SANFL stars will take Adelaide Footy League to another level – John Kernahan, Mark Evans

The competition is set to skyrocket in 2022 bolstered by star ex-SANFL recruits but the chief says the Adelaide Footy League is just getting started.

An influx of SANFL talent has the Adelaide Footy League destined for new heights in 2022 according to the competition’s top chief and a champion poised to line up as player-coach.

Multiple clubs across divisions have picked up ex-SANFL stars including the likes of Brad McKenzie, Lewis Johnston, Cam Shenton, Tom Schwarz, Alex Barns, Alex Cailotto and Chris Curran.

Mark Evans – who this off-season joined Pembroke Old Scholars after playing at Norwood and becoming a dual premiership player and Ken Farmer medallist with Sturt – was excited by the slew of recruits.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for the league with all these guys coming through and especially for me with the chance to be a player-coach,” Evans said.

New Golden Grove recruits and Norwood premiership players Cam Shenton and Lewis Johnston. Picture: Golden Grove Football Club

“I’m looking forward to joining Max Thring (ex-North Adelaide) and Pat Levicki (ex-Norwood) on the field and it’s great for guys around the competition to be able to play with their mates and others who are out of the SANFL.”

The 2021-22 off-season has seen a significant number of players leave the SANFL system for local footy, namely the Adelaide Footy League.

Evans said there were multiple factors in player’s decision-making.

“Overall I think the SANFL is still doing a great job but the demands are significant. The impacts of Covid have probably put a financial strain on the comp too and I think it’s now becoming a year-by-year proposition for guys,” he said.

Dual Sturt premiership player Mark Evans will be Pembroke Old Scholars’ player-coach next year. Picture: Sarah Reed

“The Adelaide Footy League is a really attractive proposition now because guys have connections to a lot of the clubs and the demands aren’t as great.

“I’d still advocate for the SANFL as the best standard of the game in SA but it’s good to know there’s a good standard of competition in the Adelaide Footy League and that will continue to grow.”

League chief executive John Kernahan was also thrilled with the off-season developments for the competition saying it was the result of work ethic.

“The Adelaide Footy League has undertaken a mountain of work over the last 10 years to have a competition viewed as a strong one to participate in and we’re starting to bear the fruits of that focus,” Kernahan said.

“I also suspect what we’re seeing is a natural evolution of player development at junior level before they embark on their SANFL or AFL careers and returning to their roots.”

Kernahan said he expected significant player recruitment to continue into the future.

“The quality of players attracts quality players so I think it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy for us,” he said.