Commission's plan for Crows reserves is hard to swallow
THERE are points in the SA Football Commission's plans for a Crows reserves team that can't be accepted by league directors.
Michelangelo Rucci
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NOW we have some firm details to digest on the long-running debate on AFL reserves in the SANFL league.
And too much of the SA Football Commission's recommendation for a Crows reserves team is too hard to swallow.
From the superficial to the core, there are points the SANFL league directors cannot accept if they are to stay true to their competition - and their members (who are ready to revolt).
NAMING RIGHTS. The commission recommends the Crows not wear their AFL jumper nor be the "Crows" in the SANFL. Here come the Ravens. This is farcical. A Crow by any other name in the SANFL is still a Crow.
TOP-UP PLAYERS. This is a serious flaw in the commission's plan. The Crows (or is that Ravens?) will form a roster of "top-up"players from their SANFL rivals. These "extras" will be called up whenever injuries mount at West Lakes leaving Ravens coach Peter Jonas with holes to fill on his team sheet.
In essence, an 18-22-year-old will be chasing a league spot at his original SANFL club one week and "gifted" a league game with the Ravens the next.
The integrity of the SANFL premiership is immediately destroyed. One player will be part of two premiership campaigns.
This is also hypocrisy from the Crows. They are asking to keep all their AFL-listed players together. Yet they now want the SANFL clubs to cope with the mess of having a player involved in two programs. This strikes at the very core of club and team loyalty in the SANFL premiership race.
So what should have the commission recommended on "top-up" players? They should have demanded the Crows form an under-18 academy team. At 18, these players - who will be better for their experiences at West Lakes - are drafted to the AFL, SANFL, amateur league or country clubs.
PORT ADELAIDE. A strong message has been sent to Alberton. The SANFL wants the Port Adelaide Football Club to concentrate fully on being an AFL club. The same message was sent by AFL boss Andrew Demetriou when he rejected club president David Koch's appeal for the SANFL-based Magpies to be protected in the new AFL licence to be delivered to the Power.
The Magpies are gone. Their SANFL licence is likely to be revoked next year. This than leaves the Power to field its AFL reserves team in the SANFL league series as the "new Magpies". As Port chief executive Keith Thomas says, this is tokenism.
SANFL football now is at its most difficult point of change that was inevitable once the AFL came to town in 1991.
It deserves a better future plan than the one on the table today.
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