Ronny's Blog AFL Reserves.

redandblack wrote:It's a deal.

If we drink coke and bring blacky, we'll still average several schooners each

i drink pints now red

They should bring back the AFL reserves comp. that run until the early 1990's I believe. I remember watching the U18s GF, then the Reserves GF before the AFL GF in the 90's. It gives those who get to the ground early to watch a couple games and get their monies worth. Only problem is the extra players that will make up the reserves side.

MightyEagles wrote:They should bring back the AFL reserves comp. that run until the early 1990's I believe. I remember watching the U18s GF, then the Reserves GF before the AFL GF in the 90's. It gives those who get to the ground early to watch a couple games and get their monies worth. Only problem is the extra players that will make up the reserves side.

Thought about it, but let's be honest, the AFL is a business and anyone will tell you that it won't be sustainable in the long run. Teams wouldn't be able to afford to pay 60 players on their lists.

I think the SANFL reserves would be great for the Crows and Power teams. Of course the issue is how would they top up their numbers? What happened/happens in the VFL?

Those who will be the reserves for the year (not the best players, but those that are up and comers and the like) will be on a min. wage what ever that is, so it won't be as match on top.

Southee wrote:

Ben W wrote:Sounds like a plan R&B - I am very much a coke drinker at the football also!

Me too but diet coke ... Trying to lose a few kilos ... But the panther club BBQ might be too tempting !!!

C'mon Boys, I'm a Glenelg supporter, and even I know you can't buy either a Coke or Diet Coke at Noarlunga

Much to my disgust btw, as Southern Comfort tastes disgusting with Pepsi

It's Schweppes or it's nothing at Panther Park

Just bumping this after reading the below article in the Herald Sun. It's exactly the sort of thing we need to guard against in the SANFL.


ESSENDON will effectively field a reserves team this year after instructing Bendigo coach Hayden Skipworth that AFL-listed player development must take precedence over winning VFL matches.

The Essendon-Bendigo alignment will expire after the 2012 season, with Skipworth appointed this year's Bendigo coach before he takes the reins of the Bombers reserves next season.

Skipworth made it clear that developing Bombers coach James Hird's next generation of stars was priority No.1.

"It's been made very clear to me from the powers (that) be at Essendon that it's not about win-loss - it's all about playing the young Essendon guys in the positions they need to be played in," Skipworth told the Herald Sun.

"If we lose games because of that, then so be it.

"It's about developing the young Essendon guys firstly, as well as trying to provide some (VFL) talent that we can look at drafting or rookie-ing to Essendon at the end of the season."

Skipworth, employed by Essendon to coach Bendigo, said his success as development coach would be measured on preparing Hird's draftees for the rigours of AFL.

And yet that is all ok, all good. You can sabotage a game with blessings.
But if Skipworth was to bet on the team or worse, against his team, then a shellacking is a given.

WTF is the difference?

A selective point of view me thinks.

IS the inegrity of the AFL the only thing that must be safeguarded.
Is footy as a past time at all levels across the country something to be trifled with, as long as the afl comp remains above reproach?

God I am so sick of people preeching thier holier than thou mantra.

A difficult position for Skipworth, but if he has any integrity or love for the game of football (as opposed to afl) he would tell Hird to shove the job.

Another (glaring) example of why we should never ever go with AFL reserves teams in the sanfl.

With you 100% F#9.

It would certainly be more honest for Essendon to simply take over the Bendigo Bombers and rename it Essendon Reserves. But of course this would entail paying all the bills as well. Something the AFL isn't keen to do at the grass roots development level. But then who in their right mind would become a non-Essendon listed player, sponsor, paying member, volunteer etc for a club that declares it doesn't have winning games as its main priority? What's the point? FWIW here is a brief summary (From Wikipaedia) of the Bendigo Bombers.
QUOTE:
"The club entered the VFL in 1998 as the Bendigo Diggers and then, in 2003 after two successive winless seasons, formed an alliance with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League which results in Essendon being able to also field some players in the Bendigo team and gaining a supporter base in the large regional city. Essendon re-aligned with the Bendigo Bombers in late 2009 for a further two seasons.
The Diggers moniker was changed to the Bendigo Bombers in the same year to reflect the moniker of the Essendon AFL club.

The club has not yet won a premiership." (My emphasis)
Nor is it ever likely to. As I said What's the point?

I agree.

The problems with the VFL stem back to the old VFA losing its traditions and becoming a glorified Reserves AFL competition, something we should never want to see in the SANFL.

I doubt it will happen here, for a number of reasons to do with tradition, finances and the like. The other safeguard we have is that we only have two AFL teams, not the 10 in Victoria. That means there should never be the nuimber iof players between 9 clubs to make a significant difference, but it is another reason to resist Adelaide and Port having their own teams in our competition.

Here's a question.
If your SANFL club won a Reserves GF would it mean a lot to you, to your club and the players?
Of course it would.
Yet here we have a VFL "club" which apparently doesn't give a crap about it's players striving to be the best "team" that they can, only that each player does what they have to individually to serve their own purposes and another masters' agenda. How could anyone ever follow and support such a club?
How can SANFL clubs keep a raw passion for a flag at any level, yet at the apex of the code, the AFL, it is void of any such drive, determination and passion. For me it smacks of a fundamental lack of integrity and connection with the community at a general level. Once a club has it's Reserves, (god forbid) it's U19's, U17's and Juniors, it has an immediate link to Mums, Dads, brothers, sisters, Grandparents and friends. A link that hopefully continues for 20 plus years.
I'd love to know how the people and the die hard supporters of the Bendigo Diggers feel about this hijacking.

There are 2 entities in football.

The first is the game itself that has stood for for 125+ years and continues to be promoted through club, town and school based competitions around the country.

And the other is;

the AFL.

The latter bears no resemblance to the former in its ideals and custodianship of the game .

A number of posts above deserve a standing ovation.