Shrikes

[Lionel Lyon]

Not sure why PAFC never considered this as a mascot, being the state bird n' all and almost being the same thing as a magpie. Did it ever come up as an option?

 

[captain ebert]

poor little cousin to the magpie.

if it werent to be a magpie, it had to be something far removed from the animal kingdom, elevated even, hence the name "power" - really says it all about the PAFC & its famous history

 

[Lionel Lyon]

poor little cousin to the magpie.

Fair 'nuff. Though sometimes I wonder whether all these things aren't a matter of perspective. I've been living in the US a while, and here the Shrike is even more innocent looking than the Piping Shrike. Yet, named after the Shrike are a bunch of things ranging from warplanes to guns that suggest strength, power, and don't-mess-with-me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrike_(disambiguation)

 

[Ford Fairlane]

The Piping Shrike is a white backed magpie. Not to be confused with the smaller Magpie-lark (also known as the Murray Magpie or Peewee - that's the small black and white bird that attacks car mirrors among other things).

 

[Lionel Lyon]

The Piping Shrike is a white backed magpie. Not to be confused with the smaller Magpie-lark (also known as the Murray Magpie or Peewee - that's the small black and white bird that attacks car mirrors among other things).

Yes, what exactly a Piping Shrike is seems to be a point of controversy. I've always thought it's pretty close to a regular magpie. If so, maybe it would've been a smart, backdoor way of Port retaining the Magpie theme, all with a specifically SA packaging.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

It's more a point of misunderstanding than controversy. A Piping Shrike is the Magpie as we know it across the southern states. It was an unwinnable battle, even back in 1990.

link

The piping shrike is also known as the white-backed magpie. Magpies can roughly be divided into white-backed and black-backed. The white-backed magpie is largely confined to western and southern Australia. (Kaplan, 2004).

There are at least four different subspecies of Australian magpie:

* The Black-backed Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen tibicen) found in Queensland and New South Wales, right across the Top End and most of arid Western Australia. In the future the black-backed race may be further split into four separate races, as there are regional differences between them.
* The White-backed Magpie (G. tibicen leuconata) found in Victoria, South Australia, and outback NSW.
* The Tasmanian Magpie (G. tibicen hypoleuca).
* The Western Magpie (G. tibicen dorsalis) in the fertile south-west corner of Western Australia.

link

The confusion is that people sometimes think the piping shrike is the magpie-lark, below.

vs

 

[Lionel Lyon]

It's more a point of misunderstanding than controversy. A Piping Shrike is the Magpie as we know it across the southern states. It was an unwinnable battle, even back in 1990.

Very helpful, thanks. When you say the battle was unwinnable in 1990, I take it the question had been raised?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Basically Collingwood get what Collingwood want. Or in this case don't want. Even the original Heads of Agreement with the AFL contained a clause that Port would change the Magpie emblem. Even so, we lost the initial admission vote to join the AFL (by one vote, guess which club tipped it over?) and before Port could negotiate with Collingwood to resolve the issue, the SANFL legal action kicked in.

 

[Lionel Lyon]

Basically Collingwood get what Collingwood want. Or in this case don't want. Even the original Heads of Agreement with the AFL contained a clause that Port would change the Magpie emblem. Even so, we lost the initial admission vote to join the AFL (by one, guess which club tipped it over?) and before Port could negotiate with Collingwood to resolve the issue, the SANFL legal action kicked in.

Geez, if it was a question of Shrike vs Magpie I don't think Collingwood could've said squat. Two different words. Could've drawn the bird a bit differently, had a bespectacled Jack Cahill pulling out the ornithology book and talking genus and species--"No, we're the Gymnorhina tibicen tibicen," and Ed, or whoever it was back then, would've spontaneously combusted! How different-looking are the Eagle mascots from the Hawk ones? Not very. Different names makes all the difference. Anyway, best of luck to the proud Port club against the Blues ( ).

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Haha yeah I reckon Jack would've been more chance of pulling that off than Bruce Weber. Jack could've applied his used car salesman skills on Alan McAllister (he was Collingwood prez back then) and bulsh*tted him out of the colours and mascot.

They were heady days back then, but we've moved on, while still maintaining and acknowledging our proud history. Cheers for the good wishes against Carlton.

 

[Ebert80]

Would have been preferable to "Power", i just hope one day we can become just the PORT ADELAIDE FOOTBALL CLUB, no moniker, no nickname. Won't happen though probably due to marketing reasons.