Should the Adelaide Crows be allowed to field a reserves team in the SANFL?

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Every true SANFL supporter needs to have a position on the proposal for the Adelaide Crows and Port Power to field reserves teams in the SANFL from 2014. The proposal also involves the SANFL handing over control on the AFL licences to these clubs.

Admittedly I have not heard the entirety of the arguments proposed, however I have been able to form an opinion over the last few weeks/months. Many factors were considered and for a period of time I was in favour of the proposal. However this position changed in recent times due to several concerns/questions that remain unsolved or the answer is insufficient.

In terms of the inclusion of a Crows reserves team in the SANFL, I could see the value in this proposal as it would remove the bye at league level. It would also allow the coaching staff at Adelaide to have full control over positioning of players when they did not play in the senior side. It is not uncommon for AFL players to be dropped from the senior side only to end up in their aligned SANFL club's reserves side because they were not considered good enough to be in their best 21.

An AFL reserves side in the SANFL could allow the senior game plan to be reinforced, which means the players would only have to learn one game plan. However I am of the view that Adelaide would have to also field an Under 18’s side and an Under 16’s side if they entered the SANFL (i.e. the all or nothing approach). The issue with this revolves around the player drain from the other 8 clubs while these players are found (Port Adelaide already have this structure in place and would simply move the remainder of their playing list into the Magpies). This could potentially reduce the competitiveness of the other SANFL clubs in the future.

The removal of the bye could allow for a reduced SANFL season of 18 minor round matches plus finals. A shorter season has significant player welfare benefits with less physical strain on the body and less chance of impact injuries from match conditions. Player welfare has become topical over recent years with the inclusion of the bye at AFL level.

However with a proposal such as this there would be some financial consideration being paid by the clubs for the right to own the AFL licence and/or the payment of a potential licence fee to enter the SANFL. This would have to be considered against the current arrangement of a dividend that is paid to the SANFL clubs. For the SANFL to survive not only would a licence fee be required but there would need to be an annual payment made to each club.

Then it comes down to competitiveness, would an Adelaide Crows reserves team in the SANFL be competitive against the other clubs and how much importance would Adelaide place on performance in the SANFL? Does the SANFL want a club that may not have the desire to win the premiership within its ranks and therefore simply act as a feeder club to its AFL team?

These were the main issues for me and the lack of suitable answers around these points swayed my decision to not support the proposal. There are other issues around club history, tradition, and the potential to attract more supporters to SANFL games to name a few, but I consider the points above to be the most important. Not everyone will agree about this issue but some consensus will need to be made if the SANFL is to survive and remain the second best Australian Rules League in the land.