It was a Saturday afternoon at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium in 2010 when Phil Harper knew something needed to change.

The Crows were battling reigning Grand Finalist St Kilda, and after a dominant six-week stretch with SANFL side Central District, had recalled ruckman Jonathon Griffin for the clash. 

Although the big man was in great form, he had not played a game in Crows colours for more than two months, and took time to adjust to the Club’s system. 

Watching on from the bench, then Crows Head of Football sympathised with Griffin, and decided from that point on he would do everything he could to introduce a reserves team. 

It took another four years before the idea got the green light, with the Crows officially entering the SANFL competition in 2014.

This weekend the Club will play its 200th match in the SANFL competition - against South Adelaide at Noarlunga. 

“How the program came about really stems from a story in the early 2010s,” Harper told AFC Media.

“We had a lad named Jonathon Griffin, who was in super form playing at Central District and I think he had six best on grounds in a row, so he got selected to come and be the ruck in an AFL game for us in an AFL against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. 

“And pretty much the whole day, people at the bench were yelling at him for being in the wrong spots, because he was playing exactly the same way as he did when he was at Central. 

“I remember thinking ‘that poor bugger’, he’d done all this work and was in great form, and everyone is upset with him just because he’s playing the same way he’d been playing for the past six weeks.

“That was the reason we decided to go hard to get into the SANFL competition, and our campaign began from there.”  

Since entering the competition 11 years ago, the Crows have performed valiantly, making four finals appearances and blooding a total 240 players.

But Harper said the impact of the SANFL side went well beyond the field.

“The biggest bonus for us was that our players were playing in our team and our way, so that when someone like Luke Nankervis comes into the AFL side, he’s been playing the same role each week before making the step up,” Harper said. 

“We want to give our players the best possible chance to play well for our AFL side, and the introduction of our SANFL team has allowed that.

“Over the course of its first 199 games, the SANFL program has done exactly what we had envisioned from the start, it has been a great support to our AFL team and on the field has produced some strong results.” 

Along with its support to the AFL side, Adelaide’s SANFL program has played a key role in helping football dreams come true.

The Club has seen five of its development players end up on AFL list, in Lachie Murphy (Adelaide), Tom Hutchesson (GWS), Jy Farrar (Gold Coast), Toby Murray and Tyler Welsh (Adelaide).

“The fact we have had Murph (Lachie Murphy), a couple of boys head to north in Jy Farrar (Gold Coast) and Tom Hutchesson (GWS), and Toby Murray and Tyler Welsh recently, end up on AFL lists is a credit to the program we run,” Harper said

“There’s another pathway to AFL footy that we have been able to create, which is fantastic, and something we can be very proud of as we are helping players achieve their dream. 

“I’m sure if you ask those four boys, they would be pretty happy we had an SANFL side, or they might not have become AFL footballers.” 

Looking back across the Club’s 199-game history in the SANFL, Harper carried a sense of pride having watched the program grow from strength-to-strength.

“I’m really proud of the way it (the program) has come together, I think it’s been really good for our AFL team which is what we’re about here as a Club, trying to help them get better,” Harper said. 

“I’ve been proud of the program that has been put together as well, starting with Heath Younie as the first coach going right through to now with Matthew Wright and Jack Madgen as Captain. 

“We’ve put some quality people into the SANFL competition and made the competition better.” 

Adelaide takes on South Adelaide in its 200th SANFL match at Noarlunga Oval (Magain Stadium) this Saturday, with the first bounce at 2.30pm.