This time the AFL has gone too far....

[am Bays]

Christ, this is radical stuff that could see the introduction of an AFL reserves competition further weakening the SANFL competition and the VFL and WAFL.....

http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/news/afl/afl-toys-with-plan-to-bring-back-reserves-football/2007/03/07/1173166799460.html

Some serious questions will the SANFL as the licence holders of the two licenses allow the Adelaide Crows and Port Power to have reserves sides???

IS the AFL concerned that SANFL clubs are pinching VFL players away from Victoria so want to make it more attractive for Victorian kids to play in Victoria but alligned to an AFL club??

Where do players 45-55 play in Adelaide when they aren't playing for Adelaide or Port Power assuming no injuries and 22 are playing A & B grade respectively??

Can the AFL clubs afford this especially the poorer Melbourne based clubs??

With the potential increase in expenditure by the AFL clubs to run a 2nds side how does this impact on the SANFL dividend back to the League clubs if less money is being returned to the SANFL from teh two licenses??

NB I've put this in the SANFL forum rather than the AFL forum because of its potential impact on the SANFL

[rod_rooster]

Bloody oath they've gone too far. What a lot of bollocks.

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

It's just a 'Pie in the Sky' & common sense should prevail!
I wouldn't worry too much... ain't gonna happen!

[Hondo]

I think the most likely outcome would be the 12 team Eastern States Comp, in time. Would keep the travelling costs down v a national reserves comp but give those Eastern States team the greater control they want.

Having said that, I don't think the Crows and Power will let the current system go on indefinitely and eventually we will find their listed players playing A & Bs for them. When the Crows first came in, I preferred to see the AFL listed players come back to the local comp if not selected by the Crows. Now, 17 years on I have moved on and now think it's better for the SANFL clubs to just focus on the players they have 100% access to and can build a season around rather than having 3-8 players coming in and out each week. I reckon the players would prefer it too.

It's always been an anomoly that if a SANFL player is drafted by a non-SA club we never see them in the SANFL - but if the Crows or Power get them we do see them for a short while. Are we better off just biting the bullet and writing all the AFL-draftees off for the period they are AFL listed? It might seem a shock to us SANFL fans but I wonder if deep down even the SANFL clubs would prefer it?

I maybe don't agree with it, but I certainly understand why the Crows and Power would prefer that their players stay in their environment each week rather than disappearing in to a pool of different clubs, playing at different locations with not much say as to what positions they play. And as SANFL supporters do we want our competition compromised by having our teams be forced to play AFL listed players in positions the AFL teams want? I am starting to feel we would be better off just writing the AFL listed SANFL players out of our comp.

I don't agree with having Crows and Power reserves sides playing in the SANFL A league which is why this 16 team reserves comp may get up in time. I don't think this is designed for the VFL teams to protect their players from SANFL recruting scouts. I think this is purely an AFL focussed review to come up with the best outcome for AFL clubs.

[Aerie]

If this were to happen though, it wouldn't just be the local AFL players we wouldn't see playing SANFL. There would be an additional 240 odd players on AFL lists because of the increase in size of lists. This would severely drain the quality of player in the state league comps.

This concept is ridiculous. Firstly they should reduce the amount of teams to 12 or 14 at the most if they even consider this.

The old VFL/current AFL are fast losing support with the common football fan. As the largest and most powerful Aussie footy organisation, surely they should be doing what's best for Australian Rules Football in general and not just the small mindedness of doing what is best for the coaches of the 16 AFL clubs.

I very much doubt this will happen, but if it does, the SANFL should do everything in its power to prevent it from happening. That is if they care about league footy in South Australia and the impact it would have on the many people involved in a competition that has been around for over 100 years.

Tassie has summed it up well in his heading - the AFL have been pushing the limits with rule changes etc. for a long time, but this is taking it too far...

[zipzap]

Cue McDermott...

[smac]

Where do players 45-55 play in Adelaide when they aren't playing for Adelaide or Port Power assuming no injuries and 22 are playing A & B grade respectively??

And where do the extra players come from when Crows or Power have 10 injuries (not uncommon now with current list sizes)?

The SANFL have a conflict here too - the Crows and Power may like the sound of control of their entire list at all times, instead of being at the mercy of SANFL clubs whilst the SANFL as a league would be against the idea. I wonder which side of the argument carries most weight...

[Magpiespower]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

[RustyCage]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

[haloman]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

Tredrea in a Magpie gurnsey............interesting.

[mighty_tiger_79]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

well most of them end up at the magpies anyway so they basically have a reserves side

[westside]

Anyone who doesn't realise now that the gloves are well and truly off should leave the room immediately.

[Booney]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

well most of them end up at the magpies anyway so they basically have a reserves side

And the players in question are? Give us the facts mate.

[Aerie]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

So hypothetically, Port Power could draft an Eagles player under the father-son rule and then have him playing for the Port Magpies against the Eagles in the SANFL the next season. **** off! Either produce your own players (which the AFL won't allow with the current rules in place) or enter a Port Power reserves side in the SANFL and piss off the Magpies!

[smac]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

well most of them end up at the magpies anyway so they basically have a reserves side

And the players in question are? Give us the facts mate.

You're not turning into a pedant now are you Boon? Wedgie has that covered.

[westies sarge]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

So hypothetically, Port Power could draft an Eagles player under the father-son rule and then have him playing for the Port Magpies against the Eagles in the SANFL the next season. **** off! Either produce your own players (which the AFL won't allow with the current rules in place) or enter a Port Power reserves side in the SANFL and piss off the Magpies!

or just get rid of the port magpies all together

[haloman]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

So hypothetically, Port Power could draft an Eagles player under the father-son rule and then have him playing for the Port Magpies against the Eagles in the SANFL the next season. **** off! Either produce your own players (which the AFL won't allow with the current rules in place) or enter a Port Power reserves side in the SANFL and piss off the Magpies!

or just get rid of the port magpies all together

Are you kidding. Not in the middle of one of their most unsuccessful passages in history. I'm enjoying watching them get beaten. I'm MOST of you are the same.

[RustyCage]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

Tredrea in a Magpie gurnsey............interesting.

He will be in a Magpies guernsey again in a couple of weeks. And he has already spent a fair bit of time in a Magpies guernsey in the past. He was our ruckman in the 1997 GF after Chalmbers went down (hence we got spanked). Nothing better than seeing Port Adelaide players back in the black and white - Pickett, S Burgoyne, Meady, Wangas. Warms the heart it does.

[RustyCage]

Could we one day see a merged Port/Crows side as the tenth team in the SANFL?

Bloody hope not!!

Bring in a Crows reserves team and have all the Power players go to the Magpies

So hypothetically, Port Power could draft an Eagles player under the father-son rule and then have him playing for the Port Magpies against the Eagles in the SANFL the next season. **** off! Either produce your own players (which the AFL won't allow with the current rules in place) or enter a Port Power reserves side in the SANFL and piss off the Magpies!

or just get rid of the port magpies all together

Are you kidding. Not in the middle of one of their most unsuccessful passages in history. I'm enjoying watching them get beaten. I'm MOST of you are the same.

And who do you support halo?

[Barto]

I couldn't believe it when I saw the back page of The West. The AFL have rocks in their head if they think destroying the local leagues is going to be of benefit to them.

Also why would the AFL clubs (especially the non Vic clubs) want to spend an extra million or two dragging two squads across the country to play reserves and league?

The whole idea suggests theyre smoking crack at AFL house. Pricks.