Footy crisis

FISH Creek Football Club will likely refuse to play on in 2019 in a weakened Alberton Football Netball League competition.

The loss of last year’s premiers and the most successful club of recent years would likely sound the death knell of the league as it stands.

The rumour mill is running rife with talk around that MDU may even apply to Mid Gippsland Football League to make up a tenth side for season 2019.

It seems to be every club for itself in the gutted and dysfunctional Alberton league.

That’s just part of the fallout from AFL Victoria’s upholding of an appeal by Mid Gippsland against the football merger, the panel feeling that further consultation, research and options be pursued and clearly enunciated to all parties.

AFL Gippsland’s impossible dream of establishing a 15 club Central and Southern Gippsland competition now has concrete boots and is officially dead in the water.

The deathknell for the Alberton and Mid Gippsland amalgamation was announced by Brett Anderson, AFL Victoria’s community football operations coordinator, in an email to AFL Gippsland, Mid Gippsland Football League and MGFL clubs, on Friday, October 19.

Critics point to a decision made several years ago to break up the Alberton league and allow Korumburra-Bena, Inverloch-Kongwak, Dalyston, Phillip Island and Kilcunda-Bass to walk from the league to West Gippsland.

Back further, the rot started when Yarram and Woodside decided to opt out too and join the North Gippsland league. Added to that was the decision of the Allies to go into recess, further weakening Alberton.

The whole process of AFL Gippsland and AFL Victoria is a shambles and has been a failure from the outset.

Fish Creek committee person Greg Buckland didn’t hide his feelings either, saying the whole process has been “pathetic”.

“Our whole football club has been patient while AFL Gippsland and AFL Victoria have tried to get the job done but after three years it’s just gone nowhere,” Mr Buckland told The Star yesterday (Monday).

“We convinced our players to stay on in 2018 and play out the season because something was going to happen in 2019. They showed good faith in our club and stayed but no, we have no guarantee they’ll come back.

“I can tell you now Fish Creek will refuse to play on in this league in 2019; our committee will walk. I can say we will be actively looking at our options elsewhere for next year, otherwise we will go into recess.

“We told our players exactly what we were told and that it would be sorted. Well, it’s just gone nowhere.”

Neil Park, speaking on behalf of the Alberton Football Netball League, said the league hadn’t met since the decision but said he was “extremely disappointed how it all played out.”

“AFL Gippsland put it in the perspective that we would be looked after but then AFL ruled accordingly, leaving us in limbo again,” Mr Park said.

“Really, you can’t blame the Mid Gippsland clubs for rejecting it. They had this 15 league competition thrust on them from nowhere.

“It’s so disappointing for our league which has been left gutted and decimated.

“We were told no league, with the exception of Omeo, would be left with less than eight clubs but it just hasn’t happened.

“We are in the lap of the gods as to what will become of Alberton.”

Mr Park said a meeting will be held this week to go through the ramifications.

He indicated that it was possible the whole Alberton league could even go into recess for 2019.

There is a chance Alberton could play on next season in a six team competition but this is looking less and less likely giving the anger around the six member clubs.

It is believed a big factor in the decision was the complete rejection of all Mid Gippsland clubs to this proposal and the fact none of the nine clubs even suggested this as a solution in the surveys presented to AFL Gippsland.

Mid Gippsland Football League publicity officer Rob Popplestone said his league was obviously delighted with the result.

“When you look at what the clubs in our league put forward going into the review, we were pretty confident there was really no substance to the proposals in the recommendation,” he said.

“I think the proposal that you could just whack the six clubs into Mid Gippsland like some magic pudding and say ‘problem solved’ just didn’t hold any substance.”

With Yarragon moving into Ellinbank and Mid Gippsland now with only nine clubs, he didn’t reject the concept of maybe a nearby club applying to join Mid Gippsland.

“It would have to get league approval but we’re not ruling it out,” Mr Popplestone said.

“I empathise with Alberton’s position. The odds are against us welcoming a club in 2019 but we’ll see what happens for 2020.”

Mr Popplestone said the solution to Alberton is complex but may mean splitting the six clubs up across the nearby leagues in North Gippsland, Mid Gippsland and West Gippsland.

It was recommended by the AFL Victoria panel that during 2019, the commission continue working with stakeholders on the future direction of the Alberton FNL clubs.

This should be completed by the end of July 2019, giving clubs and leagues sufficient notice of any changes for the 2020 season.

While disappointed with the outcome, the AFL Gippsland Region Commission respects the appeals process and duly accepts AFL Victoria’s decision.

The commission remains steadfast in its support of all clubs in Gippsland and its commitment to the development, design and implementation of a competition structure that offers long-term sustainability and viability for all clubs.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Oct 23 2018. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry