Port Adelaide board faces loaded vote in reserves team debate

PORT Adelaide's board is to vote on giving Ken Hinkley a reserves team in the SANFL next year - and sending off the Magpies at the same time.

Port Adelaide Magpies and Power forward John Butcher takes a strong grab during the Foxtel Cup.

PORT Adelaide's board on Friday night will vote on giving Power coach Ken Hinkley a reserves team in the SANFL next year - and sending off the Magpies at the same time.

But the kicker to the SA Football Commission may be Port asking to retain two Magpies teams in 2015 - one in the SANFL league series, the other in the SANFL reserves. The commission and SANFL league directors yesterday offered the Port Adelaide Football Club the following: ENTRY for the Power reserves to the SANFL league competition in 2014. The would play as "the Magpies". KEEPING all the Magpies - league, reserves, under-age teams and recruiting zones in 2014. REDUCING this structure to having Power reserves as the "Magpies" in the SANFL league competition in 2015 - and no junior teams or recruiting zones. But this is not enough for Port which also has commercial issues - such as selling Magpie memberships and wanting home games at Alberton - to resolve with the commission. Port's board tonight may push for its club structure to have one AFL team (Power) and two SANFL teams (Magpie league and Magpie reserves) and a limited SANFL recruiting zone. Port considers this far sounder than the Adelaide Football Club model that has one AFL team (Crows) and one SANFL team (Crows reserves) with "top-up" players being supplied by SANFL rivals. The Crows are prepared to follow Port's model if they are granted a recruiting zone also. Critical in this debate is the commission advocating the current Magpies recruiting zone be shared by the Crows and Power, rather than re-assigned to SANFL clubs, in particular Central District. Port's power to influence this debate is significantly weakened by the SANFL directors being able to revoke the Magpies' licence on November 1. This would then compel the Power to directly follow the Crows with a stand-alone reserves team in the SANFL from 2015. The emotional debate on the future of the Magpies yesterday involved long-time Port hero John Cahill, the only man to coach both the Magpies and Power. Cahill yesterday both endorsed Port's push to return to Adelaide Oval and the Power reserves players taking up the Magpies' spot in the SANFL. But he declined to debate how the new "Port Adelaide" should look. "I don't have any problems with it," said Cahill. "I can see the Magpies here next year and I'd love to have the Port (AFL) reserves here as well with the AFL players under the banner of the Magpies. Whatever happens, they have my support." ###