deposit said:What is the attraction for the Magpies in the HFL, is it just the bigger league?
What is the difference in football standard? Have not played in CDFL and only spent 12 months in HFL so not too sure?
I agree that the Magpies will have a large impact on the ability of the 3 surrounding clubs to attract/retain juniors and field sides, as a lot of kids from the bush will play footy where their school mates from town play.
Thurgoona in the HFL would also be a good fit, are they up to the same level though?
The Magpies believe the Hume league is a better fit for them geographically, which is true, although it is interesting they didn't feel that way when they were formed in 1999 with the one and only goal to play in the Coreen league.
In my opinion (and I await the cries of disgust from blokes like Arceri) the leagues are very similar in standard - or certainly were four years ago before the drought started playing havoc with the number of blokes and clubs in the smaller areas of the Coreen league.
Hume has more money and over the past two or three years has dragged in many more O&M players, which would have made a big difference in the standards.
CDFL would still field an excellent interleague team, but there is not as much depth as there was four years ago - a given considering we have lost four clubs in that time (Hopefield-Buraja recess, Oaklands and Urana merged, Rand merged with Walbundrie and left, and now Magpies).
Two more articles on the Murray Magpies' admission to the Hume league. It would seem the Hume clubs have some colourful opinions about the decision.
http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_...task=DETAIL&articleID=1621550§ionID=12761