Is the divide between SANFL and AFL a bridge too far?

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Power Raid

TheBrownDog
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Posts
61,644
Likes
50,398
Location
West Perth
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#27
I know I quite often stir a few of you up stating the SANFL was only ever the "B " grade which always gets a bite but has the chasm between the 2 leagues now become that great that it is now not a lot better than the Great Southern league down Victor way?
Blokes like Mitchell.Young ,Moore and Ah Chee burn it up in the SANFL fully warranting a place in the AFL side. But when they get there the pace and pressure is far too quick for them.They are only spot fillers at best and soon find themselves back in the magoos where they are superstars once more.
Monfries who arguably has been quite pathetic this year in my opinion goes back and dominates like Russell Ebert no doubt earning a recall next week where no doubt he might play serviceable at best.
Obviously there is not a lot we can do about it unless we play in the actual VFL one day but I personally don't think our seconds are getting the development they need in the SANFL.
Perhaps this is just one reason amongst many why our season has faltered so badly in the big league this year? I know a few of you will come out and say the SANFL is the best second tier league etc .Didn't WA beat them this year? It is more of a third tier league nowadays.
I guess we are still in a better position than the God Coast and Brisbanes seconds in the Qld league.They are really up against it.
The SANFL probably needs to be reduced to 8 sides to raise the standard or Port should join the VFL. Port Melbourne anyone?

I'm not sure what purpose West Torrens and Gelenelg play in the competition. Would anyone notice they merged or folded?
 

tribey

5 Wins In-A-Row Certificate Recipients '13/'14/'18
Joined
Mar 9, 2003
Posts
56,089
Likes
119,562
Location
Queen St & Peter Rd
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
NUFC, YES.
#28
The SANFL probably needs to be reduced to 8 sides to raise the standard or Port should join the VFL. Port Melbourne anyone?

I'm not sure what purpose West Torrens and Gelenelg play in the competition. Would anyone notice they merged or folded?
A few premierships and a cavalcade of AFL stars since the merger. They shit me to tears, but WWT are probably the most deserving after Norwood and Central to survive into the distant future.
 

Us against the rest

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Posts
9,274
Likes
8,305
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#29
This is my post from yesterday in another thread.

When things were up in the air, about the Magpies becoming our reserve team in the SANfl, I had reservations. IMO our reserve team should play in the VFL. The SANFL standard has a bearing on the development of our players, Moore, Young, and so on. From what i can see, our reserve team also is inflicted with poor skills and average performances. The thing is when you have a side with a sprinkling of (so called) AFL players, it's easy to be fooled, when they beat the likes of South A and West A. Just my thoughts.
 

Dalphonso

Premiership Player
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Posts
3,716
Likes
1,855
Location
Alice Springs NT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Territory Thunder,Waratahs FC
Thread starter #31
The ******* rules are different, and that is annoying. Every interpretation is different. This is why we need an AFL ran reserves competition.
Is this because the SANFL are still that pig arsed stubborn that they don't want any advice from the AFL ?They will gladly take the AFL money though.
The AFL have taken over just about every major league and run it the way they wqant to_Oh not the good old SANFL though.If they had their way there would be no sides from SA playing in the AFL.
 

Dalphonso

Premiership Player
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Posts
3,716
Likes
1,855
Location
Alice Springs NT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Territory Thunder,Waratahs FC
Thread starter #32
This is my post from yesterday in another thread.

When things were up in the air, about the Magpies becoming our reserve team in the SANfl, I had reservations. IMO our reserve team should play in the VFL. The SANFL standard has a bearing on the development of our players, Moore, Young, and so on. From what i can see, our reserve team also is inflicted with poor skills and average performances. The thing is when you have a side with a sprinkling of (so called) AFL players, it's easy to be fooled, when they beat the likes of South A and West A. Just my thoughts.
They blitz the cellar dwellers but struggle against bigger bodied footballers at clubs like Norwood.Ours is a development side playing blokes that will smash you in sloppy conditions. No AFL player plays much in the slop and mud these days.
 

ploppy

Club Legend
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Posts
2,311
Likes
1,718
Location
adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#33
its fine they get to get their confidence up and try new skills against the bottom teams and get really tested against norwood..id be worried if they were beating everyone easy but they look pretty evenly matched with most sides.
 

awesomedal14

#BringBackTheBars
Joined
May 10, 2014
Posts
1,500
Likes
4,285
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool FC
#34
How good would an English Football style division system with multiple leagues using promotions and relegation's be in Aussie Rules Football.. imagine the Maggies and the Power playing in the same league :drunk:
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

ab56452001

Club Legend
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Posts
1,605
Likes
810
Location
salisbury
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#38
They blitz the cellar dwellers but struggle against bigger bodied footballers at clubs like Norwood.Ours is a development side playing blokes that will smash you in sloppy conditions. No AFL player plays much in the slop and mud these days.
You write as if these AFL rookies came from nowhere , didn't play junior footy in the rain , played in Amateur/SA/WAfl leagues on waterlogged ovals , against grown blokes and so on , I think your making excuses for piss weak drafting.
 

PA88

Premiership Player
Joined
Apr 6, 2014
Posts
3,316
Likes
3,223
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#40
I am glad other people can see what i see.
I see a team just a tad better with execution skills than its afl side and I see amateur teams executing their kicking with better efficiency than ours. We should be winning games comfortably in this league. The root of the problem is us. Probably if we were in an AFL reserves league we would be able to throw some money to better top up players as would the other teams and that way get a better competition but our issues grow from within our club at the moment..
 

ab56452001

Club Legend
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Posts
1,605
Likes
810
Location
salisbury
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#41
While we are on the subject of recruiting/development , id like to know who our development recruiters are and what history/qualifications they have ?. Seems to me we've followed Brendan Phillips U18 style hook line and sinker , his type win the or do well in the national comp , but as they get older reletivley few of his lads make it , imho his teams seem to have an abundance of the skillfull ( when allowed ) HBF , outside receiver types , the Afl clubs must think the same because a year ago SA won the comp and only 4 from the team were rookied/drafted. , seems we have more than our share of those types at the PAFC.
 

mic59

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Jul 20, 2002
Posts
18,205
Likes
10,194
Location
Alberton, the chosen land
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Blyth Spartans, Dallas Cowboys
#42
Apart from the quality of play there are two things that will always mean excellence in the SANFL need not necessarily translate to the AFL. In the AFL one of the skills that is especially important is to handball out of a pack and this often means handballing onto the ground. Doing this on SANFL grounds is fraught with danger as not only are the grounds mudheaps but the ball is different. Also when passing in the AFL you sometimes need to put the ball in front of the player instead of onto their chest. They run onto the ball and eventually it bounces up for them. Again because of the ball and ground this may not work in the SANFL.

These things can be done at practice but as we all know there is nothing like match practice.
 

RustyCage

Club Legend
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Posts
2,393
Likes
1,900
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#43
The SANFL probably needs to be reduced to 8 sides to raise the standard or Port should join the VFL. Port Melbourne anyone?

I'm not sure what purpose West Torrens and Gelenelg play in the competition. Would anyone notice they merged or folded?
A game clear on top of the league, undefeated in the reserves, and a game clear on top of the u18s, yeah I think people would notice if the Eagles weren't there.
 

Golumless

I'm kind of a big deal on the east side
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Posts
22,597
Likes
25,059
Location
Wherever the ESH clubrooms are
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Newcastle, Colorado Rockies.
#44
I know I quite often stir a few of you up stating the SANFL was only ever the "B " grade which always gets a bite but has the chasm between the 2 leagues now become that great that it is now not a lot better than the Great Southern league down Victor way?
Blokes like Mitchell.Young ,Moore and Ah Chee burn it up in the SANFL fully warranting a place in the AFL side. But when they get there the pace and pressure is far too quick for them.They are only spot fillers at best and soon find themselves back in the magoos where they are superstars once more.
Monfries who arguably has been quite pathetic this year in my opinion goes back and dominates like Russell Ebert no doubt earning a recall next week where no doubt he might play serviceable at best.
Obviously there is not a lot we can do about it unless we play in the actual VFL one day but I personally don't think our seconds are getting the development they need in the SANFL.
Perhaps this is just one reason amongst many why our season has faltered so badly in the big league this year? I know a few of you will come out and say the SANFL is the best second tier league etc .Didn't WA beat them this year? It is more of a third tier league nowadays.
I guess we are still in a better position than the God Coast and Brisbanes seconds in the Qld league.They are really up against it.
To weigh into this debate; i think you're looking at the wrong thing purely because every team that has a reserves side has the same issues in terms of playing bigger players that aren't up to AFL standard. In terms of development, arguably, the VFL would be worse due to having more reserve teams present.

Anyone that has been in an AFL system for 3 odd years should be dominating, especially, if they have an inside game (which most of the players you listed do have) due to the extra training they've had, recovery and so forth. The thing the reserve side should be doing teaching your players to play to your structure, and, helping fast track your young players that have a future in the AFL. If you're not getting that influx of young players through, then, your problem is more with the development/drafting side of things than the competition they are in.

You are dead right about one thing though; if there is any team that has the right to bitch about the quality of the competition their reserve side is in it's those 4 ;)
 

1954

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Posts
5,896
Likes
8,446
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#47
I reckon the top VFL teams are probably 5-6 goals better than most snafl teams, so that comp is arguably the 2nd best in the nation now, and sa and wa are fighting for 3rd spot.

I would love to see a national reserve's comp, apart from the other positives it could be quite amusing to see how the snafl crowds would dwindle with no Port Adelaide presence. :cool:
 

El_Scorcho

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Posts
24,296
Likes
50,086
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Aston Villa, San Antonio Spurs
#49
It's not as good as a genuine AFL reserves competition would be, but it does the job.

We as a club need to be aware of the differences between the leagues, though. There is a reason the likes of the Gowans and Chambers and Wundke dominate at SANFL level but would be useless at AFL level. A good SANFL player =/= a good AFL player, and vice versa.
 
Top Bottom