Another goldfish in the HoF

[Mr Magic]

As for the comparison between VFL, WAFL and SANFL, surely nobody is suggesting that they were equivalent levels of football ability?

The mere fact that most good footballers in the WAFL and NFL ended up in the VFL shows that the VFL was the far superior competition.

Many very, very good footballers didn't play in vfl - there wasn't that big a gulf between the leagues - and not enough extra money or profile to justify leaving home, family, friends, and your club.

I stand to be corrected but I would have thought that the VFL was considered by most to be the pre-eminent competition.

Yes it was but not by the level you believe, perhaps it was by the 80s when the money and nationwide audience drew more players. Also "most" good footballers didn't move - you know the ones that did and don't know the many top shelf players that didn't. Then make the assumption that if they were any good they would have moved to the VFL.

If you're interested have a look at the SANFL HoF and you'll see the vast majority of members never played in the VFL. I'd hazard a guess that it is the same with the WAFL!

I'm not going to argue the point with you because I simply don't have the expertise to.

The one point I would make about the WAFL and SANFL HoF is that they are probably full of players that their parochial state selectors chose.

It's always easy to claim someone was great/fabulous when they never tested themselves in the ocean but preferred to stay (for whatever legitimate reason) in their own pond.

Neil Kerley is the classic case in point. He never rated any player who played east of the SA/Vic border until the Adelaide Crows joined the AFL.

And maybe the real proof was that SA, WA and QLD chose to form teams to join the VFL and become part of a new AFL.
The VFL teams didn't choose to join either the WAFL or SANFL.

The WAFL and SANFL are today their respective states' version of our current VFl (what was our VFA).
It is my beliuef that they were always the equivalent of the VFA in standard and not the VFL.

[saint patrick]

Rossy Smith not there...a joke....people forget how good he was ...was captain of Victoria in a team that included Jezza and Leigh Matthews FFS

[Mark]

Great point saint patrick about Ross Smith. Vic Capt with Jezza and Matthews in the side.I love that stat.

[To the top]

I rate Neil Button a better player than Peter Carey - and the 1975 Grand Final showed exactly why.

But Carey was a good contributor for Glenelg over many years.

In regards the respective strengths of the State Leagues there is no doubt that the top SANFL sides would have been very competative against the top VFL sides.

There are a raft of players from the SANFL who were lured to the VFL and were immediately uper echelon players in the VFL - with a couple like Blight, Platten and Wanganeen winning Brownlow Medals.

Then you had the good ordinary players such as Bradley, Motley, Kernanhan and a raft of others.

Even Ebert and Cornes, both well over 30 years of age when enticed to North Melbourne, were still of a standard to perform at VFL level.

There were also a raft of players that were not enticed to the VFL, including the likes of Robran and McIntosh.

Good quality players, such as Ross Dillon went from playing at interstate level for the VFL to Norwood the next season.

The gap was not that great, if there was any gap at all.

Once State of Origin was introduced those games became most competative - previously the other States lined up against the likes of Blight, Hudson, Hart and the rest wearing VFL jumpers - and still had their successes against "Victoria".

[Mr Magic]

A champion footballer is still a champion whether he's born in Victorai, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, ACT, NSW or Qld.

No one is denying that there were not champion/great footballers in all states.

My contention is that there was far greater depth of great/good players in the VFL teams back then than there was in the SANFL or WAFL.

I'll once again point out that the AFL was formed by adding virtual State Rep teams from the other states to teh VFl and not visa versa.

Oh and BTW, there were probably similar numbers of players recruited from the VFA by VFL CLubs as from either SANFL or WAFL?