Adelaide Footy League’s Westminster OS cops two-point punishment after playing unregistered Darcy Kildea against Scotch OC
An amateur club has slid to the bottom of the ladder and now finds itself in a tight relegation battle after being docked premiership points for a rule-break.
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An Adelaide Footy League club locked in one of the tightest relegation battles in the competition has been stripped of premiership points after playing an unapproved player.
Two weeks ago, division three club Westminster Old Scholars fielded current South Augusta Football Club captain and dual Spencer Gulf Football League Madigan medallist Darcy Kildea against Scotch Old Collegians in an 81-54 win, without approval from the league.
Kildea, who formerly played for Westminster Old Scholars, was on a break from South Augusta duties on the weekend of July 16 during the SANFL Country Championships and pulled on the Dragons guernsey despite not having a valid permit to play.
The competition became aware of Kildea’s participation last Monday and subsequently wiped Westminster Old Scholars’ score, stripping them of the premiership points gained and ultimately dropping them from fifth to bottom of the ladder.
The Dragons now sit one point below Morphettville Park, Seaton Ramblers and CBC OC, and face a battle to avoid relegation from division three with just three games remaining.
“The league is entirely comfortable there was no deliberate attempt to circumnavigate the regulations, however integrity of our competition is our highest pillar,” Adelaide Footy League chief John Kernahan said.
“Promotion and relegation are determined by losses. Sadly these have far reaching impacts on the whole competition and no club is without being affected.”
Kernahan said the league had a large number of requests to field players for the weekend of the Country Championships, and that he was concerned there was a misunderstanding of the regulations among local clubs.
“I think the issue is a lack of understanding of what is required or allowed,” Kernahan said.
“If nothing else, the regulations as to what is a bona fide permit or not are pretty clear.
“The week before the Country Championships we fielded over a dozen applications for permits for players to return to the competition and all were denied, so it would appear most know to ask the question and the answer would be offered.
“That said, we’d be really concerned if there was a wider impression that players can play for two clubs in the one season outside of bona fide relocations through education, employment or fly in, fly out workers.”
It marks the first time in five years a club in the Adelaide Footy League has breached permit or registration regulations, with the Unley Mercedes Jets and Eastern Park Football Clubs receiving similar sanctions for the same breach in 2017.
The Westminster Old Scholars Football Club told The Messenger it planned to appeal the decision, the outcome of which could ultimately decide whether they maintain their place in the division.
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