17er
Cancelled
- Oct 21, 2017
- 2,500
- 1,829
- AFL Club
- Gold Coast
When I was growing up in the 80s the VFL started to expand into Sydney and then Perth and the Gold Coast, before bringing Adelaide, Fremantle and Brisbane. They tried to expand the reserves comp to match the AFL's expansion, but the parlous finances of clubs meant that keeping 50 plus players on the books was too expensive, so by the end of the 90s they shut the reserves comp down. The immediate benefit for state leagues was that AFL listed players competed each week alongside part-timers, but in 20 seasons there has been a lot of uncertainty and experimentation. The VFL in its current form is actually a merger of the old VFA and the former Reserves comp, so bringing back AFL Reserves will mean restructuring the VFL without AFL affiliation or competing clubs, which will be a difficult process because it means that the 3rd tier comp in Victoria will really struggle for relevance. Other State Leagues will thrive regardless, especially with growing participation.
Will AFL Reserves allow Academy guys, and maybe top-up players from State League clubs, or will all players need t be on an AFL list? If so, the case for a mid year trade and drat period would be very strong. The old VFL/AFL also had an Under 19s, but you'd expect that the VIC, SA and WA Clubs will just leave the juniors to the traditional clubs, so perhaps the NEAFL will continue in some form like an Under-age comp leading up to the TAC Cup.
Time was when lists had super young rookies and club veterans who'd spent most of their careers in the Reserves. Michael Tuck played 55 games in Reserves and still managed to break Kevin Bartlett's Senior games record. Mark "I'm an individual" Jackson kicked a ton in Reserves behind Michael Roach at Richmond in 1980 when they won the flag and left because he couldn't get a game. The Tigers brought in Brian Taylor and he kicked a ton in Reserves as well in 1981 despite playing 5 Seniors games, then after 95 games at the Tigers, 42 of which were Reserves, he defected to Collingwood.
A return to AFL Reserves would potentially extend the careers of AFL players. Take Nick Holman as an example at Carlton, who you'd imagine would have stashed the youngster in Reserves until he showed some polish if they had another 10 list spots. Andrew Swallow might have been a recruit specifically brought in to play another season or two in Reserves, potentially making his wish of playing a game with his brother come true - even the Danihers only got to play 1 game together and that never would have happened if there was no Reserves because would have been dropped off their list years earlier having only played 16 Senior games between 1982 and 1990. And who could forget Warwick Capper in his pink shoes at Carrara getting booed because he couldn't even kick a goal in Reserves despite being on the highest salary in the AFL?
Will AFL Reserves allow Academy guys, and maybe top-up players from State League clubs, or will all players need t be on an AFL list? If so, the case for a mid year trade and drat period would be very strong. The old VFL/AFL also had an Under 19s, but you'd expect that the VIC, SA and WA Clubs will just leave the juniors to the traditional clubs, so perhaps the NEAFL will continue in some form like an Under-age comp leading up to the TAC Cup.
Time was when lists had super young rookies and club veterans who'd spent most of their careers in the Reserves. Michael Tuck played 55 games in Reserves and still managed to break Kevin Bartlett's Senior games record. Mark "I'm an individual" Jackson kicked a ton in Reserves behind Michael Roach at Richmond in 1980 when they won the flag and left because he couldn't get a game. The Tigers brought in Brian Taylor and he kicked a ton in Reserves as well in 1981 despite playing 5 Seniors games, then after 95 games at the Tigers, 42 of which were Reserves, he defected to Collingwood.
A return to AFL Reserves would potentially extend the careers of AFL players. Take Nick Holman as an example at Carlton, who you'd imagine would have stashed the youngster in Reserves until he showed some polish if they had another 10 list spots. Andrew Swallow might have been a recruit specifically brought in to play another season or two in Reserves, potentially making his wish of playing a game with his brother come true - even the Danihers only got to play 1 game together and that never would have happened if there was no Reserves because would have been dropped off their list years earlier having only played 16 Senior games between 1982 and 1990. And who could forget Warwick Capper in his pink shoes at Carrara getting booed because he couldn't even kick a goal in Reserves despite being on the highest salary in the AFL?
