National AFL reserves competition could mean the end for the Port Adelaide Magpies

EXCLUSIVE: Port Adelaide’s traditional Magpies logo and black-and-white jumper could be consigned to history at the end of the season as plans for a national AFL reserves competition advance rapidly.

Port Adelaide Magpies head coach Chad Cornes and his players before the 2017 SANFL grand final match between Port Adelaide and Sturt. The Blues defeated the Magpies in a one-point thriller. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

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PORT Adelaide’s traditional black-and-white “Magpies” might be seen for the last time in the SANFL this season.

AFL plans to rapidly advance a national reserves competition — as soon as next year — would force the Port Adelaide Football Club to pack away the “Magpies” and the famous black-and-white prison-bar jumper worn since 1901.

Port Adelaide would have to appear in the 18-team national reserves competition as the “Power” and with the club’s AFL colours of black, white, teal and silver.

This is to avoid clashing with Victorian club Collingwood, who made in clear in 1990 — when Port Adelaide first attempted to be part of the national league — that the AFL could not have two clubs share the same black-and-white colours and Magpies nickname.

SANFL chief executive Jake Parkinson told The Advertiser his league had not been included in the wide-ranging briefings the AFL has had in the past week in Melbourne on its plans for a national reserves competition.

But Parkinson was quite clear on what he expected from Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows — a boycott of the AFL national reserves to stand by the SANFL.

“Both clubs have a commitment to field their reserves teams in the SANFL until 2028 — and we expect that commitment to be honoured,” Parkinson said.

Parkinson is checking if the SANFL licence agreements with Port Adelaide and the Crows demand the AFL clubs field players not chosen for AFL duty in the state league first. If this is not stipulated, the Power and Crows could then meet their SANFL licence deals by fielding their under-18 academy teams in the SANFL league competition.

New AFL football chief Steve Hocking on Wednesday briefed the AFL club leaders — including Port Adelaide president David Koch — in Melbourne on his grand plans to re-establish reserves matches as curtain-raisers at AFL games as soon as next season.

This is at least 15 years ahead of previous plans for national reserves competition that had fallen away as the AFL focused on creating and expanding its national women’s competition, the AFLW.

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas issued a statement Friday afternoon that did not address how the Power would take up an offer to field a reserves team in an AFL-run national series.

“We are very comfortable with our current position having the Magpies represent Port Adelaide in the SANFL, as they have done for well over a century,” Thomas said.

Port Adelaide officials concede they could not run three senior men’s teams — one in the AFL, one in the AFL national reserves and one in the SANFL. This takes Port Adelaide out of the state league competition it helped start in 1877.

Geof Motley, right, with other 1950s Magpies heroes — who won six consecutive SANFL premierships from 1954-1959 — were honoured in the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame last week.

Port Adelaide also recognises it would be compelled to wear its Power gear and be known as “Port Adelaide Power” in any AFL-sanctioned competition, including the national AFL reserves.

As Hocking is still in the preliminary stages of planning a national reserves competition, it is uncertain if Port Adelaide can opt out of the concept to stand by its Magpie traditions in the SANFL.

The Power-Magpies alliance is a critical part of the Port Adelaide Football Club’s image today. The club in 2012 won a long battle to reunite its AFL and SANFL operations under the “One Club” banner — and emphasises this unity with the “Never Tear Us Apart” anthem at its AFL matches at Adelaide Oval.

For the past four years, the Magpies have been the Port Adelaide AFL reserves in the SANFL and have played in two state league grand finals, losing both (in 2012 and last season).

The 1914 Port Adelaide Football Club team photo.

An AFL national reserves competition forces in 2019 forces Port Adelaide to put the Magpies brand and logo, and the club’s most popular guernsey, in a museum.

Port Adelaide adopted the black-and-white colours in 1901 — after starting in blue and white in 1870 — and quickly established a reputation as SA’s most-successful football club.

From 1901, as the Magpies, to the club’s AFL entry in 1997, Port Adelaide won 31 SANFL premierships — including an Australian record six-in-a-row from 1954-1959, a feat that was recognised at the club’s Hall of Fame ceremony last week.

The SANFL would be significantly changed by the absence of the Port Adelaide Magpies. It also would revert to an eight-team competition as the Adelaide Crows would be expected to ditch their 15-year licence in the state league to accept a place in the AFL national reserves competition.

The 141-year-old SANFL also would fall to the third tier of Australian football — behind the AFL and AFL reserves. This could dramatically change its profile, limiting critical television coverage and much-needed corporate backing.

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