Trentham Football-Netball Club weighs up switching leagues

By Luke West
Updated November 7 2012 - 2:24am, first published July 7 2010 - 11:19am

THE Trentham committee will meet next Tuesday to discuss this week’s preliminary VCFL recommendations that support the Saints leaving the Maryborough-Castlemaine District Football League at the end of this season.The preliminary findings from a VCFL review into football in the greater Ballarat area impact on the MCDFL with the loss of the Saints, but also the addition of two new clubs for 2011 under the proposal.Among the recommendations are Trentham shift from the MCDFL to the second division of an expanded Central Highlands competition, and that Lexton Plains clubs Natte Bealiba and Navarre transfer to the MCDFL.Under the recommendations, the Lexton Plains Football League would be disbanded and its eight clubs would move to new leagues.The VCFL Review Panel has met with 37 clubs in the Ballarat area in determining its preliminary recommendations, with Trentham indicating during its interview it would favour a move to the second division of the Central Highlands competition.“We have a committee meeting next Tuesday, so, obviously, this will be high on the list of discussion,’’ Saints president Rod Hassett said yesterday.“It was generally our idea to go to Central Highlands division two because of the travel involved with the MCDFL, so a move has a lot more advantages to us than disadvantages.“We feel this is really headed in the right direction for us, but there would obviously be some fine-tuning on a few things, such as with jumpers because there would be another club with the same jumper as us.’’The Saints – who won MCDFL premierships in 1992 and 1994, but in 2006 were in danger of going into recess because of a shortage of players – are geographically out of place in the MCDFL, with all their away trips between 53 and 110 kilometres.“If you look at the map, we’re the most disadvantaged club in the MCDFL,’’ Hassett said.“Of course, we couldn’t go up against (CHFL) clubs like Hepburn and Daylesford, but having two divisions in the CHFL would definitely be a good idea.“This is only my second year at the club, but a lot of the people who have been involved for a long time are in favour.“There is a proposal for an under-15 and under-18 (in the CHFL), so our existing under-17s would get to stay together for another year, and under-15s are something we haven’t had before.’’Clubs have until July 30 to forward their thoughts on the recommendations to the Victorian Country Football League before any final decisions are made.MCDFL president Troy Driscoll said the recommendations would be a “topic of conversation’’ at a league meeting later this month.“There will be a meeting very soon, but I think it will more so be a situation where you will have Natte Bealiba and Nararre wanting to have an offical or unofficial meeting with our league to find out what happens over here,’’ Driscoll said.“The biggest query our league has with bringing clubs in is their junior structure.“A lot of our clubs, particularly on the Castlemaine side and Carisbrook, have juniors play in the Castlemaine District Junior Football League.“There’s under-17s in our league, but nothing lower, whereas in the Lexton Plains they have under-12 and under-14s, which is very important for the development of those clubs going forward, and there’s no doubt the Maryborough area needs to get that going as well.“So the big concern for Natte Bealiba and Navarre is that there’s no 12 or 14-year age groups involved under this, but if all goes ahead, we will be pushing like anything to get our own competition going at those lower levels.“The VCFL is just looking at the senior side of things here, but the base of anything is juniors.’’Natte Bealiba previously tried to enter the MCDFL from the Lexton Plains competition for the 2005 season.However, at a meeting in October, 2004, the Swans’ transfer bid was rejected by the majority of MCDFL clubs, with the main reason given that clubs wanted to see the league settle down following the entry of Dunolly that year and the imminent arrival of Avoca in 2005.Natte Bealiba is seventh on the LPFL ladder on a 2-9 record.“We had an executive meeting last night and we will probably follow the VCFL’s recommendations,’’ Natte Bealiba president Alan Mills said.“We’ve only spoken about it at executive level; we have a club meeting next Thursday night, but at this stage looking at the process, I’d say we’d be in there (the MCDFL) next year.’’The other club recommended to join the MCDFL next year, Navarre, is fourth with its 8-3 record. Navarre president Wayne Driscoll could not be contacted.

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