Pre-Season Football

Bayman brought up recently on here the old Escort Cup Competition, interesting that Ron Fuller brought up the subject of a pre-season competition in his blog - maybe he reads this site!

"Pre-Season Football
Wednesday 22 February - By Ronny's Blog

It seems the AFL experiment of having 3 teams play each other at the same venue on the same night is gaining favor.
Perhaps in the first year it was a little confusing for the general public to embrace, but this year it appears to have been favorably accepted.
With our competition having 9 teams, there is no reason we couldn’t have a similar format to start our season off either.
To have 3 teams grouped to play over a couple of periods at a time could easily be done in the SANFL pre season too.
It would be a great night out, particularly at a venue that provides lighting as a starter to normal trials or even a prevue one week before the start of the official program.
This might be a full dress rehearsal for the home and away after all the other trials have been done.
Either way it is all done in about 3 hours and 3 sets of supporters get to see their team go around.
There ought to be no shortage of grounds available with Thebarton also having its lights up graded to be a possible venue now as well.

Ron Fuller.

http://www.safc.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42&Itemid=39

I think that the SANFL should bring back the pre-season cup, I remember going to a final between Woodville and Glenelg at AAMI many years ago.

Top idea Ron. 3 teams' supporters makes the crowds bigger and the atmosphere better. And teams can take it seriously or not, the same way they do in the AFL, and I can't see how it differs much from a series of trial games for a quality pre-season hit-out. But more hoopla, and more crowds! And you'd get to see all other clubs over 4 weeks and see how they're developing.

The 3 top teams of each group plus the best 2nd placed team could then battle it out in semi finals.

To be honest, I was never all that inerested in the pre-season or night competitions back in the 1980s, so I wouldn't be very interested now. Quite happy with the three trial games as a build up to the season.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:To be honest, I was never all that inerested in the pre-season or night competitions back in the 1980s, so I wouldn't be very interested now. Quite happy with the three trial games as a build up to the season.

I agree completely. Contrived mini competitions hold no interest for me at all. Leave that to the AFL, where drumming up TV advertising has become the main concern. I always look forward to the trial games, where young up and coming kids can be tested, coaches can try out different structures and so on.

countrycousin wrote:

Adelaide Hawk wrote:To be honest, I was never all that inerested in the pre-season or night competitions back in the 1980s, so I wouldn't be very interested now. Quite happy with the three trial games as a build up to the season.

I agree completely. Contrived mini competitions hold no interest for me at all. Leave that to the AFL, where drumming up TV advertising has become the main concern. I always look forward to the trial games, where young up and coming kids can be tested, coaches can try out different structures and so on.

I can't add any more to that.

testy1 wrote:

countrycousin wrote:

Adelaide Hawk wrote:To be honest, I was never all that inerested in the pre-season or night competitions back in the 1980s, so I wouldn't be very interested now. Quite happy with the three trial games as a build up to the season.

I agree completely. Contrived mini competitions hold no interest for me at all. Leave that to the AFL, where drumming up TV advertising has become the main concern. I always look forward to the trial games, where young up and coming kids can be tested, coaches can try out different structures and so on.

I can't add any more to that.

Am I wrong, but do they keep two Escort Cups in the Trophy Cabinet at West Adelaide? What do those mean to the club and its members?

Ben W wrote:

testy1 wrote:

countrycousin wrote:

Adelaide Hawk wrote:To be honest, I was never all that inerested in the pre-season or night competitions back in the 1980s, so I wouldn't be very interested now. Quite happy with the three trial games as a build up to the season.

I agree completely. Contrived mini competitions hold no interest for me at all. Leave that to the AFL, where drumming up TV advertising has become the main concern. I always look forward to the trial games, where young up and coming kids can be tested, coaches can try out different structures and so on.

I can't add any more to that.

Am I wrong, but do they keep two Escort Cups in the Trophy Cabinet at West Adelaide? What do those mean to the club and its members?

About as much as a packet of smokes...

I used to love the Escort Cup, especially the country road trips and wish the pre-season was a bit more high profile.

Maybe this was because as a Woodville Fan we performed far better in the pre-season that we did in the real comp.

Reality is the league's limited resources are better allocated to the season proper. After all how much interest would an SANFL pre-season comp be if now held in the middle of Clipsal, Festivals, Adelaide Cup etc.