Should the AFL bring in a national reserves competition?
That’s the debate that has raged on for years as AFL clubs currently have their reserves split across the state leagues with the VFL, SANFL and WAFL.
With 14 of the 18 clubs having a reserves side in the VFL (including Sandringham and Box Hill as affiliates of St Kilda and Hawthorn respectively), calls have been made for the competition’s other four teams to link up so that a separate competition can run parallel to the AFL season.
With a standalone reserves competition having pros and cons, former Carlton and Adelaide midfielder Bryce Gibbs - who now plays SANFL for South Adelaide - weighed in on the “fascinating debate”.
“It’s a fascinating debate really,” Gibbs said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“It depends what hat you’ve got on, in clubland I dare say they’d love to have a second competition because they can keep everything aligned.”
Having played the last two seasons for a standalone SANFL club, Gibbs offered insight on how the South Australian league would view both Adelaide and Port Adelaide departing to join a reserves competition.
“From a SANFL point of view, they’d survive no worries without the Crows or Port, but they do provide financial support by having a license as well, so it’s very give or take,” Gibbs said.
“I do enjoy having the Crows and Port in the competition, especially for some of the young guys coming through, they get to test their skills against hardened AFL players.
“They get to see where the level is at, and it gives them motivation to continue building their game.
“It certainly has its challenges the SANFL with working full-time and playing, it’s become a very semi-professional competition, the schedule and the program put in place by SANFL clubs are not too far away from AFL standards.”
While Gibbs feels the SANFL would be fine without the Crows and Power, he does fear for the VFL if a reserves competition arises.
Given that only seven standalone VFL teams remain in Southport, Werribee, Port Melbourne, Frankston, Coburg, Williamstown and the Northern Bullants, Gibbs pondered if the league as we know it would dissolve if the AFL clubs departed the league.
“It is certainly a good debate, but I’d be more worried about what happens to the VFL and what that looks like, does that just become the new AFL reserves competition?” Gibbs asked.
“There wouldn’t be enough standalone teams to have a competition (in the VFL).
“It’d be sad to see that competition disappear.”