Even anecdotally though, the State of Origin team we could pick now compared to 10, 15, 20, 25 years ago SUCKS and is getting worse as Pavlich, Burgoyne, Thompson finish up.
Some of the more recent SA early draftees Aish, Mayes, Trengove haven't exactly set the world on fire either.
I think in yesteryear playing SANFL football against men would have been an advantage. However, we're now seeing a weakened SANFL and a more professional TAC Cup.
The TAC Cup allows all the best 17-18 year olds to play each weekend against each other in the same environment. Much easier for recruiters to measure players against their peers than in SA where players would be spread out over U18's, Reserves and League. Also the SANFL clubs are fairly old school - still have big oafs like Alleway parked at full forward - whereas the TAC Cup team are mini versions of an AFL set up. All the zones, defensive set ups, clearing out your forward line etc. Remember how Bassett revolutionised the SANFL by bringing a few AFL strategies in?
Do TAC Cup players miss out on playing against adults but adapt to the AFL system quicker? Is the SANFL system - that was once a strength - now a liability?