MCDFNL 2025 discussion

[The Local Footy Man]

Trentham look set for bigger bodies up forward with Regan, Webber-Mirkin, Strickland and Keogh, maybe Baird goes back for a bit of support. I’d be licking my lips if I was Tim Rinaldi and Mick Hourigan was lining up on me.

Yep Baird definitely goes back. Brilliant at reading the play and he has Velcro hands. Just need to see how his calf holds up.

Ford or Thiesz will go to Rinaldi. Which I think is a good matchup.
Ford IMO is the best defender in the comp. Don’t let his funny kicking action throw you off.
Thiesz very handy lockdown.

Hourigan has been coming off the bench and playing a mix of forward & back. Keen to see how he’s used tomorrow.

Sticking to my 180 backflip from the rest of the year and going to tip carisbrook. Think trentham are a bit underdone with some sore boys and their bottom 4 just aren’t quite up to it at the moment which ultimately costs you in the big games.

 

[aCunningPlan]

At the end of the day, bad kicking is bad football. Trentham always looked in control through the game and Carisbrook couldn't take their chances.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

At the end of the day, bad kicking is bad football. Trentham always looked in control through the game and Carisbrook couldn't take their chances.

Trentham were the top side all year and showed why on Saturday.
Well done to them - 31 years between flags they were well overdue! Few of them letting everyone know about it across the socials too.
Fair play. I’ll allow it after a flag haha

Any news on the recruiting front?
See Natte have lost McKenzie to Ballarat swans

 

[CurtyB103]

Trentham were the top side all year and showed why on Saturday.
Well done to them - 31 years between flags they were well overdue! Few of them letting everyone know about it across the socials too.
Fair play. I’ll allow it after a flag haha

Any news on the recruiting front?
See Natte have lost McKenzie to Ballarat swans

Will be interesting to see how Mckenzie fair at the BFL level coming back from a knee reco. He'd be leaving a lot of cash on the table to leave Natte you would think. Any word on Natte's new coach? I see they had an EOI out for one.

Things seem to be quiet on the recruiting front so far. A lot of sides have plenty of re-signings on the socials. The Wimmera board has Fowkes and C Driscoll returning to Navarre, if they keep their list and add them, i've got them well and truely in the premiership race. Lexton have got Paul Borchers on board as the new coach and he looks to have bought one with him. Maldon have picked up a dozen kids from around the Central Vic region, a couple of returning juniors from when they were very strong in those grades, but not many names of note. Great for their depth at the least.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Will be interesting to see how Mckenzie fair at the BFL level coming back from a knee reco. He'd be leaving a lot of cash on the table to leave Natte you would think. Any word on Natte's new coach? I see they had an EOI out for one.

Things seem to be quiet on the recruiting front so far. A lot of sides have plenty of re-signings on the socials. The Wimmera board has Fowkes and C Driscoll returning to Navarre, if they keep their list and add them, i've got them well and truely in the premiership race. Lexton have got Paul Borchers on board as the new coach and he looks to have bought one with him. Maldon have picked up a dozen kids from around the Central Vic region, a couple of returning juniors from when they were very strong in those grades, but not many names of note. Great for their depth at the least.

Trentham have signed Cody Young from Kyneton.
Good young footballer - 6ft4 and played on a wing & half forward for Kyneton. Will be handy for them to give Gervasoni a chop out.

Word is a few harcourt boys that left for Castlemaine a couple of years ago may be in talks to come back. Just rumours at this stage tho as far as I’m aware.

 

[Sherman41]

Talbot will release a few recruits on socials soon. Some more in the pipeline.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Talbot will release a few recruits on socials soon. Some more in the pipeline.

BA Roads got a few more new employees?

 

[Sherman41]

BA Roads got a few more new employees?

Roads don’t fix themselves

 

[CurtyB103]

Sherman, will the young fella that did his knee in the pre season be coming back for a run with Talbot next year? More importantly, will you be going around next year?

 

[Sherman41]

Sherman, will the young fella that did his knee in the pre season be coming back for a run with Talbot next year? More importantly, will you be going around next year?

The sun has set on my career, body gave up on me last few years, very content retiring.

Harry Fry is the one you are referring to, absolute gun. Believe he will play at Talbot if the knee comes up, was a significant injury. Will basically be a new recruit. He would have taken the absolute urine this year if he didn’t do his knee.

 

[loveit22]

BA Roads got a few more new employees?

It’s puzzling why people claim BA Roads funds the players when the owner is known for being quite frugal, especially for a football club. Players who have been there this year say it’s the best club they’ve experienced, yet it’s unfortunate that some people seem to resent clubs for being successful for once’s in the last 8 years

From an outside perspective, it seems like Talbot is simply catching up with the rest of the league in terms of player salaries. I can assure you that all the top six teams are investing significantly to achieve their results. It’s 2025, not 1995!

 

[Sherman41]

It’s puzzling why people claim BA Roads funds the players when the owner is known for being quite frugal, especially for a football club. Players who have been there this year say it’s the best club they’ve experienced, yet it’s unfortunate that some people seem to resent clubs for being successful for once’s in the last 8 years

From an outside perspective, it seems like Talbot is simply catching up with the rest of the league in terms of player salaries. I can assure you that all the top six teams are investing significantly to achieve their results. It’s 2025, not 1995!

People like the status quo to remain the way it is. Change is scary.

It’s like a pecking order in the.school grounds, people like to know their place and keep those in line behind them.

With the top teams being so strong you have no other choice than to get busy if you want to be competitive. As stated, Talbot are just being more competitive with others clubs in that regard. Because I assure you, we were coming from a long way back.

We have just witnessed the most even finals series in the history of the league.

What a great endorsement for the league to have so many good players running around putting on a terrific spectacle for the crowds.

I expect 2026 to be just as strong at this stage.

 

[CurtyB103]

Credit where credit is due for Talbot, come a long way, with a long way to go yet.

Sherman, are the Melbourne travelers going to be sustainable long term?

I have no doubt most of these guys love the change of scenery, as we could probably all agree, the community feel of country footy is something completely different and superior to what these guys are used to in metropolitan footy.

It seems to have worked for Trentham over the last 6, 7 or so years finally getting a premiership to show for it. A good mix of Melbourne travelers and guys closer to home, but we are under no illusion these guys aren't doing it just for the love.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Credit where credit is due for Talbot, come a long way, with a long way to go yet.

Sherman, are the Melbourne travelers going to be sustainable long term?

I have no doubt most of these guys love the change of scenery, as we could probably all agree, the community feel of country footy is something completely different and superior to what these guys are used to in metropolitan footy.

It seems to have worked for Trentham over the last 6, 7 or so years finally getting a premiership to show for it. A good mix of Melbourne travelers and guys closer to home, but we are under no illusion these guys aren't doing it just for the love.

Trenthams have only had peiple travelling from Melbourne the last 2 seasons (Fuller, Regan, Kelly, Fannin, Ratliff) and have i think done the smart thing and got them as fringe players in the premier comp of VAFA. That helps with the $$$ side of things too - VAFA doesnt allow player payments so 3-400 bucks is great for them.

Players from other leagues in Melbourne EDFL, NFL etc. all expect 4 figures because they are already beeing payed a few hundred to play in Melb.

As for Talbot - I 100% agree that they have done a great job to improve and it’s only a good thing for the league. But anyone with half a brain knows they aren’t travelling 2 hours to talbot every week because they love the club they’ve spent 4 months at.
I know for a fact 2 of the melbourne guys this year met with Trentham last off season. One wanted $1800 a game and other wanted $1300 - they were laughed at and the meeting ended within 5 minutes of that.
They were on facebook signed at Talbot within a week. So that gives you a ballpark figure i reckon.

I honestly have no issue with it - 85% of clubs in the state pay off the books. The more better footballers in the MCDFNL the better.
Just hate to see Talbot in turmoil in 2 years time when the $$$ dried up and theres no locals left because they missed out for the ring ins

 

[CurtyB103]

Trenthams have only had peiple travelling from Melbourne the last 2 seasons (Fuller, Regan, Kelly, Fannin, Ratliff) and have i think done the smart thing and got them as fringe players in the premier comp of VAFA. That helps with the $$$ side of things too - VAFA doesnt allow player payments so 3-400 bucks is great for them.

Players from other leagues in Melbourne EDFL, NFL etc. all expect 4 figures because they are already beeing payed a few hundred to play in Melb.

As for Talbot - I 100% agree that they have done a great job to improve and it’s only a good thing for the league. But anyone with half a brain knows they aren’t travelling 2 hours to talbot every week because they love the club they’ve spent 4 months at.
I know for a fact 2 of the melbourne guys this year met with Trentham last off season. One wanted $1800 a game and other wanted $1300 - they were laughed at and the meeting ended within 5 minutes of that.
They were on facebook signed at Talbot within a week. So that gives you a ballpark figure i reckon.

I honestly have no issue with it - 85% of clubs in the state pay off the books. The more better footballers in the MCDFNL the better.
Just hate to see Talbot in turmoil in 2 years time when the $$$ dried up and theres no locals left because they missed out for the ring ins

Would be very naive to think guys playing in the VAFA aren't getting paid either, although its technically not allowed, they still would be, just like most clubs around the state pay over the salary cap. Don't get me wrong, if you can afford to spend the money go for it. Better for the league in my opinion.

 

[Sherman41]

Credit where credit is due for Talbot, come a long way, with a long way to go yet.

Sherman, are the Melbourne travelers going to be sustainable long term?

I have no doubt most of these guys love the change of scenery, as we could probably all agree, the community feel of country footy is something completely different and superior to what these guys are used to in metropolitan footy.

It seems to have worked for Trentham over the last 6, 7 or so years finally getting a premiership to show for it. A good mix of Melbourne travelers and guys closer to home, but we are under no illusion these guys aren't doing it just for the love.

I wouldn’t say we have a long way to go, we lost both finals by under a goal. One of those teams played off in a grand final and lost by a couple of goals and the other pushed the premiers all the way in the prelim.

The competition was that even this year that it just came down to making the most of your moments and a little bit of luck. Had Carisbrook kicked straight in the Grand Final and not lapsed for 5 minutes in the third we probably have a different premier.

Had Limbach not hurt his knee early in the season he would have been pivotal to our premiership push, he was flying. Unfortunately he just couldn’t keep going.

Then you lose Disco and Hindy in the second half against Navarre when the game is on the line, it all adds up.

Every club would have similar stories that were in the hunt. Harcourt would have loved to have Rodda, Natte had injuries, but the point is, the gap is not that big.

In regards to the Melbourne travellers, who knows how long they stay for, they loved their season last year. All you can do is control what you can control, create a sense of belonging, make them feel valued, sell a clear vision for the future and live it. Peoples situations change depending on a range of circumstances, so you can never be sure.

I can say all the Melbourne boys have loved the atmosphere of country footy, it is very unfamiliar to a lot of them. They have really brought in to it.

I feel the club is doing a great job of living in the now but having a conscious eye for the future. If we didn’t go down this path, would we be in any better situation? I think not.

 

[Sherman41]

Trenthams have only had peiple travelling from Melbourne the last 2 seasons (Fuller, Regan, Kelly, Fannin, Ratliff) and have i think done the smart thing and got them as fringe players in the premier comp of VAFA. That helps with the $$$ side of things too - VAFA doesnt allow player payments so 3-400 bucks is great for them.

Players from other leagues in Melbourne EDFL, NFL etc. all expect 4 figures because they are already beeing payed a few hundred to play in Melb.

As for Talbot - I 100% agree that they have done a great job to improve and it’s only a good thing for the league. But anyone with half a brain knows they aren’t travelling 2 hours to talbot every week because they love the club they’ve spent 4 months at.
I know for a fact 2 of the melbourne guys this year met with Trentham last off season. One wanted $1800 a game and other wanted $1300 - they were laughed at and the meeting ended within 5 minutes of that.
They were on facebook signed at Talbot within a week. So that gives you a ballpark figure i reckon.

I honestly have no issue with it - 85% of clubs in the state pay off the books. The more better footballers in the MCDFNL the better.
Just hate to see Talbot in turmoil in 2 years time when the $$$ dried up and theres no locals left because they missed out for the ring ins

Trentham have done a great job of keeping the core of their list together over the years. There’s been a few times over the years that I wondered if they would drop off having been so close and missing out but they keep finding a way to stay up the top. A credit to them.

Talbot players meeting with Trentham prior to us is news to me but doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Naturally quality players travelling to rural teams get paid well, there is no denying that and you can’t blame clubs or players for doing it. Both win if they get it right.

We have plenty of players on our list, won a reserves flag this year which shows depth and have some good kids coming through.

Time will tell where the club lands in a few years time but we have a great committee and great people like most country football clubs who will work their backsides off to ensure the club can continue to compete and be successful.

We have been somewhat irrelevant as a senior football side across the last few season living in no where land. Change needed to happen, it’s nice to be relevant again.

 

[loveit22]

Trenthams have only had peiple travelling from Melbourne the last 2 seasons (Fuller, Regan, Kelly, Fannin, Ratliff) and have i think done the smart thing and got them as fringe players in the premier comp of VAFA. That helps with the $$$ side of things too - VAFA doesnt allow player payments so 3-400 bucks is great for them.

Players from other leagues in Melbourne EDFL, NFL etc. all expect 4 figures because they are already beeing payed a few hundred to play in Melb.

As for Talbot - I 100% agree that they have done a great job to improve and it’s only a good thing for the league. But anyone with half a brain knows they aren’t travelling 2 hours to talbot every week because they love the club they’ve spent 4 months at.
I know for a fact 2 of the melbourne guys this year met with Trentham last off season. One wanted $1800 a game and other wanted $1300 - they were laughed at and the meeting ended within 5 minutes of that.
They were on facebook signed at Talbot within a week. So that gives you a ballpark figure i reckon.

I honestly have no issue with it - 85% of clubs in the state pay off the books. The more better footballers in the MCDFNL the better.
Just hate to see Talbot in turmoil in 2 years time when the $$$ dried up and theres no locals left because they missed out for the ring ins

$1800 and $1300 come on now mate no player in that Talbot side was worth $1000 let alone $1800

I think you leading a blind eye into what people are getting paid but I guarantee trentham are paying more then $400 for blokes from Melbourne that’s for sure.
Maybe on there books lol

 

[Sherman41]

$1800 and $1300 come on now mate no player in that Talbot side was worth $1000 let alone $1800

I think you leading a blind eye into what people are getting paid but I guarantee trentham are paying more then $400 for blokes from Melbourne that’s for sure.
Maybe on there books lol

Clubs often dictate what a player is worth. Clubs are willing to pay up/overs if the player is a big need and once one club pays them x amount or another club offers them x amount of dollars the benchmark or bidding war is set.

Paying up for quality players can often lead to others signing as well. Generally most players come because of a connection to the club or coach these days. Hence why it is important to get you coaching appointment and player recruitment spot on.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Would be very naive to think guys playing in the VAFA aren't getting paid either, although its technically not allowed, they still would be, just like most clubs around the state pay over the salary cap. Don't get me wrong, if you can afford to spend the money go for it. Better for the league in my opinion.

Yes VAFA players would definitely be getting some coin. However the trentham lads were all predominantly reserves players in the premier comp and on the fringe playing a few senior games - they are the ones that wouldn’t get paid.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

$1800 and $1300 come on now mate no player in that Talbot side was worth $1000 let alone $1800

I think you leading a blind eye into what people are getting paid but I guarantee trentham are paying more then $400 for blokes from Melbourne that’s for sure.
Maybe on there books lol

I can assure you not one of them is paid more than $400.
As mentioned above they have come from football where they don’t get paid.
They also all have ties to the area in some way.
Fanning’s old man lives in Lauriston
Regan’s family had property in Trentham for years and they would regularly holiday in the area up until his early 20’s.
Fullers old man was great mates with Raak who was coach when they came to the club.
Ratliff and brother are best mates with the assistant coach and played footy in Alexandra and wanted to reunite.

I’m sure they are getting around that $$$ but I know Trentham have always been very stringent on their salary cap.

Tim White when he was the president, and their treasurer are both career accountants (the treasurers is in his 80’s I believe) and have been super strict on player payments.
I have it on good authority they have missed out on recruiting a few players over the last 3 years purely because those 2 would not allow anything off the books. Much to the displeasure of the footy committee.

 

[Sherman41]

I can assure you not one of them is paid more than $400.
As mentioned above they have come from football where they don’t get paid.
They also all have ties to the area in some way.
Fanning’s old man lives in Lauriston
Regan’s family had property in Trentham for years and they would regularly holiday in the area up until his early 20’s.
Fullers old man was great mates with Raak who was coach when they came to the club.
Ratliff and brother are best mates with the assistant coach and played footy in Alexandra and wanted to reunite.

I’m sure they are getting around that $$$ but I know Trentham have always been very stringent on their salary cap.

Tim White when he was the president, and their treasurer are both career accountants (the treasurers is in his 80’s I believe) and have been super strict on player payments.
I have it on good authority they have missed out on recruiting a few players over the last 3 years purely because those 2 would not allow anything off the books. Much to the displeasure of the footy committee.

Let’s see if they pay up for Dean Galea then

 

[Master of Disaster]

I can assure you not one of them is paid more than $400.
As mentioned above they have come from football where they don’t get paid.
They also all have ties to the area in some way.
Fanning’s old man lives in Lauriston
Regan’s family had property in Trentham for years and they would regularly holiday in the area up until his early 20’s.
Fullers old man was great mates with Raak who was coach when they came to the club.
Ratliff and brother are best mates with the assistant coach and played footy in Alexandra and wanted to reunite.

I’m sure they are getting around that $$$ but I know Trentham have always been very stringent on their salary cap.

Tim White when he was the president, and their treasurer are both career accountants (the treasurers is in his 80’s I believe) and have been super strict on player payments.
I have it on good authority they have missed out on recruiting a few players over the last 3 years purely because those 2 would not allow anything off the books. Much to the displeasure of the footy committee.

It’s a fantasy land to suggest that clubs in the top 4-6 are not paying over the cap in some shape or form. It simply isn’t true.

I think we’re getting too caught up with player payments. It’s been happening forever and a day and won’t change. I for one really enjoyed the football this season and it was great to see some different clubs pushing up. The finals series was sensational, across multiple grades. If that’s the result of clubs pushing the envelope and bringing better footballers into the district, then so be it.

Much recruiting news floating around? Not much talk over Maryborough way but the older I get the more out of the loop I seem to be.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Let’s see if they pay up for Dean Galea then

Would be very surprised if Galea landed at Trentham.
Also don't think his value is astronomical now days.

And it only takes 2-3 players to depart to free up $800 a week

 

[The Local Footy Man]

It’s a fantasy land to suggest that clubs in the top 4-6 are not paying over the cap in some shape or form. It simply isn’t true.

I think we’re getting too caught up with player payments. It’s been happening forever and a day and won’t change. I for one really enjoyed the football this season and it was great to see some different clubs pushing up. The finals series was sensational, across multiple grades. If that’s the result of clubs pushing the envelope and bringing better footballers into the district, then so be it.

Much recruiting news floating around? Not much talk over Maryborough way but the older I get the more out of the loop I seem to be.

As I've stated, I couldn't care less.
I think the more great players in the league, the better. Go nuts if you have the $$$