Football will be turned upside down if a plan by senior officials to make the Casey Cardinia league a two-tier competition comes to fruition. But Doveton’s Ryan Pearson had only one thing in mind at the weekend – stopping Jesse DeHey of Devon Meadows. Picture: Scott Memery
By Gavin Staindl and Peter Sweeney
CASEY Cardinia Football League club presidents have given the “thumbs up” to a plan to radically revamp their league.
But Ellinbank District Football League clubs that are based in the shire of Cardinia and will be invited to join a two-tier Casey Cardinia league, have given the plan the “thumbs down”.
The Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League has been given the green light by the Victorian Country Football League to investigate putting together a new-look CCFL in 2013.
There are 11 clubs in the CCFL and 15 in the EDFL, meaning there are byes every round.
And some clubs – especially in the EDFL – are doing it hard on and off the field, and struggle to compete with bigger towns.
There have been rumours about some clubs – especially in the CCFL – thinking of switching leagues.
This is what football club leaders had to say about the expansion plans for Casey Cardinia:
Cora Lynn president Andrew Bergmeier:
I’m not quite sure of all the details yet but we are very pleased and happy to stay in the EDFL. We are a community-based football club playing against similar type clubs and don’t want to be playing against suburban clubs. Our junior structures are different and we could not compete against the bigger towns and sides.
I understand the thoughts involved but the move from the old West Gippsland league has worked out really well for us and the Lang Langs and Kooweerups of this world. We love what’s happening at the moment and we think the EDFL will only continue to improve.
Bunyip president Darrell Wilkinson:
We haven’t received anything official, it was only brought up at a league meeting last week. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea but I haven’t seen a proposal or anything so I can’t really comment.
Kooweerup president Tony Cammarano:
We’ve only been in the Ellinbank competition for 10 years and we’re just happy finding our feet. The teams in Casey Cardinia are pretty strong and I feel the Ellinbank league is where our standard is and we want to just try and build on that.
Lang Lang president Adrian Jenkins:
Haven’t heard much about it but I can’t see it happening. We can’t compete in those leagues, our budgets just won’t stand up. I need to look into it a bit more, but straight off the bat, I’m not overly excited about it going ahead.
Catani president Tony McFarlane:
We are nowhere near interested in any of that. We are struggling where we are, let alone moving to Casey Cardinia. We moved from West Gippsland in 1976 because our town was too small to compete and we’ve gained two houses since that time. We’ve found our niche in the Ellinbank league.
Garfield president Gerry Cunningham:
I haven’t spoken to the club about it, but we’ve just entered the Ellinbank and District Football League and we’re not interested in disturbing that. We’re very happy with where we are.
Nar Nar Goon vice-president Patrick Noonan:
We won’t move without a lot of consideration, especially to our junior structures, but something needs to happen because changes in population and geographics will mean a 15-team structure in the EDFL is not sustainable.
Our preference would be to have a two-tiered Ellinbank structure but the reality is something will have to change eventually. We will listen to what is said and take it to our members when the time is right.
Berwick president Cliff Donegan:
I haven’t heard anything about it just yet so I’m not willing to comment from a Berwick position. But from a personal point of view I will support anything that strengthens the leagues and the clubs in those leagues.
Tooradin president Derek Genoni:
I think it would be a great thing for footy to stay in the region and develop. The EDFL has too many teams as it is and the second tier would allow teams that are stronger to move up and teams that are struggling for whatever reason to find their feet in the second division. If this was to go ahead we would definitely stay in this league, it would be better for our team.
Devon Meadows president Allan King:
We have indicated that we are all for it. The gap between your bigger sides like Narre Warren and Cranbourne compared with smaller towns such as us and Tooradin seems to be getting wider and wider and it is becoming increasingly hard to compete. We would support a second-tier competition.
Beaconsfield president John Airdrie:
As long as all parties involved agree and geographics and size of each town are taken into consideration, then I think a Casey Cardinia two-tier system can be good for footy. Anything that can help a side stay alive is good for footy.
ROC president Sharon Temby:
It would absolutely be a good thing. It is good for the game because people don’t want to watch big blow-outs. It would be good for ROC, too, because we’re still a couple of years behind being truly competitive and going down a level would help their development.
Pakenham president Greg Marshall:
As long as everyone is interested and some form of agreement is worked out then I’m happy to work with it. Pakenham will back anything to help out football in the local area and even the competition a bit more.
