From Saturday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
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Gary Ayres has labelled the VFL competition as "gearing towards an AFL full-alignment or partial-alignment reserves competition" amid AFL clubs compromising the competition by resting players on the eve of its finals series.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott's decision to rest players in the final round could have major consequences for their partial affiliate Werribee in their elimination final against Collingwood at North Port Oval on Saturday.
The Tigers will field just four North Melbourne-listed players – Scott McMahon, Dan Currie, Eric Wallace and Kieran Harper – for their cut-throat clash against Collingwood, who will have 15 AFL-listed players.
Werribee were in contention for a top-four spot up until last week. They have opted to be fully aligned with North Melbourne next season, but perhaps along with that, throwing away their destiny.
Footscray have also lost several players for their qualifying final against Box Hill, due to their AFL team resting players. Billy Hartung returns for the Hawks.
Of course, it isn't the first time. The Casey Scorpions' finals chances have been thwarted in recent years with Melbourne sending several of their players in for end-of-season surgery.
Perhaps the most famous case was in last year's VFL grand final as Hawthorn withdrew ruckman Ben McEvoy and Brad Sewell, and played Cyril Rioli on limited minutes – taking him off when the game was in the balance at three-quarter-time.
"They are going to be always in tune with what their senior affiliate wants and I guess they [the AFL coaches] don't make any apologies for that," Ayres said.
"I know Alastair Clarkson said the same last year and obviously Brad Scott would be saying the same this year, because first and foremost they're going to be looking at what's best for their AFL players."
Ayres, meanwhile, wants a breakaway competition to form with stand-alone VFL clubs to join.
He believes this would be the only way to play in a non-compromised competition and give supporters the satisfaction of seeing their teams' primary aim being to win.
"What it probably says in all honesty is it's becoming more and more geared towards an AFL full-alignment or partial-alignment reserves competition," he said.
"We probably have to try and find more VFL stand-alone teams [to form a breakaway competition]."
"I know North Ballarat are coming in next year and possibly Sandringham at the end of next season ... we know how hard it is financially to stay competitive. You only look at Williamstown out of the four stand-alone that have been able to play finals this year, which is a real shame," he said.
Ayres' Port Melbourne would love to take the spot of any of the finalists – this is his first season as coach of the Borough on the sidelines in September.
He is contracted for another season at Port Melbourne.
Ayres is predicting Box Hill and Sandringham to get through to the last dance with the Hawks to take their second VFL flag in three seasons.
"Out of all the teams we've played, the side that has really to me by the far and above the best side that we've played has been Box Hill," he said.
"With the list, the depth, the quality, we played them and they had five AFL-listed players and only four of them actually played, they to me, if everything falls into place should be grand finalists and premiers and it wouldn't surprise me if Sandringham was another grand final side because of the players that they've got to be qualified," he said.
