2014 Retirements & 2015 Player Movement Discussions

Big Phil wrote:

eartotheground wrote:

eartotheground wrote:

Lee wrote:Confirmed, but he says he may be back to South in 2016.

Very likely to be joined by two big former SANFL names in the very near future, who will be excellent at that level.

Two former winged stars who will offer marking power and leadership.

Scott Morphett and Peter Taylor making a comeback?

Not the old Test spinner, no

eartotheground wrote:

Big Phil wrote:

eartotheground wrote:

eartotheground wrote:

Lee wrote:Confirmed, but he says he may be back to South in 2016.

Very likely to be joined by two big former SANFL names in the very near future, who will be excellent at that level.

Two former winged stars who will offer marking power and leadership.

Scott Morphett and Peter Taylor making a comeback?

Not the old Test spinner, no

Got my Taylor's mixed up - I meant Andrew

Angus Clarke leaving Norwood. 
Would be a decent pickup for another club, probably realises his game time would be limited with Baulderstone staying

Is one SANFL recruit already making noises about leaving their new club?

Aceman wrote:Angus Clarke leaving Norwood. 
Would be a decent pickup for another club, probably realises his game time would be limited with Baulderstone staying

Might be playing country football and for more loot ?

Scrappy wrote:

Aceman wrote:Angus Clarke leaving Norwood. 
Would be a decent pickup for another club, probably realises his game time would be limited with Baulderstone staying

Might be playing country football and for more loot ?

Cant blame him. 
Play in the Ressies and earn what $50-100 a game and train 4-5 days a week, stuff that. 
He could easily make $800 a week and train only once or twice a week in the country, ill take that anyday

Aceman wrote:

Scrappy wrote:

Aceman wrote:Angus Clarke leaving Norwood. 
Would be a decent pickup for another club, probably realises his game time would be limited with Baulderstone staying

Might be playing country football and for more loot ?

Cant blame him. 
Play in the Ressies and earn what $50-100 a game and train 4-5 days a week, stuff that. 
He could easily make $800 a week and train only once or twice a week in the country, ill take that anyday

yep, can't blame him, however this is why i respect ''fringe league players'' who put in the same work as the ''automatic selected players'' for little reward, as they have ambitions to improve & test themselves, so play against the best possible opposition that they can

When an AFL club can offer more $$$ = no problem
When a bush club can offer more $$$ = a problem

To play in a lesser comp for more pay is FUNDamentally just not right
Something has to be done with SANFL salary caps or whatever to stop the drain ?

The Aceman post is spot on

My question is :
How can some country clubs afford to play players $800 + and SANFL teams like South Adelaide have recently recorded massive trading losses?

Perhaps because an SANFL club has to pay many players, but a country club often only has to pay one or two players big dollars.

The problem with raising the salary cap is that most clubs are making losses with a $400K cap and couldn't afford a higher cap.

Lee wrote:Perhaps because an SANFL club has to pay many players, but a country club often only has to pay one or two players big dollars.

The problem with raising the salary cap is that most clubs are making losses with a $400K cap and couldn't afford a higher cap.

That's exactly what's happening Lee and I can tell you that it's causing dissent in many country clubs, which depend almost entirely on volunteers to function. Much more than SANFL League clubs do. OK if a well heeled sponsor puts up the money to pay a couple of ex city players big bucks, and they manage to win a premiership for the first time in ages, everybody is happy. But unfortunately the more common scenario is that they don't make much difference. Too often they don't do much more for the country club than turn up and play on Saturday. Then the grumbling starts. "Money wasted on 'blow-ins' etc etc." Regular players leave, volunteers quit, small sponsors pull out and the club ends up in a worse position than previously. This isn't exaggerating, I see it happening and I know there is talk of changing the rules, to try to stop this sort of thing, which is damaging country leagues. As you know it's become a complex issue, trying to balance volunteer based, grassroots competitions that are continually under financial stress, with the expectations of players who don't quite make it to the multi-million dollar circus that the AFL has become.

Totally agree, cc.

It's a major problem, just as you describe.

As for SANFL clubs, it used to be common to have many players who played a lot of Reserves games. That rarely happens now.

Ive been advocating for years that we should scrap Ressies. Keep underage system as is. 
The guys playing ressies can go back to their aligned country/amateur club which usually is a good standard, yes I know its harder for the SANFL clubs to keep their eyes out for their players but Ressies seem just such a waste at SANFL level. No bloke in their right mind is going to do the workload of their league playing mates to earn a pittance. Gone are the days when guys would play 2-3 years in the Ressies before making their league debut

Good point, Aceman.

I think the Reserves will become an Under 23 comp, topped up by returning injured and fringe League players.

Lee wrote:Good point, Aceman.

I think the Reserves will become an Under 23 comp, topped up by returning injured and fringe League players.

bar for the odd exception i think the league itself will evolve into an under 23 competition & most likely within a decade

eartotheground wrote:Is one SANFL recruit already making noises about leaving their new club?

Have they joined a band, instead?

reserves will be gone inside 7 years, and the sanfl will continue to fall away to a feeder competition losing its soul with each year. so sad for a competition with so much tradition, love from the fans and so many committed people trying to work so hard against bureaucracy

The Hatchet wrote:reserves will be gone inside 7 years, and the sanfl will continue to fall away to a feeder competition losing its soul with each year. so sad for a competition with so much tradition, love from the fans and so many committed people trying to work so hard against bureaucracy

And you can thank the leeching of AFL footbal into this state for that if it happens.

testy wrote:

The Hatchet wrote:reserves will be gone inside 7 years, and the sanfl will continue to fall away to a feeder competition losing its soul with each year. so sad for a competition with so much tradition, love from the fans and so many committed people trying to work so hard against bureaucracy

And you can thank the leeching of AFL footbal into this state for that if it happens.

if that happens & for example Glenelg fringe players are playing at Brighton, Marion, Plympton, Phos Camden etc etc i can see Glenelg wanting to get them playing in the same team developing together, learning the culture of the club, the game plan......oh hang on sounds familiar to something i've already heard somewhere else 

The AFL needs to act as custodian of the pyramid of football and it certainly doesn't imo.

The base of the pyramid is on slowly crumbling foundations.

I really don't think a model for all tiers of football would be that hard to formulate, but they have got to want to bring all affiliated leagues and clubs on board.

Sure it would mean changes, but at least there would be some confidence in a sustainable future.

How many people around here are confident that the system as it stands can be maintained indefinitely?

Nothing in football can stay the same indefinitely, but I think the changes at SANFL level won't be major.

These are my best guesses.

The Reserves will quickly become a grade of younger players, continuing recent trends. This might not only be juniors from a club's 18's, but also promising young players looking for an entry point to AFL, but perhaps not yet a walk-up start at SANFL League level.

The 18's grade has been successful and I don't see much change there.

At League level, I see an eventual reduction in the salary cap, partly due to AFL pressure, but more so that many clubs struggle to finance existing levels.  There will be less recruiting from the VFL and some competitions due to transfer fees, but increased recruiting from country interstate.

The future of the AFL clubs in the SANFL will remain an openquestion, with change dependent on the bigger political picture between the AFL and the SANFL.

I'm still confident about the future of our competition, but it's survival and growth will deoend on clubs attracting support from younger fans.

That's difficult.

Nothing in football can stay the same indefinitely, but I think the changes at SANFL level won't be major.

These are my best guesses.

The Reserves will quickly become a grade of younger players, continuing recent trends. This might not only be juniors from a club's 18's, but also promising young players looking for an entry point to AFL, but perhaps not yet a walk-up start at SANFL League level.

The 18's grade has been successful and I don't see much change there.

At League level, I see an eventual reduction in the salary cap, partly due to AFL pressure, but more so that many clubs struggle to finance existing levels.  There will be less recruiting from the VFL and some competitions due to transfer fees, but increased recruiting from country interstate.

The future of the AFL clubs in the SANFL will remain an openquestion, with change dependent on the bigger political picture between the AFL and the SANFL.

I'm still confident about the future of our competition, but it's survival and growth will deoend on clubs attracting support from younger fans.

That's difficult.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, but I think a reduction in salary cap would be the final nail in the coffin of a badly damaged competition

Yes. I think it will happen, but the question is wherher the competition would suffer too much if so.

That is bound up with the future of the SANFL as a whole, I think. I think we're at a time where the SANFL and its clubs need to work closely together for the benefit of the competition, as I'm sure the AFL will continue to put pressure on to reduce its importance.

I hope the SANFL stands up for the competition and makes it clear we'll govern ourselves, not be dictated to by others.

Could be some battles ahead, but if so, we need to stand up.

Lee wrote:Yes. I think it will happen, but the question is wherher the competition would suffer too much if so.

That is bound up with the future of the SANFL as a whole, I think. I think we're at a time where the SANFL and its clubs need to work closely together for the benefit of the competition, as I'm sure the AFL will continue to put pressure on to reduce its importance.

I hope the SANFL stands up for the competition and makes it clear we'll govern ourselves, not be dictated to by others.

Could be some battles ahead, but if so, we need to stand up.

is that true about the AFL already putting pressure on the SANFL to reduce its importance ?

seeing the SANFL doesn't owe the AFL a cent & indeed doesn't own franchises it their competition anymore, surely the SANFL  can ''respectfully'' tell them to go forth & multiply

I hope you're right, Bayman.

I was only giving an opinion based on the AFL attitude to the SANFL in recent years.

Football in SA is more than just the AFL clubs and the SANFL is more than just the SANFL clubs.

It needs co-operation between all bodies.