Brodie Smith and Tom Rockliff want their respective clubs to continue in the SANFL but say national reserves comp is ‘ideal’
With Adelaide and Port’s SANFL future uncertain, Brodie Smith and Tom Rockliff say they want their state sides to continue, but believe a national reserves competition is the way to go.
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A national reserves competition is all but certainly to be put on the backburner by the AFL because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Brodie Smith and Tom Rockliff believe it would be the ideal second tier competition.
The expected impact of the pandemic on the AFL industry, reduced list sizes, has sparked fierce speculation that the Crows and Port will not be able to field SANFL teams to play their players who do not selected in their senior sides.
On The Lowdown, Smith and Rockliff said they both wanted their respective club’s SANFL sides to continue.
But they said they believed a national reserves competition would be the ideal model under the AFL.
Rockliff said it would help AFL clubs develop players in numerous ways.
“I absolutely love it (the idea),” he said.
“I think if you can have that national reserve competition it gives the playing group the opportunity to travel together, the experience of being on the road together and playing in front of bigger crowds.
“I think there was a concern a couple of years ago at the AFL that fans weren’t there for the first bounce … so if you brought that back you would have a lot more pride.”
Smith said being able to take every player on the road for an away trip would be great.
“It just adds that extra bit of bonding for a young guy coming in the side,” he said.
“I think it would be a great thing for the competition, it would be hard now with everything that has happened but I would love to see it progress to that.”
If the Crows and Power cannot field SANFL sides in the future it is likely the clubs will go back to the previous model of where players are assigned to a league club when they are not in the senior side.
Smith, who was allowed to stay with Woodville-West Torrens when he first became a Crow, said there were positives and negatives with this model.
“It would be very sad … we’ve done a lot of good work in the development space of having a side ourselves and I’ve seen a lot of guys go there and really develop and be able to come into the AFL side,” he said.
“So I think it will be tough but hopefully everything pans out that we can keep our spot and strong pathway or bringing guys into the club and developing them into an AFL player.
“You have different coaches at the SANFL clubs who have different game plans so for a young guy coming into try and learn the Crows game plan and lets say go to Sturt and have to learn a Sturt game plan potentially in a different position.
“Things like that can be tough but at the same time, a young guy comes across from Victoria and can make a whole new group of mates as well.
“And you push your case the hard way.”
Rockliff said he saw few positives.
“I don’t really think it helps our development of players going out to play at a different club and having to learn a different game plan,” he said.
“Sometimes you have to rock up on the day and learn 20 different blokes names to get a kick so it does make it difficult for a player to push their case for senior selection.”
See the Crows and Power in the NT?
Brodie Smith and Tom Rockliff say they like an ambitious pitch from the Northern Territory to the AFL, where games could be played in front of crowds.
Last week, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner dangled a huge carrot in front of the league, saying crowds could be allowed to watch AFL matches in the territory if games were taken up north.
Gunner said players would also be free to move around the community – where cafes, bars and restaurants will reopen on May 15 – while competitive sport up north will resume on June 5 because of the NT’s lack of COVID-19 cases.
This was part of a bid to get a hub in Darwin, but the controversial proposal looks to be increasingly not required as Australia flattens the curve.
On The Lowdown Podcast, Smith and Rockliff said if the AFL could play games in front of fanes in 2020 then it should investigate it.
“I like the idea,” Rockliff said.
“The opportunity to be able to play footy again is the most exciting thing and to have fans there to cheer us on would make it even more special in a year where we have a feeling that there might not be too many crowds at our games would be a special thing.
“Whether things progress down that path who knows … I think the opportunity to play games there will arise.”
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The Crows have played in the NT numerous times, taking on Melbourne in Darwin and Alice Springs.
Smith said he had enjoyed playing in the Territory.
“It is always a great atmosphere and the crowds up there love it whenever footy is in town,” he said.
“I’m not sure what time frame they are looking at, whether it is a hub type or a situation there or whether we can fly in, fly out.
“There is definitely a great atmosphere (up there), it is nice and hot and humid too. So it is always some good conditions to play footy and some great crowds.
“We are going to be missing crowds by the end of the year and if we can get up there and play some footy in front of some enthusiastic crowds it would be pretty good for the competition I think.”
Smith also backed up his Port Adelaide counterpart for comments he made about the AFL favouring Victoria.
South Australia and Western Australia allow the limit on outdoor gatherings to 10 people while Queensland has also eased restrictions.
But AFL clubs in those states can only have two people train together at one time, because Victoria – where 10 of the 18 clubs are based – still has those restrictions and the AFL wants a level playing field.
Comments Rockliff made on ABC Radio on Sunday had him quickly reported as accusing the AFL of a bias towards Victorian clubs.
Rockliff said in this circumstance he backed was the AFL was doing.
“I actually agree (with the AFL) and I think in this situation it would give a competitive advantage to the interstate teams if they are able to train in groups of 10,” he said.
“I was more referring to the landscape that we live in, I would love to hear an argument that is contrary to that and be proven wrong that the set up definitely favours the Victorian teams in that they don’t travel as much, the draw favours them.
“But in this situation I actually agree with the AFL.”
Smith said it was annoying but every club and player had an obligation to get footy back.
“If we are doing double the travel for the year I can’t see why we can’t get a bit of a head start on the big boys (in Victoria),” he said.
“But it is what it is and as we’ve spoken about over the last month or so it is a very different year this year and we have to go with the flow and do whatever it takes to get footy back up.”