Sportsbeat Revisited - September 2007

My column in the last week of the September 2007 edition of "Sportsbeat" looked at ten ways to improve the SANFL. Thought it may be interesting, five years on, to re-open the ideas in there and see if they still hold relevance in 2012:

1)Reintroduce the preseason competition in full.

2)At least one night game to be played every round.

3)Introduce 3 points for a deliberately rushed behind.

4)Offer clubs a bonus point for exceeding 20 goals in a match.

5)Increase the size of the interchange bench to four players.

6)Port Magpies take the initiative to move three home games per season as curtainraisers to Port Adelaide's AFL games.

7)Coaches allowed some comment on umpiring performances, with less restriction on their ability to comment.

8)A rule change to penalise teams that do not have at least 3 players behind the centre square at all times.

9)Introduce 1 round per year as AAMI Stadium round, where all games for the round are played at AAMI Stadium on the one day.

10)Introduce 2 country rounds per year with all games played in regional centres.

1)Reintroduce the preseason competition in full. - not a big fan of pre-season "competitions". Just glorified trial matches

2)At least one night game to be played every round. - agreed

3)Introduce 3 points for a deliberately rushed behind. - not against the idea, but worry about umpires' ability to police it.

4)Offer clubs a bonus point for exceeding 20 goals in a match. - Nope. You have a match on a cold windy Friday night, then a nice sunny Saturday afternoon in perfect conditions. Would compromise the competition.Do we also reward teams who have more that 12 goals kicked against them?

5)Increase the size of the interchange bench to four players. - Nope. We complain that increased rotations lead to a more boring style of game. One more player on the bench would do it no favours whatsoever.

6)Port Magpies take the initiative to move three home games per season as curtainraisers to Port Adelaide's AFL games. - no problem with this

7)Coaches allowed some comment on umpiring performances, with less restriction on their ability to comment. - I'd prefer coaches comment on their own teams, and how they can improve.

8)A rule change to penalise teams that do not have at least 3 players behind the centre square at all times. - don't understand this one at all CK, please explain?

9)Introduce 1 round per year as AAMI Stadium round, where all games for the round are played at AAMI Stadium on the one day. - not really warming to it, but have no objection either

10)Introduce 2 country rounds per year with all games played in regional centres. - Been tried, didn't really work. We have enough byes already without taking 2 more games away from some supporters

Sorry Ck, not really a fan of most of those.
Friday night footy is ok.

I think the game has moved past some of those options also.

Anything that messes with the rules, I am generally against.

I didn't mind the country footy, but it seems to the clubs the expense doesn't justify it. Country towns obviously benefit however.

Adelaide Hawk - number 8 is to combat flooding. Teams must, at all times, have at least 3 players behind the centre square.

Agree ,most of those are not workable.

Here is an idea. Leave the game alone and stop changing rules for starters.

C.K wrote:Adelaide Hawk - number 8 is to combat flooding. Teams must, at all times, have at least 3 players behind the centre square.

I'm still confused as to having at least 3 players (presumably anything up to 21 players) behind the centre square would combat flooding. It would promote it if anything.

AH, if you watch any game, even if it doesn't feature West or Norwood, you will find that if it's a slow play into one team's forward line, all the players on the field will be in that forward half.

That applies to all grades.

f you have to have 3 players in the other half, that lessens the congestion in the other half where the ball is.

I think a prominent journalist recently showed a picture of an empty half of the ground at a West game.

Cheap jibe and disingenuous.

PS: That journalist is otherwise very good.

Agree you could take that picture at any game.
Doesn't mean much in isolation.

Here's a thought for coaches.
If a player (say the FF) stayed within his own 50m arc, would he be left there for very long before someone picked him up?

Worth a risk if the ball happened to come toward him in a hurry.
So you put one there, then maybe another and another.

I think every defensive play that has come about has been countered by some innovative coaching.

Just waiting for the next one......

Ok, I will have a go CK!

1, Increase the Goal and Point Posts to the same size as Football Park across all Suburban Grounds, leaving the Point Posts painted Red.

2, Bring Back Double Headers at Neutral Grounds.

3, Require all clubs to host a country match in their zone once every two years and the SANFL are to promote it in those areas accordingly, especially utilising Easter Saturday in areas like Moonta and Robe and so on.

4, Shorten the SANFL season so each sides playes each other twice only and have it begin before the AFL season by two weeks to utilise the time to have night matches in warmer weather.

5, Host a Heritage Round of the SANFL at the same time as History Week. Have Gawler and Willunga play each other in it again also.

6, Assist Sturt, North and WWT to access night home games.

7, Talk to the SAAFL / SFL about the possibility of having a round once a year where their games are played before or after the SANFL League game to promote both groups and to foster stronger links between affiliated clubs.

8, Have legends matches again and like the Crows, invite other popular sports people to be involved.