Southern Football League club Port Noarlunga turfed out of preliminary final because of fielding ineligible player
A SUBURBAN footy club is devastated after being kicked out of this Saturday’s A-grade preliminary final because of a “huge mistake”.
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A SOUTHERN Football League club has been turfed out of this Saturday’s A-grade preliminary final for fielding an ineligible player.
Port Noarlunga had been set to play for a spot in the September 23 grand final after a one-point win over Morphett Vale in the semi-final last Saturday.
But the SFL’s investigations committee last night ruled Port Noarlunga player Nick Steele had lined up in the weekend’s game despite not being qualified for the finals so removed the Cockledivers from the premiership race.
The league also chose to reinstate Morphett Vale, which will now play Noarlunga in the preliminary final at Christies Beach on Saturday.
Port Noarlunga apologised on its Facebook page for the “huge mistake”, with secretary Hugh Tedmanson saying the whole club was devastated.
“We’re firmly of the belief it was not intentional, just an oversight,” Tedmanson said.
“We’ve just got to accept this as a club and move on, and come of it stronger and better.”
Under league bylaws, players must line up in four minor-round games on four separate weekends to qualify for the finals and cannot play for a SANFL club and SFL team on the same weekend.
Steele was listed on Port Noarlunga’s team sheet on the same weekend he played for SANFL club South Adelaide earlier in the season, leaving him one game short of SFL finals qualification.
Last Saturday, Steele kicked two goals in the semi-final against Morphett Vale.
“Nick is absolutely gutted, as you would expect,” Tedmanson said.
Removing a team from the finals is unprecedented for the SFL’s A-grade competition but has happened previously in the league’s juniors.
Morphett Vale president Michael Mango would not comment other than to say, “we respect the process the Southern Football League has done and look forward to playing in the preliminary final”.
SFL president Craig Warman said the league made a difficult decision but “these are the ramifications if you break these bylaws”.
“It’s a tough call,” Warman said.
“But at the end of the day, due process has to be followed.”
