ALL clubs who recruit former AFL players or top-five place-getters in a best and fairest will need to inform AFL Central Victoria of the additional information next year when providing their player points allocations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
AFL Central Victoria has been alerted to a situation where Birchip-Watchem’s Nathan Gordon has been playing with an incorrect points allocation since joining the Bulls last year.
Gordon previously played 23 AFL games for Sydney and Richmond, including nine for the Tigers in 2015.
Under AFL Victoria’s player points system, a player is valued at six points if they have played at least one AFL game in any of the current or previous three seasons – the category Gordon fitted into last year when he joined the Bulls.
But Gordon last season played as a five-pointer and dropped to four this year as AFLCV says his AFL career wasn’t included on the SportsTG system that tracks a player’s country and suburban career to help determine their player point rating.
“We base all our ratings on the SportsTG system, but AFL games aren’t included on that. Unfortunately, when that player was rated 18 months ago it was based on the SportsTG information,” AFLCV region manager Carol Cathcart said on Wednesday.
“We’re not going to know every person who has played an AFL game in the current or preceeding three seasons because it’s not in the SportsTG system.
“Ultimately, the clubs give us the ratings and we approve them based on what we know.
“What we’ll bring in for next year is it’s the responsibility of the clubs to let us know if any of their recruits have played AFL games of if they have finished top five in a best and fairest the previous year.
“Because it’s the clubs responsibility to let us know that information, if we find out further down the track that we haven’t been correctly informed, we will immediately adjust the points at that time.”
Under the system, a recruit who achieved a top-five finish in a senior best and fairest the previous season is rated a four-point “premium community player”.
While acknowledging the incorrect rating of Gordon, Cathcart says there won’t be an amendment made this year because the mistake was discovered with five weeks to go until finals in the second season after the original allocation of points. However, Gordon won’t be eligible for a one-point deduction with the Bulls next season.
While you're with us, did you know you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates direct to your inbox. Sign up here.