Future on show in SANFL finals for South Australia’s AFL clubs Adelaide and Port Adelaide
Both the Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs will be banking on strong performances in the state league finals to convince supporters of a brighter future, writes Mark Bickley.
Mark Bickley
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With no Adelaide teams playing finals at AFL level and with both brands taking a pounding from supporters (particularly Adelaide) it is no surprise both the Crows and Port Adelaide are desperate for success at SANFL level.
The Magpies have endured something of a premiership drought, (in their terms), 20 years since the last SANFL flag.
During that time there has also been great dismay and disruption to the traditional Magpies, shipped out of Alberton, with many believing they were treated like second-class citizens.
The emphasis channelled towards Port Adelaide Power at AFL level, desperate to prove themselves on the national stage, at the expense of it’s community roots forged over many decades.
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The arrival of David Koch in 2012 has driven a renewed focus on the local Port Adelaide community as well as the obvious national and international agenda.
The current Port Adelaide mantra of existing to win premierships on field, and make the community proud, speaks very much to the diehard Magpie fans.
The club is approaching its 150th anniversary against a backdrop of falling membership and attendance numbers, controversy surrounding the erosion of long-held traditions, and a rising discontent over its recent finals hiatus.
A SANFL premiership would provide a welcome relief to the negative narrative and much needed momentum for what is shaping as a make or break 2020 for the Port Adelaide Football Club.
So it’s little wonder Kochie declared the minute the Power were out of the finals race that every resource available will be put towards another Magpies premiership.
The Adelaide Football Club is in even more need for a positive thread of news after what seems like two years of continued decline since its apex, the 2017 AFL grand final.
Much of the collapse has centred around the performance of its ageing list and the lack of performance pressure coming from the youngsters at SANFL level.
With Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma and Zak Butters playing most weeks for the Power and, until late in the AFL season, no sign of Darcy Fogarty, Chayce Jones or Ned McHenry, the Crows fans were getting restless.
Fogarty was selected in round 20, Jones in round 22. Both look to have strong futures at AFL level.
It doesn’t stop the comparisons to their cross-town rivals though and, as none of the Power trio are eligible to play SANFL finals, the opportunity to further showcase the talents of Fogarty, Jones and McHenry has not been missed.
With a possible exodus of players coming at year’s end, displaying the pipeline of talent that is to potentially fill the void is imperative in the Crows’ sales pitch for its strategy moving forward.
If the Crows were to lose Alex Keath can Jordon Butts be a viable option along with Tom Doedee?
If Eddie Betts were to depart can Tyson Stengle or Shane McAdam provide some replacement X-factor?
Crows fans want to see Jordan Gallucci and Myles Poholke stand up as the pressure increases during finals.
Elliott Himmelberg needs to develop if he is to replace Josh Jenkins. The same goes for Kieran Strachan who is who is seen as a long-term ruck prospect. Not to mention the skills and run of Lachlan Sholl and Will Hamill.
Because many of the Adelaide Football Club members haven’t seen a lot of these players it is understandable that there is some trepidation as to what the future holds. Hence the importance of this SANFL finals series.
If Adelaide can produce another strong performance against Glenelg this weekend and best case win through to a grand final to showcase its young talent, it will reassure nervous Adelaide supporters that if, as many are suggesting including myself, the Crows list does need some heavy pruning, there will be green shoots come next season.
But as much as the two AFL entities desperate to further their cause through a successful state league finals campaign there is a very important third party: The fair-minded SANFL supporters.
Most will be hoping a traditional semi-professional, suburban club like Glenelg can secure the Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy to preserve the SANFL competition and avoid the asterisks that most will inevitably place alongside a Crows or Magpies victory.
The competing agendas off-field are almost as fierce as the competition on the field.