AFL Yarra Ranges approves move of six SEFNL clubs into AFL Outer East competition
AFL Yarra Ranges has announced its new competition in 2019 after approving the move of the six South East Football Netball League clubs on Thursday night. Get the latest here.
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AFL Yarra Ranges clubs in the top flight of next year’s revamped competition will be given more room in their player points cap to compete against the powerhouse South East Football Netball League sides.
On Thursday night, the AFL Yarra Ranges commission rubber-stamped the move of the six SEFNL to join the new league, which will be known as AFL Outer East.
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Narre Warren, Berwick, Beaconsfield, Officer, Pakenham and Doveton were all successful in their applications to move from the SEFNL, which will be dissolved at the end of 2018.
The 26-club competition will be a three-tiered league, with eight sides to compete in Premier, nine in Division 1 and eight in Division 2 across a 16-round season.
Berwick Springs will also field an under-19 team in Division 1 and could field a senior side as soon as 2020.
The top three clubs from SEFNL and the top five teams from AFL Yarra Ranges, based on ladder positions at the end of the home-and-away season, will make up the top flight.
It is likely to leave AFL Yarra Ranges clubs Healesville and Mount Evelyn and SEFNL outfits Beaconsfield and Officer scrambling to secure the final spots in the 2019 Premier division.
One club will be promoted from AFL Yarra Ranges Division 2 by application, joining the bottom three SEFNL sides and bottom five AFL Yarra Ranges Division 1 teams in the AFL Outer East Division 1.
Premier division clubs’ spending will be capped at $125,000, Division 1 will be limited to $110,000 and the Division 2 salary cap will be $80,000.
All Division 1 clubs will have 44 player points, while Division 2 sides will have a total of 47.
But, SEFNL teams in Premier will have 39 points, while AFL Yarra Ranges clubs will have 44.
AFL Yarra Ranges general manager Aaron Bailey said it was proposed the Premier player points cap would vary between sides to allow “some of the Yarra Ranges clubs to just build a bit of depth in their list”.
“We’re really confident the top of all the sides are pretty even. (The cap) just allows and creates an opportunity for our clubs … an opportunity to bring a couple of players in around that 18-24 (age) mark, because generally those players are worth three points,” Bailey said.
“The SEFNL already is on 39 points so their points aren’t changing, so all it is, we are raising the Yarra Ranges (clubs) from 40 to 44.”
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