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Your views: on Port and SANFL, Aquatic Centre and QR code fines

Today, readers comment on Port Adelaide’s SANFL future, a slow decline and public health policing.

May 17, 2021, updated May 17, 2021
Photo: Michael Errey/InDaily

Photo: Michael Errey/InDaily

Commenting on the story: Bye-bye Magpies? Port boss issues SANFL ultimatum

I have read the statement by David Koch and as far as I’m concerned, neither Port or Crows should be in the SANFL.

The sooner they get out the better for the remaining clubs. – Nigel Childs

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch’s insulting and ungrateful threats to remove the Magpies team from the SANFL competition stands condemned.

 It is laughable for Koch to be scathing of the eight SANFL member clubs and the league in general, saying “the idea is to rig the competition to make the AFL clubs as least competitive as possible — but still close enough that their supporters come and financially help the SANFL”.

As the Port Adelaide chairman and Power president, he would have knowledge of the millions of dollars the SANFL has pumped into keeping both the Power and the Magpies teams afloat. Arguably, both teams were faced with potential extinction at one stage if that extraordinary financial support had not been forthcoming from the SANFL.

Many supporters and members of the non-AFL SANFL clubs would be delighted if Koch made good on his threats to move the Magpies to the expanding VFL second tier competition.

Notably, the Crow’s chairman John Olsen is not (publicly) making similar threats about the Crow’s SANFL team. Why would he, remembering that as the SANFL president and SANFL Commission chairman, he orchestrated the arrangement that sees the SANFL paying for the maintenance of Football Park for the Crow’s exclusive use, potentially until the lease expiry in 2048!

The annual cost to the SANFL has been acknowledged by the Crows to be $2 million per year, and that was six years ago.

Far from being intimidated by the Koch threats, the SANFL should be encouraging the Port Adelaide and Adelaide football clubs to remove their SANFL State League teams from the competition. Their presence is not all that welcome in many SANFL quarters from what I have discerned. Philip Groves

The best solution for all concerned (AFL, SANFL, Power and Crows) is for the national AFL competition to have a reserve team from all clubs play as “curtain raisers” before each AFL senior teams game. It’s always been the obvious solution.

The “seconds” comp is where supporters can see up and coming players and injured or out of form players make their comebacks. Our excellent SANFL comp would be restored with  the removal of the professional versus part time players teams.

If Port/Power’s only problem is the prison bars issue not being available in the AFL seconds comp, then it’s time to move on, Port. Keep it if you have to for Showdowns but it’s time to talk to the new generation/reality about your club and its future. The AFL will continue to plunder the SANFL teams as they have always done and SANFL and VFL will continue to play and safeguard our precious Australia Rules Football.

Please remember no one plays AFL. However the Australian Football League plays a game called Australian Rules Football. – John Kennedy

I think the best thing for both Adelaide AFL clubs and the SANFL is for Crows and Power reserves to move to a national reserves comp (or VFL if AFL don’t move to a reserve comp).

The Magpies could then stay in SANFL as what they always were, a local club. I think the cost of making the magpies a reserve team was too high. I’m not a Port fan but they were a great local club in their community; to lose their recruitment zone and juniors has taken the sole out of a community club. Future kids from their zone have next to no way of playing for Port unless they happen to be the son of a club champion.

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Having reserve teams in the SANFL devalues their competition, too. – Tully Haines

David Koch should be very careful the SANFL don’t ask him to leave. No prison bar jumper and no supporters. Costs will escalate. Be careful what you wish for. Port Power don’t need the distraction. Just concentrate on winning an AFL Premiership. – David McKay

Commenting on the story: Aquatic Centre decline continues as spas permanently turned off

With the decline in the condition of the infrastructure, the level of debt carried by the City Council and less and less facilities on offer to the public with the diving board and spa now closed, this facility should be closed. – David Waylen

Commenting on the story: Victorian COVID case linked to Adelaide medi-hotel

Shopping in the Central Market on Friday, I was very annoyed to find that the government has stepped up the contract tracing requirements, so that it’s not enough to have a check in when entering the market.  You have to check in at every stall.

I was told by a stallholder that on Thursday there were plain clothed police issuing $1,060 fines to people who hadn’t done so.

This will kill the Central Market. That’s serious, but even more serious is the erosion of our relationship with the police. State governments around Australia have successfully managed the pandemic not because they’ve suddenly become competent, but because they’ve benefited from our political culture. Australians (and especially South Australians) are easy to govern because we will follow orders that we think are reasonable and are in the community’s interest. This latest move threatens our idea of what is reasonable.

How many people think the crime of not checking in at every market stall is more serious than running a red light (fine: $496 + 3 demerit points)? How many think it reasonable to increase obligations on shoppers at this stage, when the government is allowing a full house at AFL matches with nary a mask in sight?

And to have it enforced by plain clothed police, Stasi style, is downright disturbing. This government is stupidly endangering something very precious. – Ian Radbone

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