Which div of the SAAFL=SFL?

[Officeworks]

A couple of weeks ago one of my mates came with me to watch Valley's play Hackham in what could be described as a whitewash. The whole game he wouldn't shut up about the shocking skills that were on display, which led to some pretty heated debate about where exactly the SFL sits in the scheme of things amoungst the SA leagues. He was adiment that if Happy Valley were to play in the SAAFL they would struggle to beat most div 4 teams, and that Hackam would be an average at best div 7 team. I was shocked as I would of thought the top 5 SFL teams would at least play finals in div 2. What are other peoples thoughts on this??

[Axle Rose]

A couple of weeks ago one of my mates came with me to watch Valley's play Hackham in what could be described as a whitewash. The whole game he wouldn't shut up about the shocking skills that were on display, which led to some pretty heated debate about where exactly the SFL sits in the scheme of things amoungst the SA leagues. He was adiment that if Happy Valley were to play in the SAAFL they would struggle to beat most div 4 teams, and that Hackam would be an average at best div 7 team. I was shocked as I would of thought the top 5 SFL teams would at least play finals in div 2. What are other peoples thoughts on this??

Your mate is probably not far off the mark, but you are also correct. Happy Valley are no longer one of the power sides in the sfl and hackham are the cellar dwellers, so dont judge the league on what you saw. The competition is currently very lopsided, but the top 4-5 sides would play div 2 finals and would be competetive in div 1.

[aceman]

A couple of weeks ago one of my mates came with me to watch Valley's play Hackham in what could be described as a whitewash. The whole game he wouldn't shut up about the shocking skills that were on display, which led to some pretty heated debate about where exactly the SFL sits in the scheme of things amoungst the SA leagues. He was adiment that if Happy Valley were to play in the SAAFL they would struggle to beat most div 4 teams, and that Hackam would be an average at best div 7 team. I was shocked as I would of thought the top 5 SFL teams would at least play finals in div 2. What are other peoples thoughts on this??

Your mate is probably not far off the mark, but you are also correct. Happy Valley are no longer one of the power sides in the sfl and hackham are the cellar dwellers, so dont judge the league on what you saw. The competition is currently very lopsided, but the top 4-5 sides would play div 2 finals and would be competetive in div 1.

I reckon you would find that the major difference is that in Div 1 & 2 SAAFL, you don't get too many easy games, all are at similar levels of pressure in their division ( except Kilburn).
A big jump from Div 3 up but reckon maybe Reynella and Cove could hold their own in Div 2.

[cyclops]

aceman-m/vale,towns brighton.how do u think they would fair?


I reckon you would find that the major difference is that in Div 1 & 2 SAAFL, you don't get too many easy games, all are at similar levels of pressure in their division ( except Kilburn).
A big jump from Div 3 up but reckon maybe Reynella and Cove could hold their own in Div 2.[/quote]

[lovetotalkfooty]

I can only talk about who i played last year and how they stand up to the teams i have played this year.

Top 4/5 teams in the SFl right now would be 4-10 in div 1 or 1-5 div 2. After that the next lot would be anywhere from div 3 to div 5. The bottom few teams would be competitive in div 7. I think the jump is just to big in the SFL for it to be all in 1 league. Split it in to 2 divisions and you willhave a better comp.

I played for christies beach last yer and brahma lodge this year and honestly believe it would be a very close game between the two sides.

I hope that helps

[The Lova]

I can only talk about who i played last year and how they stand up to the teams i have played this year.

Top 4/5 teams in the SFl right now would be 4-10 in div 1 or 1-5 div 2. After that the next lot would be anywhere from div 3 to div 5. The bottom few teams would be competitive in div 7. I think the jump is just to big in the SFL for it to be all in 1 league. Split it in to 2 divisions and you willhave a better comp.

I played for christies beach last yer and brahma lodge this year and honestly believe it would be a very close game between the two sides.

I hope that helps

well written LTTF, This discussion comes up all the time and only people that have played both can have an educated opinion. It always will be hard to compare but its good to know where your getting your opinion from and that you are not just another person from either league trying to tell everyone how good they/ their team is. cheers.

[HH3]

We played Flinders Park at the start of 2008 and they beat us by 23 goals. They were Div 3 but went on to win the grandy. But even tho most teams in the SFL have beaten us by more, i wouldnt say teams like Noarlunga and Marion would be competitive against Flinders Park.

We played Adelaide Unis Div 7 side this year and won by 11 goals. So id say Hackham would be in Div 7 at the moment.

[Running the Rod]

I used to play for Goodie Saints and can honestly say the competition in the SFL would be about a level below Div 1 in SAAFL for the top sides and the lower ranked clubs a division or 2 lower than that.
I really believe the only way to improve our competition down south is to implement this type of division system into our comp. That way the games will be relatively competitive from year to year. I realise that will stuff the junior comp around but they have their own comps anyway where clubs are unable to field sides in certain grades. Like this year where clubs are playing on Saturdays have their teams playing in three different locations at times.
Maybe the answer is to include all SFL and GSFL sides and form 2 or 3 divisions and include the C grade comp to play maybe in Div 3 against the lower A or B grade sides....
The divisions could be decided from year to year as follows.
If the sides at the bottom of the table from each comp form a competition and the top sides do the same and at the end of each season the bottom 2 in Div 1 are relagated to Div 2 and the top 2 sides are promoted to Div 1. This may keep our game alive instead of reducing the interest in clubs that are struggling.
Only a thought....

[MatteeG]

I used to play for Goodie Saints and can honestly say the competition in the SFL would be about a level below Div 1 in SAAFL for the top sides and the lower ranked clubs a division or 2 lower than that.
I really believe the only way to improve our competition down south is to implement this type of division system into our comp. That way the games will be relatively competitive from year to year. I realise that will stuff the junior comp around but they have their own comps anyway where clubs are unable to field sides in certain grades. Like this year where clubs are playing on Saturdays have their teams playing in three different locations at times.
Maybe the answer is to include all SFL and GSFL sides and form 2 or 3 divisions and include the C grade comp to play maybe in Div 3 against the lower A or B grade sides....
The divisions could be decided from year to year as follows.
If the sides at the bottom of the table from each comp form a competition and the top sides do the same and at the end of each season the bottom 2 in Div 1 are relagated to Div 2 and the top 2 sides are promoted to Div 1. This may keep our game alive instead of reducing the interest in clubs that are struggling.
Only a thought....

Flogging* a dead horse there Rod. Although I'd agree with it, the argument against is that players leave the div 2 clubs to play Div 1 (This did happen a lot before).

[Bomberland]

I played in the SFL for 6 years, and am now playing in div 2 Amateur league.
the main difference is consistency of games, and the depth of players in the teams. Edwardstown is your prime example. 5th or 6th in Div 2 last year, top 4 SFL this year. So that should be your measuring stick. top SFL sides would be around the mark for finals only, and then it drops off from there. Of course there are div 2 sides that would beat struggling Div 1 clubs so you could make an argument that some SFL clubs 'could' be div 1 standard.

as it stands in Div 2, everyone in the top 6/7 has beaten everyone, and all games are close. And injuries cost you games, unlike in SFL where good sides can still limp over the line because of the disparity. Game style is different too. Amateur's is faster, SFL tougher. So s fit bloke goes well in the SFL, but conversely if you can run and are fairly hard at it you will be an excellent Amateur league player.

Hope that helps

[asert]

i dont think you can take edwardstown sitting in the top 4 seriously with the draw they have. they were given obvious concessions comiung into the sfl and you will see this when they go out in straight sets come finals. playing us lonsdale hackham as your twice a year is a joke. i dont think even they would want that easy of a run to finals then come up against a brighton who will be back at full strength when theyve been cruising. you say they finished 6 or 7th in div 2 well they recruited and would be about the same on our ladder if they had the draw they should

[Esteban Vihaio]

i dont think you can take edwardstown sitting in the top 4 seriously with the draw they have. they were given obvious concessions comiung into the sfl and you will see this when they go out in straight sets come finals. playing us lonsdale hackham as your twice a year is a joke. i dont think even they would want that easy of a run to finals then come up against a brighton who will be back at full strength when theyve been cruising. you say they finished 6 or 7th in div 2 well they recruited and would be about the same on our ladder if they had the draw they should

Edwardstown are 3 wins, 2 losses, and one draw against the other top 7 clubs
EDWARDSTOWN 14.11-95 PORT NOARLUNGA 14.5-89
EDWARDSTOWN 12.8-80 MORPHETT VALE 12.8-80
EDWARDSTOWN 9.9-63 BRIGHTON DISTRICT & OLD SCHOLARS 11.14-80
EDWARDSTOWN 7.5-47 HAPPY VALLEY 12.12-84
EDWARDSTOWN 22.13-145 COVE 7.15-57
EDWARDSTOWN 16.8-104 REYNELLA 11.11-77

Currently they are fourth and 4 pts ahead of cove, 7 for valleys, and 9 for Porties. If you substract the ludriciousness of the SFL draw, I'd say they rank about fifth this year.

BTW - Their last two games are against Morphett vale and porties, not what I would call an easy run into the finals.

[Bag The Points]

Edwardstown 22-13, Cove 7-5 ----- just in case anyone had forgotten.
Sure they have had an easier draw than other top contendeds, but they have shown they belong where they are standing ---- a draw with Morphett Vale and a comfortable win over Reynella are further indications.
Go out in straight sets ? You've got to be joking. I'm expecting they will play in the Prelims and they are a huge threat to the expected Morphett/Brighton Grand Final.

[Farva]

Lonsdale only play edwardstown once asert, they are a good team but seeing them yesterday i don't think they will beat morphies, brighton or reynella.

[Turbo]

Edwardstown 22-13, Cove 7-5 ----- just in case anyone had forgotten.
Sure they have had an easier draw than other top contendeds, but they have shown they belong where they are standing ---- a draw with Morphett Vale and a comfortable win over Reynella are further indications.
Go out in straight sets ? You've got to be joking. I'm expecting they will play in the Prelims and they are a huge threat to the expected Morphett/Brighton Grand Final.

An injury depleted Cove at that point of the season

[Bag The Points]

Lonsdale only play edwardstown once asert, they are a good team but seeing them yesterday i don't think they will beat morphies, brighton or reynella.

For some reason the Towns have repeatedly looked ordinary against the lower-ranked sides, but I rate them on what they do against the power sides, and they have continually stood up when asked the question.
Will be no lower than fourth and a possible Premier.

[Esteban Vihaio]

Edwardstown 22-13, Cove 7-5 ----- just in case anyone had forgotten.
Sure they have had an easier draw than other top contendeds, but they have shown they belong where they are standing ---- a draw with Morphett Vale and a comfortable win over Reynella are further indications.
Go out in straight sets ? You've got to be joking. I'm expecting they will play in the Prelims and they are a huge threat to the expected Morphett/Brighton Grand Final.

An injury depleted Cove at that point of the season

Every team has injuries, even St Kilda were supposedly suffering with eight guys out for the game yesterday.

[Zelezny Chucks]

I played in the SFL for 6 years, and am now playing in div 2 Amateur league.
the main difference is consistency of games, and the depth of players in the teams. Edwardstown is your prime example. 5th or 6th in Div 2 last year, top 4 SFL this year. So that should be your measuring stick. top SFL sides would be around the mark for finals only, and then it drops off from there. Of course there are div 2 sides that would beat struggling Div 1 clubs so you could make an argument that some SFL clubs 'could' be div 1 standard.

as it stands in Div 2, everyone in the top 6/7 has beaten everyone, and all games are close. And injuries cost you games, unlike in SFL where good sides can still limp over the line because of the disparity. Game style is different too. Amateur's is faster, SFL tougher. So s fit bloke goes well in the SFL, but conversely if you can run and are fairly hard at it you will be an excellent Amateur league player.

Hope that helps

Not sure how closely you follow your own competition but towns were within a win of going back up to Div 1, slight difference to 5th or 6th. Doesn't give your opinion too much credibility if you can't even get your facts right.

Agreed the difference between the top and bottom sides is a lot greater but as they say you can only beat who you are playing. Don't judge the top SFL sides at a lower level just because they have to play the bottom sides.

[Turbo]

Edwardstown 22-13, Cove 7-5 ----- just in case anyone had forgotten.
Sure they have had an easier draw than other top contendeds, but they have shown they belong where they are standing ---- a draw with Morphett Vale and a comfortable win over Reynella are further indications.
Go out in straight sets ? You've got to be joking. I'm expecting they will play in the Prelims and they are a huge threat to the expected Morphett/Brighton Grand Final.

An injury depleted Cove at that point of the season

Every team has injuries, even St Kilda were supposedly suffering with eight guys out for the game yesterday.

These weren't for a week or two either. They were to key players down the spine and in the middle. We'll see what September brings, should be a great finals series

[Bully]

then its one good reason there are relegation and promotion spots in SAAFL it promots teams that are good and smashing every side, and the other teams relegated and go down for a few years then come back up stronger then before.yes am aware of not enough teams in SFL to do this but it proves the relegation/promotion thing works

I agree M/vale and brighton would be good Div 1 sides and the most of the rest would be div 3 and then bottom sides top of div 7/bottom div 6