RDFL Thread 2010 (Part 2)

[Talking Footy]

Boys Boys Boys!!!! Ok we get the gist of the incident during one of the games over the weekend. Were there any other games on the weekend?

 

[Itsmyshow]

Boys Boys Boys!!!! Ok we get the gist of the incident during one of the games over the weekend. Were there any other games on the weekend?

Yes... Richmond finally won their first game

 

[matt_nicholls]

Yes... Richmond finally won their first game

And Fremantle continued on their merry way with another lazy 10 goal win

 

[Talking Footy]

There goes my $20 - had them to lose every game of the year!!

I also hear Etihad exploded in cheers when they flashed up the final Pies / Lions score from the Gabba. Plenty of love for the PIES!!!

 

[Gull35]

And the mighty Bombers beat the Dogs!!

 

[slyone]

Heard the Riddell coach may have went in the book early yesty for abusing the umps - can anyone confirm? Sounds like it was the game of the season to date and seems now the Blues are the real deal. Sets up two rippers this weekend.

Having known Gez for some time now, he's a cracking little fella and I hope he makes a speedy recovery what's done is done and whilst it may have been reckless and/or sloppy, I doubt it that young Trav would go at a contest with the deliberate intention to injure someone??? I'm sure he'd be feeling it today.

Sounds like two coach's up on Tuesday night!

 

[Itsmyshow]

Sounds like two coach's up on Tuesday night!

Who else is up Sly???

 

[slyone]

Who else is up Sly???

Me, for belting 22 heads together!

 

[Talking Footy]

Ha Ha Ha, God your unreal pal.....Look... Officially, yes Riddell are playing some very very good footy. But at this point rather spruik the virtues of the Bombers I'd like to focus on Rockbank. -
To all those from the Rams that thought yesterday was just another usual Rockbank defeat, let me say this. I think Riddell are playing better footy than they did in their all conquering year of 2008 !(and I will elaborate on that when I have more time, so stay tuned) You were always going to be up against it, when a side is playing that well. And if it continues a few other sides in the Comp' are in for that sort of that treatment too. !

Omni - this was a few weeks ago. Were they that far off the mark on Sat? That team of two years ago would have performed a lot better than what I saw.

Doona - have my buddies at Broadford improved or are some of the other teams struggling a bit?

 

[Itsmyshow]

Me, for belting 22 heads together!

Haha... Not surprising...

Did hear though now that it may indeed be Adam Kearney that was reported.... But I don't think that Demon was reported, just a warning for the verbal...

 

[Sheafie]

So have noticed a lot of stuff written on here bout the incident on saturday and how the league should punish Trav and all the rest of it but i think your all quick to forget that one of our boys last yr in a qualifying final against Melton Centrals in the twos got hit off the ball with a fist, knocking the player unconcious and breaking his jaw...the player was reported yet walked away scot free while our mate was out of work for 3 months and unable to earn any coin...knowing Trav very well i know it was never his intention to cause that damage and he goes hard at the ball and cops a fair bit of treatment as well...except in this case the umpire did not deem the incident report worthy guys and they are the ones that are there to discriminate actions like this. I understand we all have a bias on here at times guys but seriously the umpires did a good job saturday and allowed us to see a terrific game.

 

[discreet1]

So have noticed a lot of stuff written on here bout the incident on saturday and how the league should punish Trav and all the rest of it but i think your all quick to forget that one of our boys last yr in a qualifying final against Melton Centrals in the twos got hit off the ball with a fist, knocking the player unconcious and breaking his jaw...the player was reported yet walked away scot free while our mate was out of work for 3 months and unable to earn any coin...knowing Trav very well i know it was never his intention to cause that damage and he goes hard at the ball and cops a fair bit of treatment as well...except in this case the umpire did not deem the incident report worthy guys and they are the ones that are there to discriminate actions like this. I understand we all have a bias on here at times guys but seriously the umpires did a good job saturday and allowed us to see a terrific game.

So do you think that the Melton Centrals player should have been suspended Sheafie?

There was also an incident a few years ago, i think it was in a grand final when a player was concussed in front of an umpire, no report was made and and an investigation took place, and the player was found guilty and suspended.

Intent or no intent, head high contact was made with a clenched fist.

 

[slyone]

So do you think that the Melton Centrals player should have been suspended Sheafie?

There was also an incident a few years ago, i think it was in a grand final when a player was concussed in front of an umpire, no report was made and and an investigation took place, and the player was found guilty and suspended.

Intent or no intent, head high contact was made with a clenched fist.

Fellas there have been alot of incidents over the years, there was no report, inocent until proven guilty. END OF STORY FOR NOW!

 

[Itsmyshow]

I understand we all have a bias on here at times guys but seriously the umpires did a good job saturday and allowed us to see a terrific game.

This I agree with, I also think that the umpires did a pretty good job on Saturday...

 

[Itsmyshow]

Fellas there have been alot of incidents over the years, there was no report, inocent until proven guilty. END OF STORY FOR NOW!

I actually don't mind the line of discussion when taken out of context of the actual incident.. Whether or not people are of the belief that if an incident takes place and isn't reported, should there be an alternate line of action such as a league investigation, or once it is missed does everyone just move on....

 

[Itsmyshow]

And the mighty Bombers beat the Dogs!!

Clearly the post of the year....

 

[Sprechen]

Omni - this was a few weeks ago. Were they that far off the mark on Sat? That team of two years ago would have performed a lot better than what I saw.

Doona - have my buddies at Broadford improved or are some of the other teams struggling a bit?

Cant speak for the 18's but the firsts and seconds have definately improved.

 

[George 08]

Fellas there have been alot of incidents over the years, there was no report, inocent until proven guilty. END OF STORY FOR NOW!

BANG! Innocent until proven guilty. There have been a few incidents over the years that everyone can talk about. In the end, the umpires can do a great job umpiring a game to make sure it is free flowing and entertaining but when it comes to the crunch to make a report, I personally don't have any faith whatsoever. Many incidents that should be reported don't go to tribunal because umpires can't be bothered turning up on a Tuesday night, I have heard this first hand from a few umpires! But also, umpires wouldn't make the report in fear of retribution by players (as proven in the past) I thought the safety of all players should be of the highest regard in any sport. Other players continually get away with incidents because they may be seen as marquee players of the league. Why make a report when a 'guilty' player may get off? What is the point? How do we get consistency right across the board? What do clubs have to do to educate players? From our club's point of view, we have brought in a policy, u f' up, don't bother playing with our club. We haven't welcomed back players. This level of consistency and ensuring that all players are safe out on the ground is another concern for the league.

Changing the topic, it was mentioned that clubs may be looking at going elsewhere next year. At first, I laughed this off but honestly... has anyone heard anyhting from the league in regards to the financials? Is it true that they needed a bail out from AFL VIC? If so, this isn't the first time the RDFL needed help from AFL VIC so I have no doubt that there will be strict restrictions this time round. What is the future of the RDFL? What does it mean for our clubs? How come the board was not held accountable for the past 3 years? Club officials have asked for answers only to be shot down by the board. It's simple... I want answers! I want to know what the future of this once mighty league is. Don't keep the main assets, THE CLUBS, in the dark. I don't want answers from John Batty, I want answers from the board! I love this league, the clubs and the people but honestly, clubs will be reluctant to help out if we are kept in the dark. Send us the memo's, what is happening in the meetings. What does everyone else think/know?

 

[matt_nicholls]

BANG! Innocent until proven guilty. There have been a few incidents over the years that everyone can talk about. In the end, the umpires can do a great job umpiring a game to make sure it is free flowing and entertaining but when it comes to the crunch to make a report, I personally don't have any faith whatsoever. Many incidents that should be reported don't go to tribunal because umpires can't be bothered turning up on a Tuesday night, I have heard this first hand from a few umpires! But also, umpires wouldn't make the report in fear of retribution by players (as proven in the past) I thought the safety of all players should be of the highest regard in any sport. Other players continually get away with incidents because they may be seen as marquee players of the league. Why make a report when a 'guilty' player may get off? What is the point? How do we get consistency right across the board? What do clubs have to do to educate players? From our club's point of view, we have brought in a policy, u f' up, don't bother playing with our club. We haven't welcomed back players. This level of consistency and ensuring that all players are safe out on the ground is another concern for the league.

Changing the topic, it was mentioned that clubs may be looking at going elsewhere next year. At first, I laughed this off but honestly... has anyone heard anyhting from the league in regards to the financials? Is it true that they needed a bail out from AFL VIC? If so, this isn't the first time the RDFL needed help from AFL VIC so I have no doubt that there will be strict restrictions this time round. What is the future of the RDFL? What does it mean for our clubs? How come the board was not held accountable for the past 3 years? Club officials have asked for answers only to be shot down by the board. It's simple... I want answers! I want to know what the future of this once mighty league is. Don't keep the main assets, THE CLUBS, in the dark. I don't want answers from John Batty, I want answers from the board! I love this league, the clubs and the people but honestly, clubs will be reluctant to help out if we are kept in the dark. Send us the memo's, what is happening in the meetings. What does everyone else think/know?

Now this is the post of the year!

 

[Itsmyshow]

BANG! Innocent until proven guilty. There have been a few incidents over the years that everyone can talk about. In the end, the umpires can do a great job umpiring a game to make sure it is free flowing and entertaining but when it comes to the crunch to make a report, I personally don't have any faith whatsoever. Many incidents that should be reported don't go to tribunal because umpires can't be bothered turning up on a Tuesday night, I have heard this first hand from a few umpires! But also, umpires wouldn't make the report in fear of retribution by players (as proven in the past) I thought the safety of all players should be of the highest regard in any sport. Other players continually get away with incidents because they may be seen as marquee players of the league. Why make a report when a 'guilty' player may get off? What is the point? How do we get consistency right across the board? What do clubs have to do to educate players? From our club's point of view, we have brought in a policy, u f' up, don't bother playing with our club. We haven't welcomed back players. This level of consistency and ensuring that all players are safe out on the ground is another concern for the league.

Changing the topic, it was mentioned that clubs may be looking at going elsewhere next year. At first, I laughed this off but honestly... has anyone heard anyhting from the league in regards to the financials? Is it true that they needed a bail out from AFL VIC? If so, this isn't the first time the RDFL needed help from AFL VIC so I have no doubt that there will be strict restrictions this time round. What is the future of the RDFL? What does it mean for our clubs? How come the board was not held accountable for the past 3 years? Club officials have asked for answers only to be shot down by the board. It's simple... I want answers! I want to know what the future of this once mighty league is. Don't keep the main assets, THE CLUBS, in the dark. I don't want answers from John Batty, I want answers from the board! I love this league, the clubs and the people but honestly, clubs will be reluctant to help out if we are kept in the dark. Send us the memo's, what is happening in the meetings. What does everyone else think/know?

First things first... Gee its good to have you back Georgie boy!!!!

Agreed, it is time for the board to clear everything up, the one real question mark in the past couple of years has been the accountability of the board and its members to the people they are responsible too, the clubs. Open and transparent is what this league needs to be, it is what the league based it's revival on 10 long years ago, the fact that transparency was required to rebuild, now that the league was moving into a position of strength, it needs the transparency more than ever!!

 

[matt_nicholls]

The problem with the current RDFL Board is that some people (not all) are on there for their own little agendas. If their priority was to ensure the competition goes forward in leaps and bounds, rather than to look after their own club, then the RDFL would be one of the trendsetters in country/metro footy. Neil Sharpe and I used to have a few little heated debates, but gee whiz, he was pretty good at his job. Even Scott McCartney was pretty good in his first year. Obviously I'm not down there now to see how things are being run first hand, but it's pretty clear the RDFL isn't running smoothly at all. Which is a terrible shame considering the shit we had to endure at the start of the millenium!

 

[George 08]

Ahh yes... own agendas. Everyone has an agenda, every single person who posts on this site have an agenda, some good, some not so good as proven. Honestly, if it wasn't for Sharpey then we wouldn't be posting on this forum! I hear from officials at other clubs that it is about time the league gave the clubs answers. But I know of two officials who asked the hard hitting questions only to be told of where to go! We all sit back because we know that we won't get answers. I'm sick of busting my balls for my club when the league can't get their own backyard sorted. I promote the league and my club as much as I can when I sign sponsors but really... what for?!

And IMS, the clubs make this league. The clubs have worked hard to provide an entertaining showcase and bring professionalism for this league. From Kilmore with James, Riddell with Allen, Romsey with Moorcroft...The list can go on. The people vote with their feet and the crowds continue to be awesome across the league on Saturdays because clubs are prepared to work hard. We get bigger crowds, but it is not the league that is doing the work, it is the clubs. The league is not moving into a position of strength... The clubs are! I know Batty is working hard on it but how many new sponsors are there for the league? I have given him a few contacts but who will put money into an organisation when it loses money? And why are the RIDDELL umpires providing the Ballarat league? That is a general question.

I'm sick of clubs being told what to do, pay more in fees, when all we ask for is transperancy and answers and we can't get that! If the league wants to be strong again then they need to have the confidence of all clubs. I'm willing to work hard for the league and happy to pay the fees only if they tell everyone what is going on behind the scenes because I'm not going to be impressed at the end of the year if a bombshell is dropped!!

 

[matt_nicholls]

Once again I drag out this story, written by gun journo Paul Daffey earlier this millenium.

A Riddell solution ...

FOR several years, the Riddell District Football League has been in turmoil. Rumours of imminent demise have clouded the competition like the mist that settles on Mount Macedon.

Even on the eve of this season, gossip raced through the horse studs and new housing estates between Melbourne's northern fringe and the Macedon Ranges suggesting the Riddell competition was about to fold. Supporters were thankful when the ball was bounced to begin the first round, but many wondered how long the league could continue in such a climate of uncertainty.

The league had been reduced from 20 clubs in the mid-1990s down to nine. Three clubs had folded and the best eight had moved on to stronger competitions. The most recent departure was Wallan, which won a clearance to the Diamond Valley league on appeal over summer.

Of the nine clubs that remained in the Riddell league, Melton Central and the Sunbury Kangaroos were servicing debts believed to be more than $15,000 each. Clubs in healthier condition were making noises about abandoning a hopeless cause.

Ray Hocking, the RDFL general manager, turned up at the delegates meeting at league headquarters in Sunbury last Monday expecting tension. The subject of the competition's future would surely divide the room.

But as soon as he walked in the door, he sensed an air of cohesion. For the first time in Hocking's three years at the helm, the delegates were of a similar mind.

They wanted the league to continue with nine clubs, with the aim of including another club to eliminate the bye. Their main concern, however, was to seek a guarantee from Football Victoria, the body that oversees all local footy bodies in the state, that the Riddell league would continue for five years without the threat of being disbanded.

"Everybody seemed to be pulling in the right direction," said Hocking, who also serves the competition as a leading field umpire. "Everybody was trying to put steps in place to secure the future."

A big reason for the harmony is the improved performance of clubs such as Rockbank, which failed to win a game after crossing from the Western Region league for the 2000 season. The club based on the Western Highway, on the Melbourne side of Melton, improved slowly after the appointment of Steve Lowerson as coach last year and hopes to keep inching up the ladder.

President Garry Stevens said the lack of wins has no bearing on his club's attitude towards the Riddell league. The appointment of an umpire for each match in every grade means his club avoids the trouble it struck in second division in the Western region league.

"All teams go out and play football," Stevens said. "That makes a big difference. We're very happy."

Even Sunbury Kangaroos at the bottom of the ladder are considered an improver. They might have won their first game for the season only last week, defeating Melton Central, but no longer do the Roos cop weekly wallopings.

President Paul Noonan said the growing evenness of the competition has surprised a few, including himself. "There was a large degree of inequality," he said. "Now the club's quite happy."

This inequality is the reason behind the leeching of clubs to surrounding leagues. A decade ago, the leading teams in the Riddell competition, such as Sunbury and Melton, would have matched wits with any rival in country football.

To keep up with these larger clubs, smaller outfits such as Riddell spent heavily on recruits. Riddell won the 1991 and '92 premierships in division one but the financial cost took its toll - two years later the club was broke and in recess.

The gap between the larger clubs and their smaller neighbors widened until a clear division opened up between seven clubs and the rest. The super seven were Melton, Melton South, Sunbury, Darley, Gisborne, Craigieburn and Jacana.

An eighth club made up the first division but found itself on the end of a hiding every week.

In the end, the premiers in second division refused to accept promotion. The top seven clubs were left to fight out first division among themselves, leaving 13 in the second tier.

At the delegate level these lower clubs tended to vote as a bloc, protecting their own interests but undermining the development of the competition. Rod Ward, now the Darley general manager, described it as a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.

The Ballarat league looked on at the disgruntlement of the leading Riddell league clubs and invited them to switch. Melton, Melton South, Sunbury and Darley - the westernmost powerful clubs - were flattered, but the prospect of playing in a competition that had won country championships proved daunting.

Darley decided the only way to make up for perceived shortfalls against rivals in Ballarat was to consider the unthinkable: merging with hated neighbour Bacchus Marsh, which was already in the Ballarat league. Bacchus Marsh members voted to merge but when the vote went to the Darley members, those in support fell short of the 75 per cent required by the club's constitution.

With the merger proposal defeated, Darley supporters accepted that they would front up for another season in the Riddell league. A day later, however, the matter was taken out of their hands when the 13 clubs in the lower bloc took a vote and decided to kick out the four clubs being courted by the Ballarat league.

Darley was left with no choice but to head west without a merger partner. The other Ballarat league recruits took the same approach.

Darley was overwhelmed by its debut into the Ballarat league when Jim Pryor, the revered president of the Ballarat Football Club, stood at the gate of his club's ground and personally welcomed every Darley supporter before letting them in free of charge. Darley responded by winning.

At Sunbury, the Lions were worried about their first match against Lake Wendouree. The Lakers were considered a leading finals fancy but Sunbury, under former Fitzroy defender Dean Lupson, won the match in a canter.

Halfway through the season, Sunbury realised its ambition of finishing the season midway up the ladder was misplaced. Its fellow former Riddell league rivals realised the same.

For much of the season, the four clubs filled the first four positions on the ladder. Sunbury secretary David Kimpton admitted the Lions were disappointed after building themselves up for a torrid entry into the upper reaches of country football.

"We expected the competition to be more fierce than it was," he said.

Sunbury went on to win the premiership, and the next two for good measure. Melton then stepped up to win the 2000 and 2001 flags, leaving supporters in the Ballarat region resenting the eastern bloc, as the former Riddell league rivals have come to be known.

The four clubs consider the move to the Ballarat league to be the best step their clubs have taken. At Darley, turnover has increased from $100,000 to $300,000, membership has increased from 70 to 600, and sponsorship is up from $15,000 to $100,000.

The increased scale of operations is also reflected in home crowds, which average 3000 this season. "In hindsight, the move to the Ballarat league is the best thing that could have happened to us," said Ward, who in 1996 voted to merge with Bacchus Marsh.

Gisborne remained in the Riddell league when its main rivals went to Ballarat, but it began preparing for bigger things by modeling itself on Darley, improving its facilities and playing stocks. The Bulldogs dominated the Riddell league, winning three consecutive premierships, with former Essendon defender Michael Werner kicking more than 180 goals in 1997, before accepting an invitation to join the Bendigo league.

Paul Turner, the Gisborne president when the club crossed to Bendigo, where it made the finals in its first season, said the Bulldogs outgrew the Riddell league. "Riddell is what we believe to be village football - a competition played in towns without a high school or major industry. Gisborne didn't fit into that category."

Kilmore, with a population of 3000, a share of industry and the most famous football school in Australia, Assumption College, also fails to fit Turner's definition of village football. The Kilmore Football Club last year reflected these advantages over village rivals when it went through the Riddell league season undefeated.

The Blues lost 18 players from their premiership side, including half a dozen who sought a new challenge at struggling North Central club Boort, but its strength in junior supply is reflected in the fact that it continues to hold a place in the top four.

The club believed the Riddell league was on the skids when it agreed to talks earlier this season with the Heathcote and Bendigo leagues about moving into a central Victorian competition.

Dayson Carroll, the coach and president of Kilmore, is impressed with the administration at Bendigo, just as the former Riddell league clubs in Ballarat are impressed with the independent board that runs their competition, but he believes the Blues would struggle against the might of outfits such as Golden Square and Sandhurst.

Transfer talks are also scheduled with Diamond Valley league officials in the next fortnight about following the lead of Wallan, which has won one game in second division in the competition based in Melbourne's north-east suburbs, but Carroll and his club remain open to the idea of staying with the Riddell league.

The main concern is stability. "It's no use being in a league that's a year-to-year prospect," Carroll said. "We want a commitment."

Kilmore has written to Football Victoria seeking a five-year commitment. It is this backing that Carroll would like to take to the members when the club votes on direction at the end of the season.

Football Victoria project manager Paul Milo and chief executive officer Ken Gannon are to meet the Riddell league clubs on July 15. Milo has doubts about the legal binding of a five-year commitment from Football Victoria - it might be subject to the vagaries of a changing executive in Riddell - but he said he would be guided by the clubs.

"The meeting is the starting point," he said.

In the meantime, with every passing week, the Riddell league seems to be overcoming a decade of turmoil and settling into its own rhythm. The exodus of powerful clubs has left nine clubs on more or less equal footing, with Kilmore the possible exception.

All the clubs are based just beyond Melbourne, improving on the flawed combination of suburban clubs and country clubs that existed until recent years, and seem to have much in common. Debt remains a problem, but with the help of payment programs and guidance from the Riddell league board, there is hope that the debt can be managed.

A name change, such as the Macedon Ranges Football League, has been suggested to reflect the competition's renewed rural identity. But first, the matter of whether the league is to survive must be worked out.

A few months ago, the competition looked shot. At least now there is hope of survival, and even a healthy measure of optimism.

 

[Itsmyshow]

And IMS, the clubs make this league. The clubs have worked hard to provide an entertaining showcase and bring professionalism for this league. From Kilmore with James, Riddell with Allen, Romsey with Moorcroft...The list can go on. The people vote with their feet and the crowds continue to be awesome across the league on Saturdays because clubs are prepared to work hard. We get bigger crowds, but it is not the league that is doing the work, it is the clubs. The league is not moving into a position of strength... The clubs are! I know Batty is working hard on it but how many new sponsors are there for the league? I have given him a few contacts but who will put money into an organisation when it loses money? And why are the RIDDELL umpires providing the Ballarat league? That is a general question.

!!

Couldn't agree more.. The clubs DO make the league, the players and the supporters make the league and the club officials and volunteers make the league and these stakeholders have every right to demand exactly what you are demanding... Answers, transparency and a clear picture of the journey that OUR league is taking and the end goal that is trying to be acheived....

 

[Mongrel]

Once again I drag out this story, written by gun journo Paul Daffey earlier this millenium.

A Riddell solution ...

FOR several years, the Riddell District Football League has been in turmoil. Rumours of imminent demise have clouded the competition like the mist that settles on Mount Macedon.

Even on the eve of this season, gossip raced through the horse studs and new housing estates between Melbourne's northern fringe and the Macedon Ranges suggesting the Riddell competition was about to fold. Supporters were thankful when the ball was bounced to begin the first round, but many wondered how long the league could continue in such a climate of uncertainty.

The league had been reduced from 20 clubs in the mid-1990s down to nine. Three clubs had folded and the best eight had moved on to stronger competitions. The most recent departure was Wallan, which won a clearance to the Diamond Valley league on appeal over summer.

Of the nine clubs that remained in the Riddell league, Melton Central and the Sunbury Kangaroos were servicing debts believed to be more than $15,000 each. Clubs in healthier condition were making noises about abandoning a hopeless cause.

Ray Hocking, the RDFL general manager, turned up at the delegates meeting at league headquarters in Sunbury last Monday expecting tension. The subject of the competition's future would surely divide the room.

But as soon as he walked in the door, he sensed an air of cohesion. For the first time in Hocking's three years at the helm, the delegates were of a similar mind.

They wanted the league to continue with nine clubs, with the aim of including another club to eliminate the bye. Their main concern, however, was to seek a guarantee from Football Victoria, the body that oversees all local footy bodies in the state, that the Riddell league would continue for five years without the threat of being disbanded.

"Everybody seemed to be pulling in the right direction," said Hocking, who also serves the competition as a leading field umpire. "Everybody was trying to put steps in place to secure the future."

A big reason for the harmony is the improved performance of clubs such as Rockbank, which failed to win a game after crossing from the Western Region league for the 2000 season. The club based on the Western Highway, on the Melbourne side of Melton, improved slowly after the appointment of Steve Lowerson as coach last year and hopes to keep inching up the ladder.

President Garry Stevens said the lack of wins has no bearing on his club's attitude towards the Riddell league. The appointment of an umpire for each match in every grade means his club avoids the trouble it struck in second division in the Western region league.

"All teams go out and play football," Stevens said. "That makes a big difference. We're very happy."

Even Sunbury Kangaroos at the bottom of the ladder are considered an improver. They might have won their first game for the season only last week, defeating Melton Central, but no longer do the Roos cop weekly wallopings.

President Paul Noonan said the growing evenness of the competition has surprised a few, including himself. "There was a large degree of inequality," he said. "Now the club's quite happy."

This inequality is the reason behind the leeching of clubs to surrounding leagues. A decade ago, the leading teams in the Riddell competition, such as Sunbury and Melton, would have matched wits with any rival in country football.

To keep up with these larger clubs, smaller outfits such as Riddell spent heavily on recruits. Riddell won the 1991 and '92 premierships in division one but the financial cost took its toll - two years later the club was broke and in recess.

The gap between the larger clubs and their smaller neighbors widened until a clear division opened up between seven clubs and the rest. The super seven were Melton, Melton South, Sunbury, Darley, Gisborne, Craigieburn and Jacana.

An eighth club made up the first division but found itself on the end of a hiding every week.

In the end, the premiers in second division refused to accept promotion. The top seven clubs were left to fight out first division among themselves, leaving 13 in the second tier.

At the delegate level these lower clubs tended to vote as a bloc, protecting their own interests but undermining the development of the competition. Rod Ward, now the Darley general manager, described it as a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.

The Ballarat league looked on at the disgruntlement of the leading Riddell league clubs and invited them to switch. Melton, Melton South, Sunbury and Darley - the westernmost powerful clubs - were flattered, but the prospect of playing in a competition that had won country championships proved daunting.

Darley decided the only way to make up for perceived shortfalls against rivals in Ballarat was to consider the unthinkable: merging with hated neighbour Bacchus Marsh, which was already in the Ballarat league. Bacchus Marsh members voted to merge but when the vote went to the Darley members, those in support fell short of the 75 per cent required by the club's constitution.

With the merger proposal defeated, Darley supporters accepted that they would front up for another season in the Riddell league. A day later, however, the matter was taken out of their hands when the 13 clubs in the lower bloc took a vote and decided to kick out the four clubs being courted by the Ballarat league.

Darley was left with no choice but to head west without a merger partner. The other Ballarat league recruits took the same approach.

Darley was overwhelmed by its debut into the Ballarat league when Jim Pryor, the revered president of the Ballarat Football Club, stood at the gate of his club's ground and personally welcomed every Darley supporter before letting them in free of charge. Darley responded by winning.

At Sunbury, the Lions were worried about their first match against Lake Wendouree. The Lakers were considered a leading finals fancy but Sunbury, under former Fitzroy defender Dean Lupson, won the match in a canter.

Halfway through the season, Sunbury realised its ambition of finishing the season midway up the ladder was misplaced. Its fellow former Riddell league rivals realised the same.

For much of the season, the four clubs filled the first four positions on the ladder. Sunbury secretary David Kimpton admitted the Lions were disappointed after building themselves up for a torrid entry into the upper reaches of country football.

"We expected the competition to be more fierce than it was," he said.

Sunbury went on to win the premiership, and the next two for good measure. Melton then stepped up to win the 2000 and 2001 flags, leaving supporters in the Ballarat region resenting the eastern bloc, as the former Riddell league rivals have come to be known.

The four clubs consider the move to the Ballarat league to be the best step their clubs have taken. At Darley, turnover has increased from $100,000 to $300,000, membership has increased from 70 to 600, and sponsorship is up from $15,000 to $100,000.

The increased scale of operations is also reflected in home crowds, which average 3000 this season. "In hindsight, the move to the Ballarat league is the best thing that could have happened to us," said Ward, who in 1996 voted to merge with Bacchus Marsh.

Gisborne remained in the Riddell league when its main rivals went to Ballarat, but it began preparing for bigger things by modeling itself on Darley, improving its facilities and playing stocks. The Bulldogs dominated the Riddell league, winning three consecutive premierships, with former Essendon defender Michael Werner kicking more than 180 goals in 1997, before accepting an invitation to join the Bendigo league.

Paul Turner, the Gisborne president when the club crossed to Bendigo, where it made the finals in its first season, said the Bulldogs outgrew the Riddell league. "Riddell is what we believe to be village football - a competition played in towns without a high school or major industry. Gisborne didn't fit into that category."

Kilmore, with a population of 3000, a share of industry and the most famous football school in Australia, Assumption College, also fails to fit Turner's definition of village football. The Kilmore Football Club last year reflected these advantages over village rivals when it went through the Riddell league season undefeated.

The Blues lost 18 players from their premiership side, including half a dozen who sought a new challenge at struggling North Central club Boort, but its strength in junior supply is reflected in the fact that it continues to hold a place in the top four.

The club believed the Riddell league was on the skids when it agreed to talks earlier this season with the Heathcote and Bendigo leagues about moving into a central Victorian competition.

Dayson Carroll, the coach and president of Kilmore, is impressed with the administration at Bendigo, just as the former Riddell league clubs in Ballarat are impressed with the independent board that runs their competition, but he believes the Blues would struggle against the might of outfits such as Golden Square and Sandhurst.

Transfer talks are also scheduled with Diamond Valley league officials in the next fortnight about following the lead of Wallan, which has won one game in second division in the competition based in Melbourne's north-east suburbs, but Carroll and his club remain open to the idea of staying with the Riddell league.

The main concern is stability. "It's no use being in a league that's a year-to-year prospect," Carroll said. "We want a commitment."

Kilmore has written to Football Victoria seeking a five-year commitment. It is this backing that Carroll would like to take to the members when the club votes on direction at the end of the season.

Football Victoria project manager Paul Milo and chief executive officer Ken Gannon are to meet the Riddell league clubs on July 15. Milo has doubts about the legal binding of a five-year commitment from Football Victoria - it might be subject to the vagaries of a changing executive in Riddell - but he said he would be guided by the clubs.

"The meeting is the starting point," he said.

In the meantime, with every passing week, the Riddell league seems to be overcoming a decade of turmoil and settling into its own rhythm. The exodus of powerful clubs has left nine clubs on more or less equal footing, with Kilmore the possible exception.

All the clubs are based just beyond Melbourne, improving on the flawed combination of suburban clubs and country clubs that existed until recent years, and seem to have much in common. Debt remains a problem, but with the help of payment programs and guidance from the Riddell league board, there is hope that the debt can be managed.

A name change, such as the Macedon Ranges Football League, has been suggested to reflect the competition's renewed rural identity. But first, the matter of whether the league is to survive must be worked out.

A few months ago, the competition looked shot. At least now there is hope of survival, and even a healthy measure of optimism.

The rdfl is in financial difficulty and most people are aware of that. But mentioning debts from 12 years ago is hardly the reason why. Firstly Sunbury have been debt free now for several years.
Infact the rdfl sent out letters to each club at the start of the season explaining the difficult time they are experiencing and asked if the clubs could pay some of this seasons fees early to assist with this trouble.
The sunbury kangaroos obliged and paid i think 4000 up front.
Then last week the rdfl sent us a fine for non attendance at a netball meeting??? I f the rdfl think that they can regain the money they have obviously squandered thru piss poor management by penny pinching, well i think their next request for financial support will fall on deaf ears. Im probably not meant to comment on things like this but i think its a discrace and most people would feel the same