Adelaide Footy League set to benefit with player influx from cancelled country competitions
More than 70 country footballers – including ex-SANFL stars – have already requested transfers to the Adelaide Footy League as the fallout from 10 regional competitions abandoning their seasons begins.
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The fallout from 10 SA country football leagues abandoning their seasons has begun with a stream of players – including ex-SANFL stars – heading for the city.
More than 70 players have already requested clearances to Adelaide Footy League clubs from cancelled regional competitions this month.
And, with a statewide ban on player payments for 2020 introduced a fortnight ago, more are expected to move before the transfer window closes on June 30.
The Yorke Peninsula Football League has been the hardest hit with at least 20 players submitting clearance requests to Adelaide clubs.
More than 10 were set to depart from each of the Riverland and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara associations.
Seven other competitions – the Far North, Great Flinders, Kangaroo Island, Mallee, Mid West, Spencer Gulf and Western Border associations – also pulled the pin on their 2020 seasons in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.
More leagues are set to meet in the coming weeks to make a call, but nine other competitions have committed to playing this year.
No changes to the state’s transfer system have been made amid the extraordinary circumstances.
Clubs in the Adelaide Footy League, which will begin the season on July 4, appeared to be the greatest beneficiaries.
The Messenger understands at least five players with SANFL experience are set to join metropolitan clubs from various country leagues.
They include former South Adelaide captain Nick Murphy, who has signed at division one stalwarts Rostrevor Old Collegians.
The 116-game ex-Panther and Rostrevor old scholar was playing coach at Victorian-based KNTFL club Kaniva Leeor for the past four seasons.
The league, in SA’s South-East, abandoned its season due to concerns over policing strict COVID-19 guidelines, lack of volunteers and fielding two senior teams.
Kaniva Leeor could also not enter SA because of border restrictions.
Murphy said he along with the rest of the community was bitterly disappointed the KNFTL season would not go ahead, but still desired to play this season.
“I went to school at Rostrevor and there’s about four or five players that I went through school footy with that are still playing at the club,” said Murphy, who captained South Adelaide in 2011 and 2012.
“I’m looking forward to playing with them again and division one is obviously a high standard, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Murphy was unsure where he would play in 2021.
KNTFL president Peter McLellan said the association’s clubs encouraged players to explore other leagues so they could still play football this year.
“They were more than happy if guys want to go back to their old club in Adelaide or wherever and they’ll be welcomed back next year,” McLellan said.
“It was not an issue. The clubs wanted them to be able to play football.”
Normal transfer restrictions still apply, including the Approved Player Points System and a limit of three players from the same club moving together to another single team.
The APPS is a rating system which allocates points to players recruited to a club, based on factors such as age and the level at which they had previously played.
Each Adelaide Footy League club can have a maximum of 15 total player points in an A-grade side.
For players who have previously played in the competition, they must return to their most recent club unless that team signs off on them moving to another club.