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Bruce Abernathy called it ‘arrogance’ while Nigel Smart said he does not care what the others think.
Welcome to the biggest split in South Australian football since Port Adelaide tried to join the AFL in late 1990.
The Adelaide Crows’ announcement that they will wear the old South Australian State of Origin guernsey in the first Showdown at the Adelaide Oval has ruffled many feathers in the City of Churches.
Some have praised the Crows for being bold while many have attacked the club for devaluing such a sacrosanct piece of material.
My views lie firmly in the corner of the latter. The Crows have made a real clanger on this issue.
The Crows may think they are trying to celebrate and commemorate 153 years of South Australia but their actions are nothing more than a two-fingered salute to the game in this state.
Celebratory?
No Adelaide, it’s disrespectful.
It’s disrespectful in the sense that it is breathtakingly arrogant for a club with just a two decade history to think it has the ability to proclaim itself as the home of South Australian football history.
Could you imagine Manchester United wearing the English top for a match or Collingwood having a run in the Big V simply because of their popularity?
No way in hell would that be allowed by any proper organisation that has an ounce of respect for history.
There is no doubt that the Crows have made a positive impact on the game in South Australia.
However, they are just a stitch in the tapestry of South Australian football rather than the entire quilt itself.
Furthermore, by wearing the SA Origin colours, the Crows are attempting to marginalise the contributions to South Australian football by non-Crows participants.
From Fos Williams leading the state to a victory at the MCG in 1963 to Stephen Kernahan’s 10 goal haul in 1984, the Origin guernsey has been served by some great players who never came close to playing for the Adelaide Crows.
The services of Russell Ebert, Geoff Motley Barrie Robran, Neil Kerley, Gavin Wanganeen and John Platten should not be sacrificed at the altar of a Stalinist-like plot to rewrite the history books.
Supporters of the move may argue that it is just another sport’s top but it’s more than that.
Representative tops whether they be a disused State-Of-Origin top or the English football jersey, are a symbol of unity.
They remind us at club level that while most weeks are spent barracking for our club, there are times where we need to united against a common enemy
For South Australians, the SA State of Origin guernsey was a reminder that whether we followed Port, Adelaide, Glenelg or South Adelaide, we had a common enemy in Victorians.
A couple of times a years, our differences were put aside for a few hours so that we could watch our heroes defeat the enemy across the border.
These great memories will make the situation sadder when on March 29th in Adelaide; Port Adelaide fans will jeer players playing in the South Australian guernsey.
The Adelaide Crows may well market themselves as ‘the team for all South Australians’ but they are not and never will be the South Australian team.
Common sense should prevail, the jumper must be axed.
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