Perception v Reality: Part1

[redandblack]

Perception v Reality - Part 1

By redandblack

“SA Football is in turmoil”.

If you’re a reader of some local journalists, this is because the evil SANFL Commission and its money-hungry league clubs are hindering the development of our 2 AFL teams. As a result, the all-powerful AFL will exact a terrible revenge on the upstart, negligent and insignificant SANFL.

It can all be solved if the SANFL just negotiate a stadium deal that’s profitable for Port Adelaide if they attract 16,000 people to a game at AAMI Stadium and do as they’re told by the local AFL clubs.

If you’re a reader of SA Footy, it’s because the evil SANFL Commission and the evil, all-powerful AFL will exact a terrible revenge on the otherwise only ‘real’ football in SA.

It can all be solved if the SANFL just tell the AFL to stop interfering in SA football (that’s the polite version).

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between, but unfortunately in modern life, facts have no chance against perception and constant repetition of illogical agendas. Let’s look at some of the issues, trying not to be guilty of being illogical.

Port Adelaide is a drain on football/Port Adelaide is only held back by the greed of the SANFL clubs.

Perhaps neither? The SANFL make money from Port playing at AAMI and the AFL need that to happen, as do the TV stations. One of Port’s problems might be that it has been a successful club over a long period. Perhaps a combination of a lack of success and a less-than-exciting playing style has meant that fans who are only used to success drop off quickly, until success is restored. There is no doubt that plenty of the money Port have generated for the SANFL has been channelled back to that club and now the AFL is having to pour in funds.

As for the bigger picture that the SANFL clubs don’t support Port and are a major reason for Port’s problems, perhaps the SANFL have had one unrealistic and optimistic budget projection too many. However a new stadium deal might assist Port, it only papers over their more fundamental problem. That problem, of course, is that no-one is coming to see them play. Their woes would be well on the way to being solved if 30,000 or more would come along to their games.


SANFL football is irrelevant in the greater scheme/SANFL is the only ‘real’ football.



I think there’s a case to be made for both of these statements. In the overall scheme of things, the SANFL isn’t very relevant, but that statement could be equally applied to ever State League or grassroots club in the land, so perhaps the statement itself is irrelevant. The case for it being ‘real’ football is stronger, up to a point, as it hasn’t (yet) become the highly planned, strategically-flooded ‘spectacle’ that is often modern-day AFL football. Two things are clear, though: firstly that it is a more grassroots, high standard game, passionately followed by fans who identify closely with their team and secondly, that it was the forerunner of AFL football in this state.

Venturing into opinion again, I am one of those passionate SANFL followers, but with a difference to many. I enjoy a good game of football, whether it’s SANFL or AFL. I’ll enjoy a Crows win, but not nearly as much as a West Adelaide win. I’ll quickly get over a Crows loss, but it’s a painful, slow week after a Blood’s loss. In recent years, there have been a lot of painful, slow weeks, but I wouldn’t think of not turning up the next week. Many Port AFL fans seem to be different.



SANFL football is a better spectacle than AFL


The first thing that needs to be said is that AFL is a vastly higher standard than SANFL. That’s obvious, but the SANFL is a tough place for an AFL-listed player to get a kick. I’ve watched many recent AFL games and seen a great spectacle, filled with total skill and courage. So many players are a joy to watch and (here’s opinion again) I think it would be churlish to think otherwise. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many wars of attrition, as the same routine of each team short-passing across the backline, desperately looking for a way through an 18 man zone, is repeated as each team tries to take advantage of the inevitable turnover. That’s a problem I hope will be solved as the game evolves, but it’s a problem right now. I love the SANFL brand, but I’ve also seen plenty of matches that have been sub-standard. They’re outweighed by the love I have for the SANFL style, something I’ll expand on more next time, along with the misunderstanding of what it stands for by so many who should know better.


The SANFL doesn’t respect the AFL/The AFL doesn’t respect the SANFL


First , a fact. The SANFL owns the licences. That means the Crows and the Power are under the control of the SANFL clubs. Like it or lump it, that’s the situation. I am confident in saying that if the licence had been handed to Port years ago, they would by now have ceased to exist without outside help. More likely, of course, is that the AFL would have bailed them out years ago. That in itself destroys the theory that it’s the SANFL causing the trouble with Port. I’d also say that the current value of the Port Adelaide licence in South Australia is somewhere between zero and nothing.

As for respect, perhaps that’s a two-way street. Whatever ‘disrespect’ the SANFL has for its AFL clubs is at least equalled by the AFL clubs treatment of its SANFL clubs at times. Player movements week-by-week and player availablity for finals are just two matters where there’s a problem. The AFL clubs are totally entitled to make those decisions, but accordingly it can’t be well argued that disrespect is in one direction only.

The issue of finances is one to be covered in Part 2, but I’ll close by making a statement that isn’t often heard in a football world where opposition and antagonism reigns supreme. Tomorrow, the captain of Port Adelaide, Dom Cassisi, will play his first game for the Bloods for 8 years. It’s his 45th game for Westies and he’s excited to be playing. He’ll join Jason Davenport and Chris Schmidt and others who are passionate about their SANFL club and their AFL club. Over the next week or two, I’ll be supporting Michael Pettigrew as he plays his 100th AFL game. He’s been at Westies often over that time and has always given his best.

I don’t see why there has to be antagonism between the two leagues. The better AFL players generally have no problem seeing and enjoying the best that each league has to offer.

It would be nice for fans, journalists and commentators to perhaps realize this at times and join them, but perception and headlines to often win out over reality.

[oldfella]

Top Post - look forward to part 2.

Problems will never be solved when the method of problem solving is to blame everybody else - ALL need to start in their own organization and then look outward with no lies or politics