Power, Crows set go to war with AFL over national reserves competition, leaving SANFL
South Australian clubs are adamant they don’t want to continue playing reserves in the SANFL as the AFL faces an impasse over a national reserves competition.
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The AFL harbours reservations about implementing a national reserves competition as Port Adelaide and Adelaide go to war with the league in their desperation to quit the SANFL.
The South Australian clubs are adamant their development of AFL players is being compromised, compared with the 14 eastern seaboard clubs who compete in the VFL.
West Coast’s WAFL licence expires this season and the club has until June 30 to tell the West Australian Football Commission if it wants to retain a reserves side in 2025.
A decision was due in November and then May, but two extensions were granted because new Eagles chief executive Don Pyke wanted to assess how effective the model was for player development. The WAFC wants the Eagles to stay. The licence costs $600,000 and that shortfall would come as a big hit.
Port Adelaide’s SANFL licence expires in 2028, but the club does not want to spend another season in that competition.
Adelaide’s SANFL licence costs about $500,000 annually, which is much more than Port’s.
The Eagles ended their alignment with East Perth to field a reserves team in 2019. But their WAFL team recently endured 660 days without a win and sits bottom of the ladder with a percentage of 56.6.
Similarly, Port’s reserves is 0-7 with a percentage of 36, while the Crows percentage is 43.5.
Port Adelaide’s 16 top-up players train by themselves on Tuesday nights and only have a light captain’s run with their AFL teammates the day before they play.
The Crows and Port are angry that they cannot sign better top-up players like clubs in the VFL and routinely losing by huge margins does little for development.
Fremantle’s alignment model with Peel Thunder is a win for both clubs. Together they have won two WAFL flags, sit on top of the ladder with a percentage of 159.3 and effectively prepares Dockers to play AFL.
The Eagles have multiple options in front of them. They could keep their WAFL reserves team, split their players across a range of WAFL clubs or align with a battler like Perth.
The Eagles would consider signing Victorian top-up players to reduce travel costs if they entered the VFL.
AFL football boss Laura Kane, who attended the SANFL’s Magarey Medal last year, hinted the league was against a national reserves competition earlier this year.
“We have to make sure that we respect that (SANFL) history as we look at what the best developmental pathway is for our clubs,” Kane said.
“What does this competition need to do to support the development of their players? So no decisions on a national reserve competition, no plans to change the current structure, but absolutely an intention to make sure the players, AFL and AFLW all around the country, have the same experience and the same opportunity.”
Creating a national reserves competition would entice the best SANFL and WAFL players to join as top-up players to remain under the noses of AFL recruiters.
That scenario would prove extremely detrimental to the quality and relevance of the SANFL and WAFL.
Some Victorian club bosses also fear a national reserves competition would be diabolical for second-tier and grassroots football nationally.
A national reserves competition would restore curtain raisers before AFL matches and would ease the workload on club staff who often have to front up on two match days every weekend.
But the cost would be extreme and would likely require the AFL to organise charter flights with Virgin so clubs could travel across the country on one plane.
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