The most and least suspended clubs for 2018 in the Adelaide Footy League
ONE club has totalled 28 matches worth of suspensions from five reports, two others have not been cited in seven seasons. Meet the Adelaide Footy League’s best and the worst behaved sides.
- Salisbury West suspended from league after player banned for life
- Player cops seven-week ban for headbutting
- Vision released of Henley footballer breaking opponents jaw
- Video leads to eight-week suspension for Tea Tree Gully player
ONE club has totalled 28 matches worth of suspensions from five reports, while two others have not been cited in at least seven seasons.
They are the Adelaide Footy League’s best and the worst behaved sides.
In the wake of two amateur clubs — Salisbury West and Salisbury North — being removed from the competition for violent conduct this season, Messenger Community News hasinvestigated the biggest and smallest offenders when it comes to the tribunal.
There have been 90 guilty reports across the league’s 23 divisions and 220 teams this season, for a total of 232 matches suspended, up from 70 reports and 215 games banned at the same time last year (at the end of the division one minor round).
Salisbury West, which last week was dumped from the league after its captain Adam Jones was banned for life and was suspended for 27 weeks from seven reports, unsurprisingly topped the list.
The Tigers also had a player banned for one game earlier in the season.
Division one club Henley and division six’s Fitzroy are equal with Salisbury West with five reports for the season and a slightly lower total of 20 matches suspended.
Sixth-tier side Elizabeth has racked up 12 weeks of suspensions from five reports, followed by Prince Alfred Old Collegians on 14 matches worth of bans, three reports.
Division one powerhouse Tea Tree Gully is the other on double-digit figures for games banned with 10 (three reports).
Conversely, 22 of the league’s 68 clubs have not had a player banned all season.
In fact, Flinders University and Pembroke Old Scholars have not had a suspension in at least seven years, while Adelaide Lutheran’s good streak goes back six seasons and Glenunga’s four.
A further 25 clubs have been cited just once this season.
League chief executive John Kernahan said badly behaved clubs and individuals were in the minority, given the competition featured more than 2000 matches each season.
“What gets lost in this is 98.% of our players have never seen the inside of our tribunal room,” Kernahan said.
“What we are really satisfied with is the dramatic reduction in striking reports that run the risk of unseating what is a really positive environment.
“The clubs that have racked up four and five reports will need to have a serious look over the summer to ensure they’re not on this list in 2019.
“It is made worse for them, at least in principle, when so many clubs can go through a season with no reports at all, or at least a minimum number.”
The league’s worst-behaved division is the sixth tier, which includes Salisbury West, Elizabeth and Fitzroy.
The division had players banned for 74 matches in total and the equal-highest number of reports (19).
Division one clubs also have had 19 reports between them but for a total of 64 matches.
The fifth-tier clubs have been the best behaved with nine reports for a total of 21 games suspended.
Clubs without a report this season:
Adelaide Lutheran, Adelaide University, Athelstone, Blackfriars Old Scholars, Colonel Light Gardens, Flinders University, Glenunga, Hope Valley, Houghton Districts, Kenilworth, Marion, Old Ignatians, O’Sullivan Beach Lonsdale, Para Hills, Pembroke Old Scholars, Pulteney, Sacred Heart Old Collegians, Smithfield, SMOSH West Lakes, St Peter’s Old Collegians, Trinity Old Scholars, Walkerville.
By division:
Division one: 19 reports, 64 matches
Division two: 11 reports 27 matches
Division three: 13 reports, 26 matches
Division four: 13 reports, 32 matches
Division five: nine reports, 21 matches
Division six: 19 reports, 74 matches
Division seven: eight reports, 23 matches
Biggest suspensions:
27 matches — Adam Jones (Salisbury West)
10 matches — Jesse Vass (Prince Alfred OC)
9 matches — Kane Fry (Henley)
8 matches — Adrian Esposito (St Paul’s OS), Ryan Spittle (Tea Tree Gully)
7 matches — Michael Friel (Eastern Park)
6 matches — Ryan Doherty (Mitchell Park)