Magpies doomed

I guess that backs up my point.

None of us really know WTF is going on behind closed doors, to be in any way certain of what guise Port Adelaide is going to take next year.

Port Adelaide Magpies fans and players in shock as they face a likely sudden end
REECE HOMFRAY, PAM BROMBAL, KYM MORGAN THE ADVERTISER AUGUST 28, 2013 8:11AM

Port Adelaide Magpies players and supporters say they are shattered their suburban-based SANFL side is likely to play its final game at Alberton Oval on Sunday.

Players have been told the club wants to field an AFL reserves team in place of the stand-alone Magpies in the league next season.

The Magpie cheer squad has vowed it will disband regardless of whether the Power reserves side called itself the Magpies and played in Port's famed prison-bar guernsey.

The move would mean any Port Adelaide team in the SANFL from 2014 will be predominantly made up of players on the Power's AFL list. It is unclear how vacant spots in the side will be filled.

It was also unclear what would happen to the Magpies' junior zones in the Port Adelaide, Salisbury and Eyre Peninsula areas beyond 2014.

Retiring Magpies captain James Meiklejohn confirmed Port Adelaide's AFL chief executive Keith Thomas addressed players last week and told them the club was considering a move to field an AFL reserves team in the SANFL next season.

Meiklejohn said the structure under which the Power's reserves would play was unclear but players had accepted the side would replace the current Magpies - leaving dozens of players in limbo.

"Obviously there are a few things still to sort out but the feeling is these will be the last two games in 143 years of the Magpies in this sense,'' said Meiklejohn, who received a personal briefing from Thomas last week.

"It won't be the same set up as this year. The make up of the league team will be different and the SANFL guys won't know how many spots will be available."

Port Adelaide returns to the negotiation table with the SA Football Commission this week.

Thomas said he understood players' frustration.

"They are significantly affected by this decision," he said yesterday.

"Our current position is if we can't have our junior structure in place, then it will be status quo for 2014.

Thomas said there was no way around the reality that having all Power players together at the Magpies would reduce the number of opportunities for non-AFL listed players.

The Magpies play West Adelaide at Alberton this Sunday, before playing what will likely be their final match in their current format on September 7, against Glenelg at the Bay.

Long-term Magpies cheer squad leader Harold Wilson said he and the squad's 67 members were devastated.

Wilson, a member for 38 years, said the cheer squad would disband at the end of the season. "We thought this would happen but we thought they could have come up with a better outcome for the club," Mr Wilson, from Pennington, said.

"We've been involved with the club since 1966 - outside of my work and family, it is my life.

"Every weekend is spent following the team around.

"My kids, family, grandkids and friends all support the Magpies and it is something that has been part of all our life for decades."

Mr Wilson does not support the Power and said he would have no association with the club from next season. He said the cheer squad would not protest, or officially send the Magpies off at Alberton on Sunday.

The cheer squad was planning a special farewell the following weekend at Glenelg, Mr Wilson said.

eartotheground wrote:Dont be at all surprised to see a special general meeting called by a group of members regarding this issue.

we were told at the ''Glenelg why we are voting yes seminar'' that a spill of the board/no confidence/sgm etc etc couldn't happen under the constitution in this circumstance...because i was all set to offer a motion & was cut down before i could

hopefully they can do something, but if they are ''oneclub'' there would be more members in line with the Power than the Magpies so i think a vote sadly wouldn't work

Russell Ebert's take......from Adelaide Now

PORT Adelaide legend Russell Ebert has gone into bat for the Magpies, sensationally slamming the SA Football Commission for "trying to destroy all those years of history''.

Ebert - SA football's most decorated player with four Magarey Medals - described the commission's decision to reject the Power's model for fielding a reserves team in the SANFL as "not acceptable''.

With the commission wanting the Power's reserves team to be stand alone, just like the Crows, and the Magpies to lose their under-age teams and recruiting zones, Ebert accused SANFL club presidents of putting their self interests ahead of the betterment of SA football.

He even suggested some presidents wanted the Magpies watered down because of the "pain and suffering'' Port had inflicted on rivals.

"It is unacceptable," said Ebert.

"Who's got the right to destroy all those years of history? And not only that but the connection that people have got with Port Adelaide.

"When you go to the country it's about Port and Norwood and the clashes and the Glenelg clashes and the Sturt dynasties of the 1950s and 60s.

"No-one has given me a good explanation as to why it is going to be better for football.

"It might be better for the Adelaide Footy Club and the Port Adelaide Footy Club as the Power but is it going to be best for football?

"That's what I understand a football commission to be in control of. They've got to make decisions for the betterment of football, not whether they've been beaten by Port Adelaide a few years ago and have a hatred for Port Adelaide.''

Ebert, who works as the Power's community youth program manager, said he understood the Power's need to have a seconds team in the SANFL and believes it should play in the Magpies' famous black-and-white prison bar jumper.

But he is adamant the SA Football Commission should allow the Maggies to continue to field under-age teams and keep their country recruiting zones.

"No-one has convinced me that the demise of our country zone, our country academies, the connection that the country folk have with Port Adelaide - and the other league clubs - and our U13s, our U15s, all that progression where those players are available for all clubs to draft, why destroy that?,'' Ebert said.

"Why even contemplate destroying that. Let's do what's best for football - not what's best for a couple of entities that have been around for a few years."

Ebert said the Power's reserves plan also was floored, questioning why players who have been drafted from SANFL clubs cannot continue to play for their original clubs when they are not required for the AFL.

"Why not spread them around,'' he said.

"Young Sammy Colquhoun came from the Barossa and played at Central District, so let him play for Central.

"The same with Nick Salter at the Eagles, Cam Hitchcock at the Bay, Hamish Hartlett from West Adelaide and Chad Wingard from Sturt.

"Any new draftee who comes in (from a non-SANFL club) can play for the Magpies but we've (the Power) have won a flag, the Crows have won two flags, so why bust it?''

Ebert said he wants to see the Magpies jumper "still running around with its integrity in tact and the competition wanting to get down to Alberton to beat that jumper''.

"Unfortunately a few presidents in the SANFL have had a lot of pain and suffering with that jumper running around and now they are making decisions on what's best for football? Nah,'' he said.

Ebert also questioned the move of Power home games from AAMI Stadium to a new-look Adelaide Oval, which he described as a "share" venue with cricket.

Ebert likened moving away from AAMI to selling a home, only to rent somewhere else.

"Since 1974 this has been our home, the home of football, we've shared it with a couple of other sports and a rock concert but this has been our home," Ebert said.

"To go away from that is more than a sad day - sometimes you wonder at decisions that are made when you've got a property like this and it's your home. Can't understand it."

I don't quite follow the logic of some of these points. Suffice to say Russell is not happy about losing the Magpies as a continuance of its 143 year entity. I am not real happy about that either. But to those Presidents and decisionmakers this is probably a "can't have your cake and eat it too" analogy.

Essentially, the difference between the Crows and Power reserves is about top up players.

The Crows model for that is rubbish and the Power's model is flawed too.
But neither they, nor the commission have sat down and addressed the parity from one system to the other and where perhaps modifications are needed.

And the important thing is that it needs to have fairness in not disadvantaging the other 8 clubs.

It isn't my job to come up with a system that addresses these points, but as far as I can see, the commission, power and crows haven't thought this through either.

It is just a "let's get 'em in and we'll sort the detail later".

Unfortunately the byproduct of that approach is the majorly unhappy people like Russell, me, Wolves, Bayman (sorry guys - needed some examples) who would ultimately prefer we don't even have to have this debate, but if we do, then it has got to stack up on all fronts.

......and it doesn't, as yet!

I once donated money to a save Port Adelaide campaign.
Can I have my money back now

The problem is that Port Adelaide have to choose.
1. They become a Port Power reserves team, or
2. They keep their existing zones and teams and history and do not get ALL the Power players.

They cannot have both as that will mean a huge advantage to the club in terms of salary cap, access to players and training that no other SANFL club has. It would mean that PA would dominate the competition unless all their good non-AFL players decide to leave becaue they get sick of playing second fiddle to AFL juniors that "need development".

Port Adelaide as a historical entity became compromised once the Power entered the AFL. To loose the magpies would diminish the SANFL competition and losing the opportunity to beat Port saddens all SANFL fans. If the PA board puts the importance of kow-towing to the Power above the history and traditions of the Magpies and the PA club then that is what will happen.

Thursday August 29 2013

SANFL COMPETITION – MEDIA STATEMENT

The following can be attributed to John Olsen, SA Football Commission Chairman:

“When the decision was taken to admit a support team from the Adelaide Football Club into the SANFL competition from 2014, the SANFL League Directors resolved to make the same invitation to the Port Adelaide Football Club.

“Following discussions, Port Adelaide then came back with some minor alterations to the model and, at a meeting held this morning, the League Directors have agreed to that proposal.

“We now anticipate that the Board of the Port Adelaide Football Club will consider the matter at its meeting tomorrow night.”

redandblack wrote:Thursday August 29 2013

SANFL COMPETITION – MEDIA STATEMENT

“Following discussions, Port Adelaide then came back with some minor alterations to the model and, at a meeting held this morning, the League Directors have agreed to that proposal.”

......and what are they Mr Olsen???????

for those that understand facebook, a statement by Steven Summerton (Port Magpies player) is very interesting

''No AFL Reserves in the SANFL''

go to this page


well said Steven Summerton

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:

redandblack wrote:Thursday August 29 2013

SANFL COMPETITION – MEDIA STATEMENT

“Following discussions, Port Adelaide then came back with some minor alterations to the model and, at a meeting held this morning, the League Directors have agreed to that proposal.”

......and what are they Mr Olsen???????

Something about letting them keep their junior sides for 2014, then after that I'm not sure what happens. I'm sure they'll tell us after it happens whatever it is. As I said in an earlier post, I'm fed up with the whole business. Every time I see Olsen or any of the other smarmy con men, I just shake my head and think "What lie are they going to tell us this time?" I'd rather they'd just come out right at the start and said "This is what we're going to do, you lot don't have any say and we don't care what you think." Instead of the charade we've been dragged through. That would at least have been honest. But I guess that's too much to expect. Yes I am as bitterly disillusioned as I sound.

countrycousin wrote:

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:

redandblack wrote:Thursday August 29 2013

SANFL COMPETITION – MEDIA STATEMENT

“Following discussions, Port Adelaide then came back with some minor alterations to the model and, at a meeting held this morning, the League Directors have agreed to that proposal.”

......and what are they Mr Olsen???????

Something about letting them keep their junior sides for 2014, then after that I'm not sure what happens. I'm sure they'll tell us after it happens whatever it is. As I said in an earlier post, I'm fed up with the whole business. Every time I see Olsen or any of the other smarmy con men, I just shake my head and think "What lie are they going to tell us this time?" I'd rather they'd just come out right at the start and said "This is what we're going to do, you lot don't have any say and we don't care what you think." Instead of the charade we've been dragged through. That would at least have been honest. But I guess that's too much to expect. Yes I am as bitterly disillusioned as I sound.

Yep, ditto me too!
And I can't even bring myself to post on DB.org at the moment, as what I might say will p!ss off everyone who is carrying on "business as usual".