The SANFL enters a new era tonight with a touch of the old as traditional rivals Norwood and Port face off at Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval).

The league has a new side – Adelaide Football Club’s reserves – and a new-old side  – Port Adelaide’s AFL reserves side merging into the Port Magpies.

For the remaining eight sides in the league, there will no longer be a stream of AFL-listed players coming into and out of their sides.

There are new coaches and Central District’s coach Roy Laird is in his 12th successive season as the man in charge.

The other big change for the SANFL is the move of its telecasts from ABC TV to Channel Seven’s free-to-air channel 7Mate.

The telecast starts at 7pm.

Norwood, premiers last year, are missing 12 players from their grand final side and they have a new coach in Ben Warren.

“It is a slight changing of the guard because we have some young guys who didn’t get an opportunity last year who will now get an opportunity because 12 grand finals players are now unavailable,” Norwood football manager Mark Ross told sanfl.com.au

Port Adelaide has named a side that mixes youth and experience.

The Magpies line-up includes Kane Mitchell, Sam Colquhoun and Cam Hitchcock along with experienced defenders Tom Logan and Henry Slattery.

AFL-listed pair Lewis Stevenson (toe) and Andrew Moore (AC joint) will miss another week while Paul Stewart will play his first match after suffering a calf injury.

It will be the 292nd meeting between the two clubs.