AFL and SANFL recruiting rules are working against each other, hurting the Crows and Power — and teenage draft prospects
SANFL leaders need to reconsider their recruiting rules for the Crows and Power teams in the State League as they are hurting the AFL clubs — and teenage draft prospects.
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RULES, rules, rules. There are some that need to be changed far more quickly — and for more serious reasons — than those in AFL football chief Steve Hockey’s sights on the “Laws of Australian Football”.
Such as those at the SANFL that limit — rather than nurture — a teenager’s chance to be an AFL player.
Sturt grasped the big picture last month when it released 17-year-old Casey Voss — son of Brisbane premiership captain Michael Voss — to trial before Brisbane’s eyes in the NEAFL as the Lions consider a critical father-son draft call.
But let’s turn back the clock. When Adelaide put Glenelg-based teenager Jackson Edwards — son of 321-game Crows great Tyson — in its “Next Generation Academy” last year, the very polished midfielder stayed at the Bay with the Tigers.
What if — as Sturt allowed with Casey Voss — Glenelg had released Jackson Edwards to play the 2017 SANFL season with the Crows’ State League team to give the AFL-based Adelaide Football Club greater insights to its AFL draft strategies?
And Edwards’ progress to an AFL career surely would have gained by being fully immersed in the Crows’ coaching and development a year earlier.
Considering the rich run of Crows and Power father-son prospects to emerge in the SANFL in upcoming years, there is reason for the SA Football Commission to work a meaningful review of how AFL and SANFL recruiting rules are working against the Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs.
There is precedent that highlights the SANFL is out of line with the rest of Australia. Many TAC under-18 teams are releasing teenagers to AFL-aligned VFL teams to help the Victorian-based AFL clubs get an early read on draft prospects. Of course, no TAC Cup unit has that player then work against him in a game — just as Casey Voss never played against Sturt while advancing his AFL prospects in Brisbane.
But a teenager’s AFL draft prospects should not be limited by such themes.
This is certainly the view of the WA Football Commission. The rulers of WA football this year ignored the WAFL recruiting zones that tied 18-year-old Jason Carter to State League powerhouse Claremont to put him in Fremantle’s AFL system immediately.
Fremantle successfully petitioned the commission to advance the consequences to have Carter — a “NGA” (next generation academy) prospect — transferred from Claremont to the Dockers’ Peel Thunder WAFL unit. Claremont was handed no compensation for having Carter taken from the Tigers’ den to fast-track his development in the Dockers’ program.
This — as Port Adelaide knows from its recent appeal to the SANFL league directors to have two “NGA” teenagers, Kai Pudney and Martin Frederick, moved from Woodville-West Torrens to Alberton — would not happen in SA.
The “NGA” system — that is to advance indigenous footballers’ paths to the AFL — is under serious review at AFL House on the prodding of West Coast.
But any AFL decision to open more doors — and possibilities — at AFL clubs for teenagers also needs a rethink in the SANFL. And it might also settle the problem created in limiting how the Crows and Power get their top-up players for their SANFL teams — an issue that needs serious review as the Crows and Magpies have fallen to ninth and 10th (and weakened) the State League.
Otherwise, there will more reason to advance the national AFL reserves competition.
REALITY BITES
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
James Bond was a gentleman, but he was a killer as well. I think gentleman is fine.
Melbourne coach SIMON GOODWIN responding to Dermott Brereton’s tag of the Demons being a “gentleman’s club”.
SHOWDOWN 45
THERE has been just one 50,000-plus crowd at the 53,500-capacity Adelaide Oval this season — for Showdown 44 in May with the epic finish from Port Adelaide forward Steven Motlop’s matchwinning goal with 21 seconds to play.
The crowd count for the May 12 derby was 50,967.
Since the SA-based AFL clubs moved to Adelaide Oval at the end of 2013, there have been six of the nine Showdowns draw 50,000 or more fans. The best? It was 53,518 in the second derby of Season 2015 — the Phil Walsh tribute match.
WHY TOM, WHY?
THAT Phil Walsh tribute Showdown was considered the start of a new era of respect between the SA rivals, Port Adelaide and the Crows.
But it does not appear to have lasted.
Crows captain TAYLOR WALKER’S late arrival at the captains’ press conference on Tuesday has not gone down well at Alberton.
And Port Adelaide defender TOM JONAS’ reference to the “h” word — hate in Showdowns — has not played well at West Lakes.
“It’s definitely not just another game,” Jonas told radio FIVEaa of the Showdown.
“I used to be a huge Crows man, especially in the 1997, ’98 day, but it didn’t take me long to turn on the Crows.
“We hate them and we want to beat them. There’s a bit of a chip on your shoulder and a lot of pride at stake. It’s always a huge game.”
HEAD COUNT
GREAT joy came from AFL House in Melbourne as league chief executive Gillon McLachlan crunched his calculator to note the passing of the one-million mark in memberships that “1 in 25 Australians are members of AFL clubs”.
And the breakdown of this million?
The AFL told The Advertiser that the membership breakdown this season is — 111,554 with a home-and-away membership offering access to 16-17 games (all Victorian-based clubs); 345,079 with a full 11-game home membership; 121,413 with a five-game, general admission or membership with less than 11 games; 151,186 with three-game membership.
The balance — almost 270,000 — includes members without entry rights to games, AFLW members, Auskick membership and the AFL’s membership packages.
TIP OF THE WEEK
FAMOUS South Australian football identity is about to make a significant career change. His cellar will be one of the best in Adelaide with this move.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Can’t blame them. I don’t think @Adelaide_FC would welcome @kochie_online (David Koch) into their rooms with open arms.
Port Adelaide premiership midfielder KANE CORNES reacting to his AFL club telling Showdown 45 telecaster Fox Footy to pull back on the assignments it was handing to Crows board member MARK RICCIUTO around the Power changerooms and team on Saturday.
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au