Local teams moving leagues already.

[Joe Mama]

Well the season's nearly over for most competitions in Australia, but this September lull in events hasn't stopped some clubs from leaving thier leagues and getting into other competitions.

First off, Chiltern (in the Ovens & King F.N.L, which includes Beechworth, Bright, Glenrowan, Greta, King Valley, Milawa, Moyhu, North Wangaratta, Rutherglen/Corowa, Tarawingee & Whorouly), have now officialy disaffiliated from the O&K.F.N.L, to join the Tallangatta & District Football/Netball League (which consists of Barnawatha, Dederang/Mt Beuty, Kiewa/Sandy Creek, Mitta United, Tallangatta Valley, Thurgoona, Wodonga Saints (formerly Bethanga) and Yackandanda).

I'm not sure what to make of this, the travel time for Chiltern is the same, if not worse. But the T&DF.N.L now has 9 teams, but this leaves the Ovens & King F.N.L with 11 teams.

And I know that Benalla All Blacks have been chomping at the bit to leave the Central Goulburn Football League for some time now (thier previous application to join the Ovens & King FNL, two years ago was rejected), and the All Blacks have made a formal announcement to the CGFL comittee, on thier intentions to leave the competition, and join the O&KFNL, which has been welcomed by them (and not so by the CGFL).

Also, yep Rumbalara are at it again (I wonder what excuse Paul Briggs, Rumbalara President and Koori Leader in Shepparton will use now to get into the GVFL), thier almost pathetic delusions of grandeur( in thinking that they are Major League material), will be self-evident when they make thier case for admittion into the Goulburn Valley Football League.

If Rumbalara are admitted (in what would be a long and drawn out battle within the VCFL and possibly the courts, if that ever occurs,) they would be the 14th affiliated club within the GVFL (far too many, the GVFL has one too many clubs now), and NEARLY ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED IN FOOTBALL IN THIS AREA (Including former VFL umpire, Glen James, the first black "man in white") have reservations about Rumbalara's admission.

Although they have been sucessful in the Central Goulburn Football League (winning 3 premierships in 6 years, and winning 5/8 football & netball titles this year), the standards of the CGFL to the GVFL (one of the strongest leagues in Country Victoria) couldn't be further apart.

If you think that this is a race issue (no doubting that Rumba WILL USE THE RACE CARD HERE, they did when they narrowly avoided getting kicked out of the CGFL two years ago, for jumping on and severly beating Field Umpires in the 2000 Under 17's Grand Final, Thornton/Eildon vs Rumbalara), THINK AGAIN.


Mansfield was the last club to be admitted into the GVFL (in 1998), with even GREATER CREDENTAILS THAN RUMBALARA ( a history of sucess, a rich town, with a well funded football club), and since then, they have been nothing more than a woeful, faraway (they're nowhere near another GVFL club, and if you're from Rochester and Echuca, who have to bring a packed lunch and a shot gun to get there) whipping boy.

And Rumbalara WILL NO DOUBT GO DOWN THE SAME PATH, last year only 2 clubs (Mansfield and Mooroopna, the two weakest clubs in the league) out of 13, voted for Rumba's admission, a lot of the clubs think that they made a mistake with admitting Mansfield, and there's no way that they will repeat it the second time around.

And if they and Benalla All Blacks leave, this leaves the CGFL with only 6 clubs (Shepparton East, Yea, Dookie United, Violet Town, Alexandra & Thornton/Eildon), and Shepparton East and Dookie want to move into an already crowded, Picola District Football League, so any move out of the CGFL will have dramatic implications for football in the region.

And also, Berrigan wants a move out of the Murray Football League, and into the Coreen Football League, Berrigan didn't field a reserves team this year, and generally the club's future is in serious doubt, they have been uncompetitibe in the Murray Football League for a number of years, and have been a merger candidate for Finley and Barooga. I hope that sanity prevails and that the M.F.L let's them go and that the Coreen DFL lets Berrigan in, because I dont think that they will survive if they don't.

 

[Joe Mama]

Also, if the CGFL ever finds itself with few clubs (only 4 if Shepparton East, Dookie United, Benalla All Blacks and Rumbalara leave), the Benalla District Football League has made an offer to merge with the CGFL if the worst comes to the worst, making a 10 team competition (Longwood, Devenish, Bonnie Doon, Tatong, Swanpool, Goorambat, and the rest of the CGFL clubs, Violet Town, Alexandra, Yea & Thornton/Eildon.

Although this, geographically makes sense (and Thornton/Eildon and Voilet Town would make good admissions into the BDFL), the standards of the CGFL clubs and the BDFL clubs are far apart.

My solution here is to make the Central Goulburn Football League into a southern competition, with Mansfield, Avenel, Nagambie, Broadford, Euroa and Seymour joining Yea and Alexandra, , playing in an 8 team, (Seniors,Reserves, Under 17's and Under 14's, with A,B,Under 17's and Under 14's Netball) competition, with Violet Town and Thornton/Eildon playing in the Benalla Distrit Football League, which in this case will act as a second tier competition for the Central Goulburn Football League (or as the Waranga North East F.N.L).

This would leave the Heathcote D.F.L with 8 teams, the Kyabram D.F.L with 9, the Goulburn Valley League with 11 and the Benalla District F.L with 8 teams.

Which could allow for Congupna (that's if they want to stay in the Murray League) and Shepparton East (that's if they want to move into the Picola DFL) to move into the Kyabram DFL, Rumbalara to move into the GVFL, Dookie United to move into the Picola DFL (because Wunghnu's chances of survival are slim, and Dookie would be a better club for the PDFL), and the Benalla All Blacks to move into the Ovens and King FL.

PROBLEM SOLVED

 

[Mobbs]

Got a vague rumour about Beulah moving to the Wimmera FL, seems fanciful, but stranger things have happened. Personally, I don't see it happening.

Also heard Berri-Culgoa are just about buggered.

 

[Joe Mama]

Well, Berrigan has made an application to join the Picola District Football League for 2003, I know that the Murray League isn't pleased about this (they bent the rules to allow the Saints to not field a reserves team for 2002), especially considering that Berrigan has been involved with the MFL since 1933, but the Saints NEED TO MOVE OUT OF THE M.F.L OR THEY'LL FOLD (they're also worried that if they leave, Tocumwal and other MFL battlers will follow suit).

The problem for Berrigan is that if they're admitted, the PDFL will be a 13 team competition (provided that Wunghnu survives for another year), and I know that prospect doesn't appeal to the other PDFL clubs. also, Katandra, and Katamatite would Love to have Shepparton East &/or Dookie United join the PDFL, but if Berrigan move, that shuts the door for those two to leave the Central Goulburn FL (which is a good thing really), but I hope that the PDFL allows Berrigan in, not only to give this old club another chance, but to decrease the number of weak teams in the MFL.