Seebohm in the article.

PS 99% sure Gamble played 1 (or 2?) league games for us before leaving.

[TroyGFC]

One would hope Glenelg would give something back to Mt Burr FC.
Gamble did play at least one game- remember Burgo congratulating him at presentations and his parents were there.

[JK]

Surely the Mozzies haven't lost anything financially from this though, a teenager being taken from their club surely hasn't cost them the $5000 they have earnt??

As for whether the Bays should have given them anything extra, well I think thats up to each SANFL club to decide.

[smac]

So because they have limited income, they are entitled to more than a city club would get? I reckon they should enjoy the money they did get and get on with developing more players...

[Dutchy]

Surely a pro-rata payment could be arranged depending on how many years he was in each system since say 10 years of age

[smac]

My experience tells me that most players get to the AFL in spite of the coaching/training they experience prior to arriving at a SANFL club.

This is not a sledge on junior footy coaches as they are obviously well intentioned and there are some rare gems amongst them. As a general rule, a league club will have to break numerous habits once they see a player.

This lad is obviously an exception to that rule but a big can of worms opens if they pay 1 cent extra to this club.

[westcoastpanther]

Bit like the Steven Tiller case I mentioned last year. He played for Marble Range in Port Lincoln, was only playing u/17's with them. Port weren't interested in him so he found his way to Westies, he only played when they flew him over (he was still living in Pt Lincoln). I reckon he would have played about 8-10 u/19's game with West at the most. He was drafted by the Bulldogs at the end of that year with West of course getting basically all the compensation.

It was widely known the Bulldogs were interested in him and I posed the question at the time, did West play him only for the fact they could see a nice pay cheque at the end?

The Marble Range Club provided for him for about 9-10 years, West had him for a handful of games. This is one that certainly wasn't fair......

[Dogwatcher]

It was widely known the Bulldogs were interested in him and I posed the question at the time, did West play him only for the fact they could see a nice pay cheque at the end?

I see your point, but....

often it's widely known that AFL clubs are interested in a variety of youngsters, some who are outside the system. You hear it all the time in country footy circles (and sometimes it's true), but it doesn't always happen, which makes it a big gamble for an SANFL club to pick them just because they may get a pay out at the end.

[westcoastpanther]

It was widely known the Bulldogs were interested in him and I posed the question at the time, did West play him only for the fact they could see a nice pay cheque at the end?

I see your point, but....

often it's widely known that AFL clubs are interested in a variety of youngsters, some who are outside the system. You hear it all the time in country footy circles (and sometimes it's true), but it doesn't always happen, which makes it a big gamble for an SANFL club to pick them just because they may get a pay out at the end.

Where is the big gamble in a kid running around in your 19's for a few games???? They only need to sign with a League Club and it's $$ if they are drafted.

[smac]

Money is screwing up this game.

A local club gets $5,000 and complains?

The money is supposed to pay for the cost of developing junior players. SANFL clubs pay a lot of money to develop junior footballers, local clubs pay bugger all - even in this case, did the Mozzies pay more than $5,000 to develop this kid? I would doubt it.

And Mozzies? What a crap name.

[Dogwatcher]

Tell it how it is Smac!

[JK]

Money is screwing up this game.

A local club gets $5,000 and complains?

The money is supposed to pay for the cost of developing junior players. SANFL clubs pay a lot of money to develop junior footballers, local clubs pay bugger all - even in this case, did the Mozzies pay more than $5,000 to develop this kid? I would doubt it.

And Mozzies? What a crap name.

My point exactly ... Most youngsters find their way to a club of their choosing or nearest club and generally pay their own subs and for their own boots, mouthguard etc ... Even if a club funded these expenses for a kid from age 10 to 17 would it amount to $5k? I wouldn't have thought so

[GWW]

They're actually a fairly feral club so dont particularly care.

[Pseudo]

One would hope Glenelg would give something back to Mt Burr FC.

Glenelg may not give something to the particular club, but my belief is that Glenelg puts a lot of effort into the south-east region as a whole.

[Barto]

One would hope Glenelg would give something back to Mt Burr FC.

Glenelg may not give something to the particular club, but my belief is that Glenelg puts a lot of effort into the south-east region as a whole.

That's the point. If the Bays said "well fine, the local clubs keep all the transfer money but we wont put any in ourselves" the south east comp would more than likely be worse off.

[am Bays]

I would argue if the local want to use the line, we've done more for the development of the player than the League club, the money should go to the parents, as they've done more for the kid than any footy club has there is no way the kid could play AFL if it wasn't for his parents.

I mean who driving the kid to training, feeding him, buying him boots, making sure he eats the right things, driving him to Hatherleigh and Tarpeena etc......

Yep the local club has had an influence but for the vast majority of kids that get drafted they have to play at a SANFL club at U/19. 2s or 1s level. That way the AFL scouts get to see all the best talent against each other and get a gauge about how good the kid really is.

Hatherleigh vs Mt Burr will tell them Naff All......

Yep for the ones that make it the SANFL clubs arguably get more money than what they have put into the kids, however fro every kid that makes it there are 10 that don't, that teh SANFL clubs are putting money into.

I'm sure CD (if he wanted to), BPBRB, R&B etc could give us numerous examples of how their clubs have helped a kid make it to the AFL but have expended lots of $$$ and time into kids that haven't....

[Wedgie]

Perhaps Glenelg should give them some free footys!