Footy turmoil
By Tony Giles and Matt Dunn
ALBERTON Football League’s finals series has been thrown into chaos.
The make-up of the top six and the start of the finals this weekend has been changed after Yarram wa”In the very early years of my football career it used to happen a bit with the seconds. You find a bloke and play him under a name and get the team across the line,” he said.
“But it was usually done by clubs at the bottom end of the league anyway. In recent years, with the way it’s all online, I haven’t heard of it happening too much.
“At the end of the day, it’s happened. While it’s disappointing, we’ll move on.”
Foster is no longer premiership favourite after their unbeaten run ended on Saturday at the hands of a rampaging Fish Creek which knocked over the Tigers on their own “dunghill”.
The loss couldn’t have come at a worse time for Foster being the last game of the season before the finals. The Tigers had been looking vulnerable in recent weeks, with a one point win over MDU two weeks back and a two point win over Phillip Island last week.
Any of the clubs in the six now believe that Foster and the premiership is now “up for grabs”.
Fish Creek propelled into the finals at the expense of the unluckiest side in the competition MDU.
Fish Creek coach, Marshall Livingstone, said the team’s desire to play finals and the growing confidence of the list, were factors in Fish Creek’s win.
“We had a big lift in tackles and pressure and stuck to our strategies,” he said.
Matt Standfield was best afield with eight goals.
Fish Creek is set for one of its best finals ever with firsts, reserves and fourths in the finals plus a couple of netball teams.
News that Fish Creek will play Tarwin on Sunday and not Phillip Island on Saturday did not worry Mr Livingstone.
“We just have to change our focus to Tarwin and work out strategies that will win the game. It’s good that we know early in the week so we can focus on that game,” he said.
MDU missed out in firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths after the seniors spent nearly all season thinking they would play in finals action.
MDU president Wayne Cook said that, although disappointing the football teams did not make finals, ” we were a bit stiff but that’s football, that’s the way it goes.”
“We have seen much improvement this season, with good recruiting, we won 10 games this season so the signs are good for the club,” he said.
“We’re moving in the right direction. We are well represented in the netball with four teams in contention. The club is stronger than ever.”
Mr Cook was asked by The Star whether the condition of the Korumburra oval was a factor.
“No, no excuses there. The Korumburra oval was a bit heavy but it was okay. Korumburra-Bena wanted to win the much just that little bit more than us,” he said.
Mr Cook said the committee will be meeting later this month to discuss senior coaching, with current coach Leigh Wilson already indicating he is available for the job.
Two Stony Creek brothers were injured when they were involved in an accident on the notorious Koonwarra bends on the South Gippsland Highway whilst heading to the football on Saturday.
The thirds footballers were Terry and Russell Fleming. Terry had to be cut from the vehicle and had a suspected broken leg while Russell was treated for minor injuries.
The road is sure to come under scrutiny for improvement when the state election swings around for November.
s stripped of its 28 point win against Tarwin, after playing an unregistered player.
The Victorian Country Football League found Yarram breached Rule 1.3 of the VCFL rules and regulations, and so awarded the win to Tarwin.
The resulting win by Tarwin has changed the make-up of the top six and the finals for this weekend. Tarwin move from sixth position to fourth, Fish Creek move down from fourth to fifth and Korumburra-Bena move from fifth to sixth.
Fish Creek, originally drawn to play Korumburra-Bena on Saturday, will now play in their elimination final on Sunday against Tarwin.
Korumburra-Bena plays in the other elimination final on Saturday against Phillip Island, which finished third.
Apart from Phillip Island, Tarwin, Korumburra-Bena and Fish Creek had been unsure if they would play on Saturday or Sunday.
Yarram was punished after the VCFL investigated claims the Demons fielded a player registered to another club. The player assumed the identity of a listed Yarram player.
Yarram Football Club president Paul Clavarino said the player’s game had no bearing on the result and was necessitated by a lacklustre list, as the club struggles to compete for players with the Allies (DWWWW) and NGFL neighbours, the Woodside Wildcats.
Mr Clavarino said other clubs in different leagues had also been guilty of the practice too.
“I really can’t comment on what happened, because I don’t know. The fact of the matter is at the end of the season we have no players and we had four seconds players playing and we had five thirds players playing. We got to the football and three blokes didn’t turn up,” he said.
“There were a couple of blokes on the sidelines – one who had a knee reconstruction – and another fella, who, I actually thought at the time, was one of our players. We had them both sitting on the bench as spares and we ended up putting them on the ground.
“But it never made a difference to the score, because the fella they’re referring to never had a kick, because he hasn’t played for two years – but apparently he’s registered with someone else.”
League secretary Lyn Whelan issued a short statement, and would not identify the player.
“The results of the weekend match have been reversed. They had a player playing in the seniors who was registered to another club,” she said.
“The phone’s been ringing hot. It was a VCFL decision (to reverse the win) and I’m just sending off an email to the papers about who will play who in the seniors games for the first final.
“I’ve spoken to president John Schelling about this and we’d prefer just to say ‘the club was in breach of VCFL rules by playing an unregistered player’ and leave it that.”
Ms Whelan said she did not believe similar incidents had happened in the past with the club.
League president John Schelling said there was no evidence of widespread rorting in the AFL competition.
“In the very early years of my football career it used to happen a bit with the seconds. You find a bloke and play him under a name and get the team across the line,” he said.
“But it was usually done by clubs at the bottom end of the league anyway. In recent years, with the way it’s all online, I haven’t heard of it happening too much.
“At the end of the day, it’s happened. While it’s disappointing, we’ll move on.”
Foster is no longer premiership favourite after their unbeaten run ended on Saturday at the hands of a rampaging Fish Creek which knocked over the Tigers on their own “dunghill”.
The loss couldn’t have come at a worse time for Foster being the last game of the season before the finals. The Tigers had been looking vulnerable in recent weeks, with a one point win over MDU two weeks back and a two point win over Phillip Island last week.
Any of the clubs in the six now believe that Foster and the premiership is now “up for grabs”.
Fish Creek propelled into the finals at the expense of the unluckiest side in the competition MDU.
Fish Creek coach, Marshall Livingstone, said the team’s desire to play finals and the growing confidence of the list, were factors in Fish Creek’s win.
“We had a big lift in tackles and pressure and stuck to our strategies,” he said.
Matt Standfield was best afield with eight goals.
Fish Creek is set for one of its best finals ever with firsts, reserves and fourths in the finals plus a couple of netball teams.
News that Fish Creek will play Tarwin on Sunday and not Phillip Island on Saturday did not worry Mr Livingstone.
“We just have to change our focus to Tarwin and work out strategies that will win the game. It’s good that we know early in the week so we can focus on that game,” he said.
MDU missed out in firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths after the seniors spent nearly all season thinking they would play in finals action.
MDU president Wayne Cook said that, although disappointing the football teams did not make finals, ” we were a bit stiff but that’s football, that’s the way it goes.”
“We have seen much improvement this season, with good recruiting, we won 10 games this season so the signs are good for the club,” he said.
“We’re moving in the right direction. We are well represented in the netball with four teams in contention. The club is stronger than ever.”
Mr Cook was asked by The Star whether the condition of the Korumburra oval was a factor.
“No, no excuses there. The Korumburra oval was a bit heavy but it was okay. Korumburra-Bena wanted to win the much just that little bit more than us,” he said.
Mr Cook said the committee will be meeting later this month to discuss senior coaching, with current coach Leigh Wilson already indicating he is available for the job.
Two Stony Creek brothers were injured when they were involved in an accident on the notorious Koonwarra bends on the South Gippsland Highway whilst heading to the football on Saturday.
The thirds footballers were Terry and Russell Fleming. Terry had to be cut from the vehicle and had a suspected broken leg while Russell was treated for minor injuries.
The road is sure to come under scrutiny for improvement when the state election swings around for November.
Short URL: http://www.thestar.com.au/?p=363
Posted by 
