Riverina FL - Off Season News Part 2

[thephantom05]

WONTHAGGI Power Football Netball Club has a message for any team on a winning streak - start losing.
They're being kicked out of the Alberton Football League at the end of this season because they're too successful.
The only option available is joining the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League, which would mean driving as far as Sale and Maffra, two hours away.
Even their closest opponents would be half an hour away.
The club has put up a staunch fight against the move, which even involved serving writs on the Victorian Country Football League and the 13 clubs in Alberton FL that voted them out.
But last month they were told by a review panel they had to go. They have until August 25 to give their response.
Club president Rob Tessario said it was not reasonable to expect players and parents of six netball teams and six football teams to cover such large distances.
"We are not in outback Australia. We would be crossing two or three leagues to get there. It just isn't logical," Mr Tessario said.
Victorian Country Football League chief executive Glenn Scott said every effort had been made to find a solution but they had run out of options. He said Wonthaggi had 8000 residents and was playing against towns with populations of just a few hundred.
"At the end of the day it is out of our hands because the other teams in Alberton Football League have voted them out," Mr Scott said.
Wonthaggi Power was also given the option of Casey Cardinia FL but when they voted not to accept them WGL was the only league available.
"We are not in the business of pulling leagues apart to suit one club. There are at least 40 other clubs in the VCFL that are by no means a perfect fit in their league," Mr Scott said.
"Trying to find a solution to this has been a very long, frustrating and costly process."
Wonthaggi's firsts are on top of the ladder and last year both their firsts and seconds were undefeated.
Mr Tessario said Wonthaggi Power was created when Wonthaggi Blues and Wonthaggi Rovers merged in 2005.
"There is an argument that if you merge two clubs there is going to be a period of enthusiasm and success," he said. "We are riding that wave of success and we don't intend to do any different but it doesn't last forever.
"Wonthaggi Blues were in the WGLFL and it nearly killed them. Each week a lot of the football and netball teams struggled to get the numbers because people simply weren't prepared to travel."
Mr Tessario said Wonthaggi were part of the Pakenham/ Cranbourne growth corridor and believed a restructure was the best solution.
Mr Scott said the VCFL would consider a league restructure in years to come.

Very interesting coming from VCFL stronghold

 

[ILOVEHODGEY]

WONTHAGGI Power Football Netball Club has a message for any team on a winning streak - start losing.
They're being kicked out of the Alberton Football League at the end of this season because they're too successful.
The only option available is joining the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League, which would mean driving as far as Sale and Maffra, two hours away.
Even their closest opponents would be half an hour away.
The club has put up a staunch fight against the move, which even involved serving writs on the Victorian Country Football League and the 13 clubs in Alberton FL that voted them out.
But last month they were told by a review panel they had to go. They have until August 25 to give their response.
Club president Rob Tessario said it was not reasonable to expect players and parents of six netball teams and six football teams to cover such large distances.
"We are not in outback Australia. We would be crossing two or three leagues to get there. It just isn't logical," Mr Tessario said.
Victorian Country Football League chief executive Glenn Scott said every effort had been made to find a solution but they had run out of options. He said Wonthaggi had 8000 residents and was playing against towns with populations of just a few hundred.
"At the end of the day it is out of our hands because the other teams in Alberton Football League have voted them out," Mr Scott said.
Wonthaggi Power was also given the option of Casey Cardinia FL but when they voted not to accept them WGL was the only league available.
"We are not in the business of pulling leagues apart to suit one club. There are at least 40 other clubs in the VCFL that are by no means a perfect fit in their league," Mr Scott said.
"Trying to find a solution to this has been a very long, frustrating and costly process."
Wonthaggi's firsts are on top of the ladder and last year both their firsts and seconds were undefeated.
Mr Tessario said Wonthaggi Power was created when Wonthaggi Blues and Wonthaggi Rovers merged in 2005.
"There is an argument that if you merge two clubs there is going to be a period of enthusiasm and success," he said. "We are riding that wave of success and we don't intend to do any different but it doesn't last forever.
"Wonthaggi Blues were in the WGLFL and it nearly killed them. Each week a lot of the football and netball teams struggled to get the numbers because people simply weren't prepared to travel."
Mr Tessario said Wonthaggi were part of the Pakenham/ Cranbourne growth corridor and believed a restructure was the best solution.
Mr Scott said the VCFL would consider a league restructure in years to come.

Very interesting coming from VCFL stronghold

could ya list the similarites between this club and gullie ? cos im struggling to see any mate.
population lasts a lot longer then a money tree u tosser

this club will continue to dominate but gullie will be in dire straights sooner rather than later

gullie suck.

 

[Grongey]

'Originally Posted by Grongey
You have no idea. Mergers of the above mentioned clubs will mean more people not playing footy. ....'

For the record that was not my post but Phantom's.

If anyone thinks Third Man (or myself) are advocating forced mergers or transfers then they're wrong, and missing the point.

Participation across all grades, juniors and netball, is exactly what we should be fostering. No club should be forced to merge. Every club should be rewarded for meeting it's commitments. The key word is - voluntary. Of course traditional club identities should be protected. I just happen to have a different view on the best structure to maximize participation and protect clubs existence. For example I don't see how relegating Griffith to Farrer League would help them in any way.

I do not see the logic of saying an eastern conference would give Wagga teams a walk-up start to finals. Turvey, Tigers and Mango would have to eliminate each other just to get to an all-Riverina grand final.

How is that any different to the western conference where say GGM, Coolamon, Leeton (and 'Gullie using pistonbroke's model), would have to eliminate each other for the right to meet the eastern conference champion in the GF? Are these clubs getting a walk-up start too?

Actually I think it would add interest to throw the top finishing teams into a finals league. Say the top two or three from each conference.

 

[NSWelshman]

It will be interesting in next few days, on and off the field. RFL clubs stance on EWK & NW & Gullies dummy spit for not getting their way at this point, makes for great media. DA sales will be up during this time of uncertainty. EWK has just as much right to be in RFL as any current club while NW I'm not so sure on but I have to give them 10/10 for effort to rise from the ashes.

Unfortunetely for FFL 6 teams is not ideal, and I think that if NW dropped back and FFL went to a top 4 while RFL remained 9 teams with top 5 then it then it can still work as long as the Under 17s continued.

On one more note, why doesnt Cootamundra come into the equation, it makes zoning sense to bring them in, AFL NSW can pump some extra doe into coota's junour campaign and thus continue the battle with League on their doorstep in a sizeable town. Cootamundra is no more a league strong hold than Leeton.

Wishful thinking I know but its got to be better than travelling to Canberra to play and its got to be good for the game

 

[givengo11]

It will be interesting in next few days, on and off the field. RFL clubs stance on EWK & NW & Gullies dummy spit for not getting their way at this point, makes for great media. DA sales will be up during this time of uncertainty. EWK has just as much right to be in RFL as any current club while NW I'm not so sure on but I have to give them 10/10 for effort to rise from the ashes.

Unfortunetely for FFL 6 teams is not ideal, and I think that if NW dropped back and FFL went to a top 4 while RFL remained 9 teams with top 5 then it then it can still work as long as the Under 17s continued.

On one more note, why doesnt Cootamundra come into the equation, it makes zoning sense to bring them in, AFL NSW can pump some extra doe into coota's junour campaign and thus continue the battle with League on their doorstep in a sizeable town. Cootamundra is no more a league strong hold than Leeton.

Wishful thinking I know but its got to be better than travelling to Canberra to play and its got to be good for the game

Your right Welshman it does take for good/interesting reading.. Has a date been set for when the AFL will announce the final structure?? Surely a final desision has to be made soon so that teams, especially those not in calculations for finals can start preparing for 2010. How are teams such as Narrandera, Griffith and East Wagga supposed to start preparing and recruting for next year when they dont know what league they are going to play in??

 

[rise_above]

been to many!!! and ill think you would find that the rock were in the hume league and would have been on appeal anyway! then decided against it as all there juniors would have come to wagga juniors as a break away club

in wagga tigers 1st grade squad that have played more than three first grade games this year there would be 12 tigers juniors then a few more that have come through the 18's so not that rich really???

What do you mean they were in the Hume League? They were NOT in the Hume League, they were voted against 14-0 by the clubs!! After such a strong backlash by the Hume League and the new proposal put forward by the AFL, The Rock did decide against it.

You're saying 12 juniors for the whole year? Twelve? Not that I need to prove my fact anymore, but would you care to name these, as I wouldnt be surprised if this figure can be brought down even further?

If a Collingullie rep could give me their numbers I would propose that they would be around this level also, so I'd take a look at your own backyard before you start casting stones at other clubs.

 

[rise_above]

Participation across all grades, juniors and netball, is exactly what we should be fostering. No club should be forced to merge. Every club should be rewarded for meeting it's commitments. The key word is - voluntary. Of course traditional club identities should be protected. I just happen to have a different view on the best structure to maximize participation and protect clubs existence. For example I don't see how relegating Griffith to Farrer League would help them in any way.

I do not see the logic of saying an eastern conference would give Wagga teams a walk-up start to finals. Turvey, Tigers and Mango would have to eliminate each other just to get to an all-Riverina grand final.

How is that any different to the western conference where say GGM, Coolamon, Leeton (and 'Gullie using pistonbroke's model), would have to eliminate each other for the right to meet the eastern conference champion in the GF? Are these clubs getting a walk-up start too?

Actually I think it would add interest to throw the top finishing teams into a finals league. Say the top two or three from each conference.

How does putting sides like Rivcoll in a competition where they have absolutely no chance of winning a premiership, "maximize participation and protect clubs existence"? It's not about "helping" certain clubs such as Collingullie or Griffith. It's about putting a structure in place that's best for ALL sides.

I will tell you how the two hemispheres are different. The strong wagga sides only have to beat Rivcoll, North Wagga etc. in the home and away season to get to the finals themselves, forget about the grandfinal. It would be the same 3-4 sides every year getting an easy home and away season!

GGGM, Coolamon, Griffith, Narrandera and Leeton are all strong RFL clubs fighting for 3 spots in the West, not even mentioning Collingullie. All of the above mentioned sides could easily be potentially stronger sides than at least 2 of the clubs in the top 3 in the city league, but are only given 3 finals spots. Then after a much tougher home and away season, they have to earn their way into the Grand Final. Totally unfair!

That is how it is different.

Do the hemisphere believers understand that if you get relegated, you are allowed to be promoted the following year? It's not as if you return to the Farrer League and stay there forever. I will say this again and again! While it is unfortunate traditional RFL sides will have to go to the Farrer League, PROVE YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH BY WINNING THE FFL! It's that simple.

 

[rise_above]

It will be interesting in next few days, on and off the field. RFL clubs stance on EWK & NW & Gullies dummy spit for not getting their way at this point, makes for great media. DA sales will be up during this time of uncertainty. EWK has just as much right to be in RFL as any current club while NW I'm not so sure on but I have to give them 10/10 for effort to rise from the ashes.

Unfortunetely for FFL 6 teams is not ideal, and I think that if NW dropped back and FFL went to a top 4 while RFL remained 9 teams with top 5 then it then it can still work as long as the Under 17s continued.

On one more note, why doesnt Cootamundra come into the equation, it makes zoning sense to bring them in, AFL NSW can pump some extra doe into coota's junour campaign and thus continue the battle with League on their doorstep in a sizeable town. Cootamundra is no more a league strong hold than Leeton.

Wishful thinking I know but its got to be better than travelling to Canberra to play and its got to be good for the game

"Wishful thinking"! Exactly right NSWelshman. Come back to reality now NSWelshman and realise that all these ideas are bandaid solutions.

 

[Third man]

'Originally Posted by Grongey
You have no idea. Mergers of the above mentioned clubs will mean more people not playing footy. ....'

For the record that was not my post but Phantom's.

If anyone thinks Third Man (or myself) are advocating forced mergers or transfers then they're wrong, and missing the point.

Correct. Out of 16 clubs, 10 are perfectly happy where they are, in the RFL. Gullie wants to join the RFL. The Rock (presumably) would still be open to joining the Hume league. That leaves 4 clubs. All I'm saying is the onus should be on these clubs to work out where their future lies without destabilising 12 other clubs and the RFL.

Don't believe 16 clubs is enough to support two divisions, particularly when a few of those clubs have question marks going forward, is all. It only takes one to fall over and we're back to one division of 8 teams, and one with 7, no better off than we are now.

 

[thephantom05]

could ya list the similarites between this club and gullie ? cos im struggling to see any mate.
population lasts a lot longer then a money tree u tosser

this club will continue to dominate but gullie will be in dire straights sooner rather than later

gullie suck.

Didnt compare them to Gullie you tossa. Point I was making that two leagues voted against them and VCFL had to support the majority.

 

[head67]

How does putting sides like Rivcoll in a competition where they have absolutely no chance of winning a premiership, "maximize participation and protect clubs existence"? It's not about "helping" certain clubs such as Collingullie or Griffith. It's about putting a structure in place that's best for ALL sides.

I will tell you how the two hemispheres are different. The strong wagga sides only have to beat Rivcoll, North Wagga etc. in the home and away season to get to the finals themselves, forget about the grandfinal. It would be the same 3-4 sides every year getting an easy home and away season!

GGGM, Coolamon, Griffith, Narrandera and Leeton are all strong RFL clubs fighting for 3 spots in the West, not even mentioning Collingullie. All of the above mentioned sides could easily be potentially stronger sides than at least 2 of the clubs in the top 3 in the city league, but are only given 3 finals spots. Then after a much tougher home and away season, they have to earn their way into the Grand Final. Totally unfair!

That is how it is different.

Do the hemisphere believers understand that if you get relegated, you are allowed to be promoted the following year? It's not as if you return to the Farrer League and stay there forever. I will say this again and again! While it is unfortunate traditional RFL sides will have to go to the Farrer League, PROVE YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH BY WINNING THE FFL! It's that simple.

Another pittfall of the conference BS, how are they going to work out BF's and goal kicking. Have them given out twice??

 

[ILOVEHODGEY]

Didnt compare them to Gullie you tossa. Point I was making that two leagues voted against them and VCFL had to support the majority.

and why did the change of leagues need to be voted on in first place mate?
would it be because one club was dominating? yes
the reasons the clubs are dominating is different. therefore a different answer to the problem is needed - which is NOT changing the club to a stronger league in this case.

 

[gullie man]

What do you mean they were in the Hume League? They were NOT in the Hume League, they were voted against 14-0 by the clubs!! After such a strong backlash by the Hume League and the new proposal put forward by the AFL, The Rock did decide against it.

You're saying 12 juniors for the whole year? Twelve? Not that I need to prove my fact anymore, but would you care to name these, as I wouldnt be surprised if this figure can be brought down even further?

If a Collingullie rep could give me their numbers I would propose that they would be around this level also, so I'd take a look at your own backyard before you start casting stones at other clubs.

11 ex-juniors in last weeks 1st grade side named in paper against TRYC

 

[Grongey]

That must have been a desperate affair at the Exxies, Griffith by a point with less scoring shots, might have kept them in the league.

 

[NSWelshman]

"Wishful thinking"! Exactly right NSWelshman. Come back to reality now NSWelshman and realise that all these ideas are bandaid solutions.

The "reality check" is that every change is a bandaid solution, but some have less side effects than others, namely P & R under proposed setup and the C & C ideas are septic and only create more side effects. Reality check is that our game depends on stability not uncertainty and the Under 17s comp in the Farrer has to be stabilised in some way, if it doesnt then farrer clubs will stuggle anyway.

 

[NSWelshman]

That must have been a desperate affair at the Exxies, Griffith by a point with less scoring shots, might have kept them in the league.

I reckon they were playing for a tie and someone didn't add up right

 

[ILOVEHODGEY]

I reckon they were playing for a tie and someone didn't add up right

havent ya heard of percentage you goose

 

[backmanbrotherhood13]

What do you mean they were in the Hume League? They were NOT in the Hume League, they were voted against 14-0 by the clubs!! After such a strong backlash by the Hume League and the new proposal put forward by the AFL, The Rock did decide against it.

You're saying 12 juniors for the whole year? Twelve? Not that I need to prove my fact anymore, but would you care to name these, as I wouldnt be surprised if this figure can be brought down even further?

If a Collingullie rep could give me their numbers I would propose that they would be around this level also, so I'd take a look at your own backyard before you start casting stones at other clubs.

on 2nd look its more and names pat noonan, jackson oehm, josh gaynor, jacob osbeiston, andrew priest, chris drum, mitchell colvin, pat delany, james hodges, sam ryan, warren bartlett, sam gaynor, damien papworth, lahn sheperd taylor bently!! then players who joined in under 18's daniel davies, marc sheppard trent garner andrew gunsser jocca powell!

on the original proposal the afl had put the rock in hume league so the 14 - 0 mean sweet F A really!! if the rock wanted to be there and if the original propsal went forward then theY would have played hume league!!

by concentrating on juniors, they have no 15s and 17s struggle so the future does not look bright on players coming through there for they would have to keep an open checkbook

 

[NSWelshman]

havent ya heard of percentage you goose

Yeah, Hawthorn has about a 1% chance of making the finals. And I can understand your hostilities cause it would have been a long 24 hr wait for you Narrandera boys.

 

[head67]

Early prediction but I wouldnt put my house on it, GGGM,Hoppers,Tigers,Doggies but not in that order

yeah i wouldnt be putting your house on anything just yet!

Should have had the bet Welshman.

 

[NSWelshman]

Should have had the bet Welshman.

Am I ever wrong

 

[Grongey]

The Daily Advertiser seems to think there will no relegation in 2010.

From link: http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/n...after-the-siren-to-be-swans-hero/1597882.aspx

Owen kicks a goal after the siren to be Swans’ hero
MATT MALONE
17/08/2009 12:00:00 AM
A GOAL after the siren to Griffith midfielder Brett Owen handed the Swans a thrilling one-point victory over Narrandera at Exies Oval on Saturday.

In the relegation game that never turned out to be, the Swans produced a big last-quarter performance to steal the win from Narrandera, 13.9 (87) to 12.14 (86).

The Eagles led by 15 points at three-quarter-time and even more throughout periods of the game but failed to kill off a persistent Griffith team.

With a sniff of victory in front of its home crowd, Griffith kicked four goals to one in the final term to cement seventh spot on the ladder.

Owen was the hero for the Swans, showing nerves of steel after the siren to kick truly and give his team victory.

About 20 metres out on a tight angle, Owen went back and slotted the goal home to send Griffith players into a frenzy.

Interim Griffith captain-coach Matt Noonan praised Owen for his shot on goal.

"There was a lot of pressure on, a tight angle and plenty of wind," Noonan said.

"But he went back and kicked it and it was good to get a win up two weeks out from the end of the season."

While the Swans trailed Narrandera all day, Noonan said he never gave up hope.

"We were behind from the word go and they played reasonably well and were pretty good all day," Noonan said.

"They used the ball, at times, a lot better than we did but we just kept at it all day long.

"We weren't very consistent which was disappointing but we got the four points at the end of the day and we'll take them.

"Even when we got four or five goals down, I was still confident we could keep going and in the end we did well to get ourselves in a position to win the game."

A week ago, the loser of this game look destined to be relegated to the Farrer League.

While this is no longer the case, Noonan said it was still an important game to win.

"Even though there was no relegation, we still wanted to go out there, win the game and consolidate seventh position," Noonan said.

Best for Griffith was Jason Bertacco on a wing while James Smith impressed with his attack on the footy from full-back.

Shaun Curran and Mick Harris also performed well in the ruck.
Best for Narrandera was Andrew Ellis and Dean Hopwood while Ian Donaldson ended up with four goals.

 

[rise_above]

on 2nd look its more and names pat noonan, jackson oehm, josh gaynor, jacob osbeiston, andrew priest, chris drum, mitchell colvin, pat delany, james hodges, sam ryan, warren bartlett, sam gaynor, damien papworth, lahn sheperd taylor bently!! then players who joined in under 18's daniel davies, marc sheppard trent garner andrew gunsser jocca powell!

on the original proposal the afl had put the rock in hume league so the 14 - 0 mean sweet F A really!! if the rock wanted to be there and if the original propsal went forward then theY would have played hume league!!

by concentrating on juniors, they have no 15s and 17s struggle so the future does not look bright on players coming through there for they would have to keep an open checkbook

When exactly was the original proposal ever going to get through?
My point is that NOW you are saying that they would be in the hume league, IF all those other things had occurred, (which were never going to occur anyway). This statement is totally different to your original statement where you said 'they were in the hume league' as if it were a foregone conclusion.

After trying to get some sort of meaning out of your last paragraph for quite some time, I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to say. You could be making a valid point for all i know, just explain further. (I'm not having a go at you, just trying to hear you out).

It is good to see an improvement in that area at Wagga Tigers. But i would have preferred you provided a list of juniors that actually play in your current or best 22, as GullieMan provided... as only 21 players can play seniors at one time. Why add in players recruited in u'18s? You're only backing up what I was saying, last time i checked they were not part of the WDJAFA.

Let's move on anyway Backman, more interesting things to talk about as one of the tightest finals series for quite some time is coming up. Head, NSWelshman or Guru, (or anyone) when do you think the last time we had a finals series where all 5 sides in the finals could win the premiership. I know it was close last year but not all 5 sides were this close last year were they? Or am I making it sound closer this year than it actually is?

 

[NSWelshman]

. I know it was close last year but not all 5 sides were this close last year were they? Or am I making it sound closer this year than it actually is?[/QUOTE]

Its a identical to last year in eveness in the seniors but more even in the Ressies than last year, with very little seperating the top four there.

 

[Grongey]

Another pittfall of the conference BS, how are they going to work out BF's and goal kicking. Have them given out twice??

Well you've got me stumped there. Certainly unfair to rate players against other teams they don't even meet in the home and away rounds. I guess there would just have to be two sets, a B&F and goalkicking for each conference?