Port Adelaide greats say it would be right decision to leave SANFL and join national reserves competition

Port Adelaide greats Brian Cunningham and George Fiacchi have backed the club’s push to leave the SANFL with the former CEO revealing that was always the Power’s intention.

Port Adelaide greats say it would be the right decision for the club to leave the SANFL to join a national reserves competition.

The SANFL’s most successful club with 36 premierships, Port Adelaide recently had another meeting with the AFL where it reaffirmed its desire to join a national reserves competition if the league establishes one.

Port greats said it would be the right avenue for the club to pursue and it wouldn’t impact the history it had created in the SANFL.

Four-time SANFL premiership player, three of them as captain, and former chief executive Brian Cunningham – who was part of the club’s successful bid to join the AFL – said it was never the intention of Port Adelaide to remain in the SANFL when it joined the national league in 1997.

He said despite the club having a plan for its reserves, the SANFL insisted the Port Magpies remain in the state league – which led to them being sent to Ethelton before the ‘One Club’ reunification campaign.

Cunningham (fifth from left) with some of the board members that were behind Port Adelaide’s entry to the AFL. Picture: Ben Clark

Cunningham said the current arrangement was not “optimal for the development of players”.

“I am out of the loop now … but I know it is not optimal for the two AFL clubs and they need to be playing in the best competition to be the best they can be that drives football in South Australia,” he said.

“I think it is best for football.”

Seven-time SANFL premiership player and former board member George Fiacchi said the current model could not continue.

“Sooner or later they have to pull the plug and do something because it has not worked for either team and the league,” he said.

“My personal preference would be I love the SANFL, that’s where I played my footy and I love the competition but if you look at it independently it is not working and we are going to have these discussions on a continuous basis unless something changes.

“They can’t keep going the way it is, the AFL teams are uncompetitive in the SANFL because of the top-up player situation and the restrictions around them.”

Magpies players run onto the field during the SANFL elimination final. Picture: David Mariuz

On Thursday, Port Adelaide chief executive Matthew Richardson said he believed fans would support the club’s push for a national reserves competition.

“Yes we celebrate our past and rich heritage, and that is what has gotten us to this point,” he said.

“But Port Adelaide has always been about moving forward and what is next and what we are talking about here is what is best for Port Adelaide and more importantly what is best for football.”

Cunningham said he expected fans to do as they did in 1994 and back the club striving to have success at the ultimate level.

“We don’t lose the history, it is there and it remains forever and the Prison Bar guernsey will definitely be used in the future still as it has done in the past popping up periodically and people will wear them with pride and the players will wear it proudly when they get the opportunity to do so,” he said.

“So we aren’t losing any history, what we are doing is creating the future for Port Adelaide and if the Adelaide Footy Club is of the same mind you have the two top clubs playing in the best competition in Australia being really strong.

“That is really good for football in its own right because that gives the impetus for every club and association in South Australia to look up and go forward.”

George Fiacchi said the current situation could not continue the way it is. Picture: Keryn Stevens/AAP

Fiacchi said there would be some Port fans against the push.

“I think there needs to be a lot of PR around this because there are people like myself who grew up with Port Adelaide in the SANFL and when you take them out it will be a massive change,” he said.

“There are going to be people who are very pro it and people who are very anti it.”

He said Port Adelaide having to give up its recruiting zone had hurt the club and the “Port Adelaide peninsula”.

“I do a bit of coaching with the kids there and I see all the talent that misses out because now they are all going into this one funnel that is the (Woodville-West Torrens) Eagles and there are kids that are missing out,” he said.

Originally published as Port Adelaide greats say it would be right decision to leave SANFL and join national reserves competition