Adelaide Footy League clubs vote against allowing Salisbury West back into competition following ban
Salisbury West's bid to overturn its ban has failed after the Adelaide Footy League's other clubs voted overwhelmingly against letting the Tigers back in.
- Banned Adelaide Footy League club to fight expulsion
- Salisbury West dumped from league as captain gets life ban
- Adelaide Footy League continues hard stance against on-field violence
Salisbury West’s bid to overturn its ban has failed after the Adelaide Footy League’s other clubs voted overwhelmingly against letting the Tigers back in.
The clubs made a statement against on-field violence as only Salisbury West itself voted in favour of the appeal with all other clubs present voting to uphold the league’s decision to remove the Tigers.
They were turfed from the league in August after breaking an affiliation agreement when captain Adam Jones received a life ban and 27-week suspension for four violent incidents in one game.
Both Salisbury West and the league argued their cases before a ballot was held in the lengthy meeting at league headquarters on Monday night.
Salisbury West has no remaining options to re-enter for next season under the league’s constitution and will not play in 2019.
The league’s executive committee last month rejected an application from Salisbury West for it to return because it believed the Tigers could not implement sufficient cultural change before the start of next season.
League chief executive John Kernahan said the decision was a reminder competing in the league was not unconditional.
“The general committee (the clubs) have spoken and we move on as a league,” Kernahan said.
“The key issue in this isn’t necessarily SWFC being denied affiliation but our member clubs are setting their own behavioural standards of what they expect and we take an enormous amount of comfort in that.”
Salisbury West was expected to release a statement in the coming days.
The club had attracted 10 reports totalling 59 matches over the past two seasons, including Jones’s bans.
Since 2000, it has a track record of 87 reports for 276 matches suspended.
Tigers player Jake Medhurst told Messenger Community News before the meeting the club had already taken a number of steps to move in a new direction.
“When the league knocked back our application, they believed we didn’t have the right personnel and enough personnel to change things,” Medhurst said on Monday.
“We’ve gone from a committee of four people to 26 with everyone having roles they can focus on, rather than one person trying to do multiple jobs.
“We’ve brought in a welfare manager for the players who will come to speak to the boys on Thursday nights.
“It will be someone the players can go to if they’re struggling with anything or have anything else on their minds.
“We have 56 players on our list who have never been reported.
“I’m confident the direction we are now moving is the right one.”
patrick.keam@news.com.au