THE FATHER-son rule has not left Adelaide outraged despite Crows chief executive Steven Trigg claiming that the rule was heavily weighted against South Australian and West Australian clubs.
Speaking to afl.com.au’s Heavy Hitters Trigg said he supported the culture of the father-son rule even though his side was disadvantaged because of its relative youth in AFL terms.
“We're not bitter and twisted at all that Geelong has eight players running around at the moment, or something of that number, who have been selected under the father-son rule and we have none,” Trigg said.
“It irks us, but we don't carry it with us every day because it's done and dusted and it's inequitable. I like the culture of the thing - I always have and the club has supported the culture of it, but we think the rule has been heavily weighted against the SA and WA clubs.”
Trigg said he was confident that the current rules would eventually yield dividends for the South Australian club.
“We ended up with a change that gave us the 'grandfather-son' rule and I think we're simply resigned to wait and see what comes through from our own players, as you say, when they produce, hopefully, some fine young footballers.
“The Jarman sons are looking okay. The Edwards sons are looking okay. I'll be a veteran by the time they start running around, but there's some hope we might get something out of that eventually - as long as we don't change the rules again.”
Trigg was also vocal about his unwillingness to allow the club to “bottom out” so it could rebuild, but said the current draft system didn’t reward clubs that consistently finished in the middle region of the ladder.
“No, it doesn't, but that's the system. The continual tanking debate - you could go back into having a look at. I'm not promoting it, but we could look at a ballot system. That still doesn't get you around the perennial bottom sides' access to priority picks. I think we accept that if a club is really struggling over a period of time that the priority picks are, in whatever guise, fair.
“You have a choice to make and we have a very simple philosophy. It's easier said than done, but we aim not to bottom out, not to strip the side back. We could've done that when Neil (Craig) took over. We could've stripped the side out, because we had the oldest list in the competition, and said, 'right, we'll go into a genuine rebuilding phase'.”
Trigg said that he was determined that the club would continue with that ethos.
“I don't like the term 'rebuilding' and I never have. I think players and staff hide behind that, so we would prefer to be well planned and to stay as competitive as we possibly can all the while trying to make the finals.
“Other clubs might have a different view to that, but that's ours and under this board and mine and Neil's regime, that's the way we would like it to be.”
Trigg also spoke candidly about Neil Craig’s contract extension, the club’s long-term plans for AAMI Stadium and their relationship with bitter enemy Port Adelaide.
Click here to read the full interview with Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg.
