Inaugural Bowls SA Super League set to hold history-making draft
AN AFL-style player draft – believed to be the first of its kind in Australian lawn bowls – is set to complete the squads for the inaugural SA Super League.
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AN AFL-style draft – believed to be the first of its kind in Australian lawn bowls – is set to complete the squads for the inaugural SA Super League.
Metropolitan and regional players were among the 207 athletes to nominate for the draft, which will take place at Bowls SA’s Glenelg North headquarters on Thursday night.
Coaches of the eight regional franchises will gather to fill the remaining six spots in each of the 12-person rosters ahead of next month’s season start.
Bowls SA chief executive Mark Easton said it was another groundbreaking step for the elite competition, deemed the biggest revolution in the sport in more than a century.
Easton said the draft opened the door for talented players outside the traditional powerhouse pennant clubs to shine on a new stage.
“There’s many talented players both regional and metro,” Easton said.
“We want to make sure that we are embracing the whole of the state and this gives us an opportunity to recognise players from all walks of life.
“The concept feels a bit more within touch now, as we can start to see it evolving after a couple of years of work.
“It’s certainly needed and welcomed into the bowls space.”
Each franchise has already selected six marquee players from their clusters of city and country-zoned clubs.
These include Australian squad members Max Kleinig (Western Rogues) and Scott Thulborn (Heysen Comets), as well as SA women’s champion Renata Callisto (Central Chargers).
Leading state team players such as Marc Evans, Carl Schapel, Vicki Arbon and Karen Gatto were among the bowlers available in the draft.
Teams must have at least three members of each gender and a minimum of two under-18s.
The competition, which aims to help more Croweaters gain national selection, will initially run as a six-week winter tournament under the all-weather dome at Salisbury Bowling Club.
Easton said the concept, widely regarded as the most significant shift in SA bowls since the start of pennant play in 1901, had been well received.
“We certainly think that it’s going to have a really positive impact,” he said.
“We’re not wanting to remove our traditional game and we still want to keep all formats of the sport.
“But we believe this is something a little bit outside of the traditional format that we can talk about, promote and hopefully get people wanting to play.”
The SA Super League draft will be streamed live on the Bowls SA Facebook page from 5.30pm.
Matches, which include singles, pairs and triples contests, begin on July 27.
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