They’re normally arch enemies, but Adelaide Crows have joined forces with Port Adelaide to express their outrage at what they deem to be unfair regulations surrounding their use of the new substitute rule.
The SANFL have forbid the Crows or Power from selecting a player in the feeder competition if that player came on as a substitute during the AFL game that week.
It means a player who comes on as the sub in the final minute of an AFL match will not be allowed to line up for his SANFL side that weekend.
The VFL and WAFL don’t have such a rule, and the Crows and Power feel they have been disadvantaged by the SANFL’s hardline stance.
Port Adelaide have written to the AFL about the issue, and it’s expected Adelaide will follow suit.
“We support Port Adelaide with their view 100 per cent,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said on Thursday.
“There are 16 teams in the competition that are able to play that substitute after being activated at an AFL level, so the two of us are at a disadvantage.”
“For us ultimately we’re about developing our players. For a player to play five minutes of an AFL game and then not be able to get a game in at (SANFL level) that particular weekend, it puts us on the back foot.
“It hinders the development of that player, and not only that player, but also his teammates, not being able to play alongside those guys.”
The Crows will be back in action on Friday when they host the Gold Coast Suns at Adelaide Oval.
The Suns were forced to fly to Adelaide on Tuesday to escape the growing COVID-19 cluster in Queensland.
Adelaide forward Darcy Fogarty will again be overlooked for AFL selection, but Nicks has big future plans for the 21-year-old to become an explosive forward-mid.
“We’ve seen that as a weapon for a lot of clubs over the last few years, that player who is explosive, strong, dynamic around the footy, but then has the ability to go forward and hit the scoreboard,” Nicks said.
“Dusty (Martin) is the No.1 in the competition at the moment, (Patrick) Dangerfield, (Christian) Petracca (are others).
“Ultimately though Foggy is his own player, he’s not going to try to be someone else.
“We’ll get his game to a level that hopefully sooner rather than later we’re talking about that Fogarty role. That’s the goal for him.”