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Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Round 9
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
I think if people want to watch the best players in the land play each other, then they wont be watching the SANFL nowadays.
I guess my definition of AFL material is a player that plays AFL. I'm not knocking Gill. I don't mind him as a player. If just for his determination and second efforts.
My point is I don't think it's daylight between many of the players in an AFL team (say not in the top 12 best) and the SANFL. When dropped they don't just cruise through the SANFL and dominate. Justin Westhoff is another good example, when dropped this year he played well at Elizabeth, but he didn't dominate. By that I mean there wasn't daylight between Westhoff and his opposition (I think it was Achee). Between teams/competitions, I agree. As should be expected.
It's daylight between AFL and SANFL but definitely not daylight between the bottom of the barrel AFL player and the better SANFL player. There are plenty of duds in the lower percentiles of the AFL but the better SANFL players are just consistent players and usually don't have a weapon or unlucky with height or lack something. You do see some guys luck out and get a gig. Considering you're a Centrals fan, someone like Stuart Cochrane is a guy who is an SANFL gamer but didn't do too much in his 50 odd games in the AFL. However, in saying there is not much between a dud AFL player and a good SANFL, it isn't really much of a relevation to most.
If all you want to do is troll, go to Bay 13. You even quoted a post giving numerous legitimate reasons for the clubs success which didnt involve money. The club was nearly broke in the 80s.
The original reason for success under Fos Williams had nothing to do with money. Money was no reason to play the game back then. He brought the Victorian style of game to Port Adelaide, he played and picked players who would run throgh brick walls for the club. Thats what brought success to the club. Jack Cahill followed on that and built his own style of game that worked. His second stint of coaching, which arguably was the reason for the club getting into the AFL, there was no massive annual spending sprees picking all the talent coming to SA. It was clever with its recruiting and got players that it needed and would make an impact. The club also relied heavily on its juniors filtering through and considering the club was raided on a nearly yearly basis back in the early 90s, it needed this. The amount of high quality juniors that either forged successful careers at the highest level or played in numerous premierships at SANFL level that came through in the early-mid 90s was phenomenal.
Was it because of money? Some parts yes...but putting it all down to that is ridiculously simplistic and barking up the wrong tree.
both doggies and port supporters want to put their success down to some magic formula for some reason....? Accept it, the reason is because of money!
A few months ago, in a thread which has since been deleted, the current Central Districts' place in SANFL history was being debated. There were some silly enough to suggest that the Centrals of the past 10 years could be mentioned in the same breath as some of the great Port sides of the past. It was a stupid argument and only endured because some are too stubborn to want to admit when they are wrong.
Anyhow, I mentioned in that thread at the time that according to my West Adelaide supporting brother, the reason why Centrals continued to dominate was because it stacked its side with AFL rejects whereas the other SANFL clubs took the time to develop[ future stars which eventually get drafted at the national draft. Of course, some CD fans tried to refute this comment.
Did anyone bother to do a quick mental count of the clubs which lost out most in Saturday's draft? I did.
It appears WWT clearly is the big loser, followed by West Adelaide and then North Adelaide. CD, the two-time defending champions, did not have one player drafted. Not one. Have my brother's words ever rung more true than now. Now I know that Port did not have a player of its drafted either. But Port are not the current powerhouse side of the SANFL. Remember, this is a side which, according to a few Centrals fans, could give the Port sides of the early 80s, the late 80s and mid 90s a run for its money. These Port sides would lose a handful of players to the AFL every year. Yet with Centrals, not one player drafted this year. Those upcoming teams which would have challenged Centrals for the title have now been decimated at the draft, leaving the AFL reject stacked Centrals to run out next year pretty much unchallenged.
What a sad state the SANFL is in.
Agreed. As I mentioned "throw" Schell in the mix of those names also. Just because a player is on or has been on an AFL list doesn't necessarily equate to the player being even automatically in an SANFL teams starting line up. There's many examples of players (mostly young guys) playing SANFL reserves. Peninsula Boy I didn't say:
"However, in saying there is not much between a dud AFL player and a good SANFL, it isn't really much of a relevation to most."
What I said was
"My point is I don't think it's daylight between many of the players in an AFL team (say not in the top 12 best) and the SANFL"
I don't think a player has to be a "dud" to be comparable to many SANFL players.
I'm not sure who I'd rather have out of Chambers and Gill.
On that note also. I think the standard of the SANFL is quite good. I've seen some pretty average AFL games this year with some pretty poor skills displayed.
You started off poorly with 'Money was no reason to play the game back then' but then slowly seem to come around to my pov at the end 'Was it because of money? Some parts yes'. Clearly you understand that, Money/resources/ability to attract and retain good players etc is what is needed for sustained success. In simple terms its money.
The myth that you had somehow found some magic gameplan is silly, because you would of used it in 1997 if it meant success. You were a big fish in a small pond, now you're the opposite in the AFL.