The SANFL - Risk to Life

First it was expecting finely tuned AFL footballers to be crammed into a visitor's dressing room at City Mazda Oval, a room designed only for 21 SANFL footballers.

That forced a team to stay on the oval at half-time, to avoid the dangers lurking in those dank, dark, dangerous dungeons.

I've only watched a thousand or so games at that same ground, without one incident or injury caused by the conditions, but I was living in a fool's paradise. It took another team of AFL professionals to make me realise the dangers the oval really held.

Divots.

Nasty, hidden, divots, deliberately lurking, waiting to rise up and destroy the pockets of these also finely tuned professionals.  How lucky was Jono Beech to have played there for years without incident, when it was only a matter of time before he would disappear down one of the said divots, never to be seen again.

Fortunately Jono, one of my all-time favourites, survived to attend Westies' presentations after the game.

I'd only just relaxed when I read about the coach of the first team I mentioned panicking over the behaviour of the crowd at Norwood.

This time I agree with them. The Norwood gang, excluding any 'Legs' supporters who read this, are a motley lot, most of them escapees from the lower reaches of the worst neighbourhoods of Sodom or Gomorrah, along with a collection of regular inhabitants of the Shady Rest Home for the Intellectually Challenged and some of the denizens of The School for Regaining Respect after Embarrassing Incidents caused by tje Demon Drink.

They're correct to draw the line at the mutterings of Norwood fans. I've had my fill of them over the years - men of a certain age mumbling to themselves "C'mon Gags" or 'ladies', most of them in the age group 86 to 86.5, always carrying an umbrella and their knitting , ready to kill anyone who doesn't genuflect at the mention of 'Big' Bill Wedding.

As I said, I agree with the AFL lads on this point, but I can't help feeling they get a little bit precious at times.

Hard to say without knowing precisely what behaviour occurred. There are some, let's say, ordinary elements among the Norwood faithful. The attention drawn to them and security levels, whether it be divots or angry supporters, doesn't seem to emanate from the traditional SANFL clubs. Would guess then, that any problems occurring last Thursday night lies somewhere in the middle.

pretty simple really they pay to play in the competition & i'm sure they would know where the ovals, what they've been like for years, you know a bit like ''term & conditions'' if they're not happy then pay another competition to play in.........as for last Thursdays game, i can only say i heard booing throughout the night & after the match i can't recall the order but lets say Chad was first, so Chad Cornes walked off to the booing & followed a short time later by the team who also got booed, being in the grandstand i wasn't privvy to any comments but i'm sure there were plenty, however Port in whatever form they are in should not complain because every other teams group of supporters & indeed their players have copped the Alberton vitriolic over the last 100 or so years

i don't have a problem with the booing or even the smart one liners but when it turns to personal abuse then that has gone way too far

Dont forget at Prospect when those terrible North supporters booed the Crows and Taylor Walker got his dummy out and had a whinge.How dare North supporters do that what were they thinking.Just confirms how precious these 2 AFL reserve sides are.They will probably call the game off if a ground is covered in mud and they got dirty poor darlings.

if uncle Doug was still in charge at Richmond i reckon he'd accidentally leave the sprinklers on overnight......just like the old days, hey Lee

Shows the intelligence of people, on here and at the footy, if I abuse **** out of the players and coach enough they'll leave. Dead set **** head if that's your preferred method of stating your case and shows you've not got the intellect to approach the situation in any manner to make a real difference.

Pretty sure Chad has thick skin, pretty sure he's been around the game long enough to know what's par for the course and what's not. **** me, he's a Glenelg boy, his fathers Graham and he's a Port man at heart now....like he's never copped a serve before!

Alberton hasn't ever been a sanctuary for the intellectually superior or culturally advanced, for sure, but some of the stuff I've heard and been threatened with in the last two years has been remarkable and as noted above, if you're that ******* thick to think that you'll be the catalyst for the sides being removed from the competition I wish you luck surviving in this world without opposable thumbs.

I too have thick skin, very thick around the middle and give as good as I get but I have never threatened anyone with physical violence or ( as at Woodville last year - lol ) - "I'll **** in my pie bag and stick down your ******* throat". I trust his work for the dole scheme is going well.

All jokes aside, I think small elements of the crowd at Norwood are pretty ordinary.

A few who congregate around the race and those who sit immediately above the opposition bench are sometimes really hard to take.

At all grounds, including Norwood, the vast majority are OK, allowing for us all being one-eyed.

I think the AFL teams can be very precious, as has been stated about change rooms and divots, but there are a lot of smaller similar issues that don't become public at the time.  Those things are issues where the AFL clubs expect the SANFL clubs to treat them differently to other opposition SANFL clubs.

They are often very 'precious'.

Perhaps that's understandable, given the money involved with their players and competition, but it's our competition and they should accept the criticism they get for that.

As for Chad Cornes, over the top abuse of players, coaches and volunteers is never OK and should be condemned by all supporters.

Precious, or professional? Might be worth considering.

No surprises I'm with Booney on this one.

Would I take my 4 year old girl to an SANFL game dressed in our Crows gear? In all honesty no, no I would not.

Is this good for the SANFL?

No, no it is not.

The Cornes boys are as tough as they come, so the fact that Kane felt he had to take his family home at half time is an absolute ******* disgrace.

I've thought the SANFL has stumbled along O.K. for a hundred years or so, professional or not. It's only the 2/3 year old clubs doing the whining, as far as I can see....!?

Gingernuts wrote:NThe Cornes boys are as tough as they come, so the fact that Kane felt he had to take his family home at half time is an absolute ******* disgrace.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, how would anyone know without hearing precisely what he's taken issue with? According to the Norwood supporter in question, KC lipped back and even flicked the cap off the supporters head. If accurate, then both are likely at fault.

Honestly Chad needs to be raked over the coals .
Doing that the next game Port v Norwood will be worse in the crowd .
Honestly the only SAFNL coach to go on like this really .
And once again it was all over channel 7 news they must have shares in port Adelaide

Booney wrote:Precious, or professional? Might be worth considering.

Fair point, but their professionalism only extends to themselves.

I think most of the SANFL clubs would say their approach to the competition is somewhat one-sided.

Scrunch wrote:

Gingernuts wrote:NThe Cornes boys are as tough as they come, so the fact that Kane felt he had to take his family home at half time is an absolute ******* disgrace.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, how would anyone know without hearing precisely what he's taken issue with? According to the Norwood supporter in question, KC lipped back and even flicked the cap off the supporters head. If accurate, then both are likely at fault.

Perhaps.

The question you have to ask though is whether there are a percentage of SANFL fans who are deliberately and systematically increasing their aggression beyond acceptable levels towards the AFL affiliated teams and their supporters.

If there is, then this isn't a good outcome for anyone.

Is it something that the regular SANFL attendees on here have noticed since the AFL affiliated teams have entered the competition?

I can't answer that question because A-I don't get close enough to the boundary to hear what's said, and B-I'm wholesome

I did hear a fair bit of it in their first season, but it wasn't over the top, and the players wouldn't have heard it from where I was. Honestly can't recall any of it past then though.

It's a tough one. Over the top personal abuse and threatening bad language etc can't be accepted, same as it shouldn't have been accepted prior to the AFL entities being involved. But thereafter, they shouldn't receive nor expect any different treatment to the true SANFL clubs, and shouldn't expect to have the carpet rolled out for them. This isnt the glamour league, it's the grit league. Players and staff from ALL clubs have always been targets for heckling in all levels of football, and always will be.

Scrunch wrote:I can't answer that question because A-I don't get close enough to the boundary to hear what's said, and B-I'm wholesome

I did hear a fair bit of it in their first season, but it wasn't over the top, and the players wouldn't have heard it from where I was. Honestly can't recall any of it past then though.

It's a tough one. Over the top personal abuse and threatening bad language etc can't be accepted, same as it shouldn't have been accepted prior to the AFL entities being involved. But thereafter, they shouldn't receive nor expect any different treatment to the true SANFL clubs, and shouldn't expect to have the carpet rolled out for them. This isnt the glamour league, it's the grit league. Players and staff from ALL clubs have always been targets for heckling in all levels of football, and always will be.

Absolutely agree with all of that.

Heckling is absolutely fine, even with a lashing of the odd swear word here or there. As long as it's not over the top as you say.

Yep, I'm all for that

A few points,

I take my girls to SANFL matches for my own club and others from time to time, I always take seats in the 'Family Friendly Area" and have never had any problems whatsoever. My personal view is that if you don't want your kids hearing some muppet screaming the F word, then go and do the same. Incidentally you don't have to have children to sit in the family friendly area if you wish.

Yes I have seen various incidents at SANFL, AFL and State Games over the years. In the early days of the Port Adelaide FC being in the AFL I saw a lot of poor behaviour towards visiting fans who were vastly outnumbered by the Port Adelaide people at Football Park, without bias I have not seen anything like the same behaviour at an Adelaide match although clearly there would have to be various incidents over the years, the moment you get members of the public congregating in that manner incidents occur. I hope that the PAFC are not trying to paint themselves as being clean in this area because they are not.

As far as I know unless it has changed, Norwood don't get to play Central District on Friday nights at the Parade because of similar incidents along with people physically fighting in the crowd. Most likely a similar result will happen with Norwood and Port Adelaide night matches.

It could be that people are targeting Port Adelaide fans, it could also be that Port Adelaide fans are not used to being in the minority at matches, with many being used to being the majority crowd at AFL matches. Perhaps some are over sensitive, and perhaps others have justifiable concerns.

I would support the SANFL administration looking into it and rescheduling matches if that is the advice that their review people come up with. In Soccer clubs are routinely held responsible for their behavior of their fans if it is proven as it is considered that the club has a responsibility to create a culture that eschews that kind of behavior. If the SANFL have justification and feel they want to go down that pathway then I will support that.

agree with your post Ben W,
I generally sit in the family area, just depends on what ground it is as i usually sit in the same areas & being a single father that's where i sat over the last dozen or so years & it is just a habit & is peaceful, oh didn't an A-league team lose points for some crowd indiscretion ?

Oh how the memory fades..........

Ben W wrote:
As far as I know unless it has changed, Norwood don't get to play Central District on Friday nights at the Parade because of similar incidents along with people physically fighting in the crowd. Most likely a similar result will happen with Norwood and Port Adelaide night matches.

That has changed - Norwood played Centrals under the Norwood lights in 2014, albeit in late June, so it was a cold, wet, miserable night and the game got something like 1900 people to it.

Southee wrote:

Oh how the memory fades..........

Two wrongs don't make one right.

Correspondence has been initiated by al least 2 SANFL clubs
They have let members know they will not tolerate bad behavior, or something similar , at their football grounds