THE format of next year’s finals series and the merits of inter-league shape as the key topics of discussion at the Heathcote District Football League annual general meeting later this month.
The HDFL annual general meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 25, at Elmore.
It will be a new-look HDFL next season, with the competition returning to nine clubs following the ad
mission of Leitchville-Gunbower from the Central Murray Football League.
Leitchville-Gunbower has been cleared by both the CMFL and VCFL, and its transfer has been ratified by the HDFL clubs, paving the way for the Bombers to switch competitions.
The HDFL was this year reduced to eight clubs following the departure of Broadford to the Riddell District Football League.
With only eight teams, the finals format was changed from a top-five to a top-four.
But with the competition to revert back to nine teams, one of the topics of the AGM will be whether to change the finals system back to a top-five.
The subject of inter-league will also be raised.
The HDFL last played a senior inter-league game in 2005 when Jim Angove coached it to a 22.15 (147) to 17.13 (115) win against the Lexton Plains Football League.
The HDFL has the option of being added to an extended VCFL pool system and being part of that promotion-relegation system, playing a stand-alone match, or playing no inter-league game.
The 2010 fixture won’t be finalised until after decisions are made on the finals format and whether the HDFL will participate in inter-league.
In other HDFL news, league secretary Trevor Arnel has won the VCFL district league administrator of the year for the second time. Arnel also won the coveted award in 2007.
Meanwhile, on the coaching front, White Hills has a new senior and assistant coach appointed.
Brent Dyer will coach the seniors, while Jason Stevens will be his assistant, with both to be non-playing.
Dyer last coached in 2007 when he took Newbridge to the Loddon Valley Football League grand final, where the Maroons were beaten by Calivil United by 27 points.
He takes over a White Hills side that won only two games this year and hasn’t played finals since losing the grand final to Mount Pleasant by 23 points in 2005.
At Huntly, Daniel Geary will be in charge of the Hawks.
Geary coached Huntly for the last nine games this year after Shane Hamilton’s decision to stand down.
Huntly did not win a game this year as it finished on the bottom of the ladder for the eighth straight season.
And reigning premier Heathcote continues to search for a replacement for co-coaches Alistair Meldrum and John Harley.
At this stage the only confirmed departures from this year’s Saints’ premiership side are Meldrum, Harley and Scott McCumber.
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