AFL national reserves bombshell nears as Port Adelaide ‘officially applies’ to join VFL

Port Adelaide has taken a major step towards killing off its 150-year history with an official application to join a new competition.

Magpies players run onto the field during the elimination final SANFL match between Central District and Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Sunday, September 3, 2023. (SANFL Image/David Mariuz)

Port Adelaide has taken a major step towards ending its almost 150-year stint in the SANFL, formally applying to enter the VFL.

As the potential for a national reserves league hangs over the AFL system, the Power reportedly lodged a written request to join the east coast league from 2025 - which, following its merger with the NEAFL, currently includes 21 teams across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with 14 either direct AFL reserves sides or affiliated clubs used as reserves teams.

It leaves the South Australian and Western Australian clubs in their traditionally much stronger state leagues, the SANFL and WAFL, but the Power and West Coast have made it clear they feel the current system is not equal, reports the Herald Sun’s Jay Clark.

The BBL is back! Watch every match live with no ad breaks during play on Kayo. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >

Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett told a meeting of WAFL club presidents earlier this year their reserves team had the option of abandoning the state league to join a national competition.

“The two AFL clubs (including Adelaide) play under different rules to the other SANFL clubs which makes success difficult and frankly, has a detrimental impact on the development of our AFL players,” Port Adelaide chairman David Koch said at the club’s best and fairest count this year.

“No other AFL clubs have this imposition on their player development. It is an issue we are working to solve in the near future one way or another, and we will solve it.

“We need to be in the best second tier competition which allows us to develop our players.”

Port Adelaide has played in, and often dominated, the SANFL as the Magpies since 1877 before joining the AFL in 1997.

Port Adelaide, founded in 1870, was a foundation member of the SANFL in 1877 - then known as the SAFA. (SANFL Image/David Mariuz)

Their move to join the VFL could hasten the introduction of a full national second-tier competition involving every AFL club’s reserves side.

The Power’s interest in joining the VFL from 2025 matches the timeline of the soon-to-be-introduced Tasmanian club, which will join the AFL from 2028 but is slated to join the VFL around 2025 or 2026.

If Tasmania was ready the AFL could thus introduce a full 19-team national reserves league in 2025, also including Adelaide, Fremantle and West Coast.

The Power application emerged out of the same meeting with club officials which saw a discussion around changes to the draft system following the growing controversy over inequality in academy access.

Originally published as AFL national reserves bombshell nears as Port Adelaide ‘officially applies’ to join VFL