Don’t kill off the SANFL v WAFL and VFL games — footy is richer for interstate rivalries
The SANFL v WAFL state league game this weekend is an important link to the past as well as a chance for players to prove their worth at a higher level, says Chris McDermott.
Chris McDermott
Don't miss out on the headlines from Chris McDermott. Followed categories will be added to My News.
State versus state. Mate versus Mate. Long may interstate football continue.
SA v WA. SA v Victoria. Victoria v WA.
It may not be what it once was but it is still a great part of the game at any level.
The question is being asked, should we keep it or kill it off?
To be part of a state team is the highest honour an individual can receive alongside the Magarey Medal.
Some say they sit side by side, others will claim the medal is number one but there is nothing like state football.
The modern day concept needs tweaking to make sure it is of value, but state football must remain a priority for the game of Australian rules.
Every competition needs a higher lever for players to aspire to.
For individuals that are not in finals contention it adds an incentive to keep playing at your best when all hopes of a premiership are gone.
The AFL mid-season draft has done exactly that and the state game can have the added value of being used as a showcase for that event.
Every player wants a chance to play at AFL level, so why not have a showcase game for mature-aged talent to add more relevance to the mid-season draft?
State football thrived for decades between the ’60s and the late 1990s before it died a slow death but to the SANFL and WAFL’s credit it still has a heartbeat.
Now it needs a meaning.
That game at Adelaide Oval in 1973 when the Vics got up by just four points will live in my memory forever as the greatest game of football I have ever seen.
I was a Woodville barracker remember, so the options weren’t great.
I was nine years old and glued to the fence on the half forward flank after getting there at 9am.
We cannot deny future generations of boys and girls that same life-changing experience, whatever the cost.
Given the healthy profits the game is generating, an event like this could be free entry and a reason for the AFL to forget about AFL X or AFL9s.
Free entry has been a source of great success for the women’s game.
It can do the same for this state game and guarantee it remains a valued, standalone game on the football calendar.
Second chances rarely pay off for AFL coaches
History suggests strongly that if you miss out on a premiership at your first try as a coach, you should not get another chance — unless you’re Mick Malthouse or Malcolm Blight, writes Chris McDermott.
When two tribes go to war
It was the game that stopped a state — the first Showdown between the Crows and Power on April 20, 1997. Chris McDermott shares his memories for Part 1 of The Greatest Showdowns series.