Why the SANFL state side deserves stand-alone suburbia status: Andrew Capel
SANFL fans deserve better than what unfolded at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, writes Andrew Capel.
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The people have spoken.
It is time for SANFL state games to be taken away from curtain raiser status at Adelaide Oval and be played as main events at suburban grounds.
Following the roaring success of state matches against the VFL at Glenelg Oval last year and Tanunda Recreation Park last month, last Saturday’s curtain raiser against the WAFL at Adelaide Oval was an embarrassing fizzer.
It was a case of no crowd, no atmosphere and no excitement.
And South Australia’s top 23 state league players played like it, hardly getting out of first gear in crashing to a five-goal defeat against a Sandgropers team which fielded 14 state debutants and had lost its previous five games against the SANFL.
While nearly 3000 noisy fans made the trip to the Barossa Valley to watch SA take on the Vics during AFL Gather Round and more than 4000 attended the corresponding fixture at the Bay last year, it was a case of spot the spectator at Adelaide Oval on the weekend for a game which started at 11.30am.
This was more than four hours before the 3.45pm Port Adelaide-Geelong AFL clash.
The state game wasn’t even the real curtain raiser but the first of three games on the schedule, with a 2pm match – the Aboriginal Power Cup final – programmed as the middle game.
With Channel 7 not televising state clashes against Western Australia – it does against the VFL – and the SANFL’s live stream continuously freezing during the contest, making it almost unwatchable, even the most loyal SANFL fans were denied satisfactory access to the game.
While match day tickets for the stand-alone game against the VFL were priced at a very reasonable $15 for adults and $10 concession, those SANFL loyalists who wanted to watch the state’s best players take on the WAFL had to fork out for a Port-Geelong AFL match day ticket, with the cheapest tickets costing $42.
It was a slap in the face to grassroots football fans, who took to social media to vent their frustration.
Among the comments posted on the SANFL Facebook page were: “Should have been played at one of the SANFL club grounds’’, “no home crowd to spur the team on’’, “the state team should never be playing in a curtain raiser’’, “when you close the door to actual SANFL fans you deserve an even bigger hiding’’ and “I would have gone if it was at a local ground’’.
The feedback was strong and overwhelming.
Woodville-West Torrens chief executive David Couzner, who is a passionate SANFL man and former team manager of the state team, agreed with much of the criticism, saying the league had missed a trick on the weekend.
“With the way this state game was programmed, it virtually got lost as an event and became almost tokenistic, devalued,’’ Couzner said.
“The fact that true, passionate SANFL supporters struggled to get a ticket and then there was the downfall with the App, it wasn’t a great look for SANFL footy.
“We want our fans at these games and I’m sure if it was played at a suburban SANFL venue we would have got a good crowd and much more exposure.’’
SANFL players had previously expressed their desire to play state games at world famous Adelaide Oval for the experience.
SA’s previous four home games against the Sandgropers were at the Oval, but mostly played as twilight events leading into the start of AFL matches, including a Showdown, which saw the Croweaters get some decent support in the second half.
I’m sure kicking the dew off the grass and finishing more than two hours before an AFL clash (Saturday’s state game finished at 1.40pm) – not giving the crowd a chance to at least watch the second half and try to get their team over the line – wouldn’t have been in their thinking.
Most importantly, the fans were left high and dry this time around.
Playing state football is a great honour and the SANFL-WAFL clash – the 100th between the two proud football states – should have been given clear air and stand-alone status in suburbia.
With AFL recruiters joking that they nearly doubled the crowd at the state game – few SA players would have enhanced their mid-season draft prospects because of the lack lustre performance – the SANFL should have played it as a Saturday afternoon feature match, with the SA under-18 v under-20 trial as the curtain raiser.
Instead, that game was played on the same day at The Parade.
The mistake cannot be repeated.
NUMBERS GAME
0
Last quarters won by Port Adelaide this year.
49
Bailey Dale disposals for the Western Bulldogs against Essendon – a club record, beating the previous record of 47 held by Ryan Griffen (2012) and Jack Macrae (2018).
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“We’re not terrible, but we’ve had some terrible losses.’’ – Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley after his team’s 76-point loss to Geelong – its third defeat by 12 goals or more this season.
“I think we are sick of that. We know we are a good side, but we want to be a great side, like they are.’’ – Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks after another close loss to Collingwood, a side it hasn’t beaten since 2016.
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