From Adelaide Advertiser
Reported by Andrew Capel
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FORMER Crow Nathan Bassett wants SA's AFL teams to stay out of the SANFL.
Reigniting the Crows/Power/SANFL debate, the Norwood premiership coach says allowing Adelaide and Port Adelaide to field teams in the local league - either at league level or in the reserves - would rip the heart out of the competition.
Bassett says the Crows and Power should field seconds teams in the VFL, describing the estimated annual cost of $350,000 for travel and accommodation as "a pittance in AFL terms".
"They don't belong in the SANFL," Bassett said.
"I think they should both be in the VFL.
"If they want to field a reserves side, play in a reserves competition where it won't affect our league.
"We are here to win for our supporters and I don't want to coach against the Crows or Port for that matter if it's just their reserves sides."
Bassett - who played 210 games for Adelaide from 1998-2008 before coaching the Redlegs to last year's premiership - is dead against SA's AFL clubs impacting on the SANFL.
Both clubs desperately want to field a "reserves" side in a senior competition next year to better manage and develop their players.
But Bassett said he would get no satisfaction playing against and beating a team in the SANFL whose focus was on development rather than winning. And he said his reserves players would get no joy out of being thumped by a side consisting of AFL players.
"It just wouldn't work," Bassett said.
"The SANFL is a good competition that really stands for something and it doesn't need to have the Crows and Power, who would have different agendas to the SANFL clubs, playing in it.
"They can go and play somewhere else."
Bassett's comments support those of outspoken West Adelaide coach Andrew Collins, who has already warned that the SANFL would become a shadow of its former self if it allowed Adelaide and Port into the competition.
Bassett, who has turned Norwood into a powerhouse and has it sitting top again this season, said he was not concerned that the standard of the SANFL competition would drop if AFL-listed players were taken out of it.
"If you look at the SANFL finals, how many guys on an AFL list actually make an impact," he said.
"Last year we had (Crow) Luke Brown play very well - he was probably close to our best player in the grand final.
"But there weren't too many guys who played in the finals who are with an AFL club.
"So it's not a big deal if we lose three or four.
"Not having AFL players available would make sure SANFL clubs focus more on developing their own players, which is a good thing.
"I'm confident that if we pick 21 of our own players, not including Crows and Power players, we're still the best side in the competition."
