Mallee Football League to fold

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Heardy_101

Heardy_101

LET'S GO BRANDON
Veteran Sweet FA: Survivor Knock Out Cake Connoisseur Mount Buller Demons - Sweet F.A.
Nov 20, 2011
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South Australia
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Last 24 hours have been interesting:

So as I posted previously, Border Downs Tintinara have merged with Meningie to form the Coorong Cats and the new club will play in the River Murray (RMFL) league, leaving the Mallee league with 5 teams.

Murrayville have since announced they are transferring to the new Murray Valley league (formerly known as Riverland Independent). Mallee down to four teams.

Karoonda Districts and Peake & Districts have been in talks for a while and have confirmed they will be merging for 2023 onwards and will be exploring other leagues... Not sure at this stage.

This has left Pinnaroo and Lameroo as the two remaining clubs in the Mallee league. The MFL have pulled the pin in the last 24 hours and the last two clubs are holding meetings in the next few weeks to decide on what will happen next.

Sad state of affairs.
 
How would Karoonda-Peake and Lameroo-Pinnaroo (if they merge) fare in the RMFL? Would it be too big a jump in standard.

I know Pinnaroo won the MFL flag but my recollection is that there is a bit of a gap in standards between the two leagues.

Pinnaroo would be fine as a standalone club in the Murray Valley, wouldn't they?

Is Lameroo a bit 'out of the way' distance-wise for the Murray Valley?
 
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Couldn't tell you, to be fair. I don't think Pinnaroo or Lameroo would be able to keep up on their own in the RMFL. They'd go well in the MV but then again they might be too strong - although given Murrayville are joining MV, maybe it's not an issue.

I think the Karoonda/Peake merger would fair well in the RMFL however.

Pinnaroo and Lameroo might be better off in the Mid South East league
 

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Social media is showing that the Murray Valley clubs had no input in Murrayville being admitted. Two rather peeved clubs (BSR and Sedan-Cambrai) I am guessing their main grievance is on travel grounds - but if they travel over the border only once a year then they may realise that it is not so bad after all.

Travelling long distances to play is going to be the norm in the coming years. In Victoria, I reckon we will see a number of clubs merge or fold over the next couple of seasons and as a result, leagues will begin to disappear (the Golden Rivers is on the edge now after Quambatook folded and Nullawil moved to the North Central league after this season). Ultimately, I can see the Millewa, Golden Rivers and Upper Murray leagues gone within the next 5-10 years and there will be a Millewa District FC in the Sunraysia league, a Golden Rivers FC in the Central Murray league and an Upper Murray FC in the Tallangatta league. By 2050, there could be as little as 15 country leagues statewide as a lack of juniors coming through takes its toll and the clubs and leagues outside of the regional centres decline and then disband, with some being able to form a composite club in a regional centre competition.

After a number of years of stability in club numbers pre-Covid in Victoria, we are going to see a handful of clubs merge or fold each year going forwards as a lack of juniors or a lack of juniors progressing to seniors/reserves football finally takes its toll.

Here in WA, we have been luckier in that we had a half-season in 2020 and only missed two weekends in 2021, so it has been pretty much situation normal. The biggest issue in country football here is the declining rural population, though the North Midlands and Central Wheatbelt leagues have managed to hang on a few more years than some have expected and are still going for the time being.
 
It's sad for Pinnaroo and Lameroo, both can sustain two junior and two senior sides each, but their league options are don't cater for that. The Murray Valley with only seniors which is completely unrealistic to have no junior footy for the schools at Lameroo/Pinnaroo/Murrayville. Joining the Riverland or River Murray Leagues pretty much require Pinnaroo and Lameroo to merge which I still can't quite believe is possible. I feel like they would more likely join the RFL, with the southern Mallee in the Riverland media area there has always been a strong connection. Although Murray Bridge has always been the KFC stop coming back from Adelaide.
 
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