Five Golden Rivers clubs offered a lifeline to join Picola District model
Five Golden Rivers clubs have been left in limbo without a league to play in next year, but a nearby league has offered them a lifeline. See the latest.
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Five Golden Rivers clubs facing the serious prospect of having their current league shut down at the end of this season have been presented with a lifeline that allows them to stick together.
The Picola District league this week rolled out the welcome mat to Hay, Macorna, Moulamein, Murrabit and Wandella to come under its administrative model that operates without AFL affiliation.
The five clubs would make up a new competition with its own board and seniors, reserves, under 17s and under 14s football plus netball.
Picola District has a salary cap and points system, but operates differently to those in AFL Victoria affiliated competitions.
There is the possibility one of the 15 Picola District league’s current clubs will switch across and join the Golden Rivers teams.
Down the track, the addition of the Golden Rivers clubs, and others, could become the catalyst for a return to a divisional structure that was voted down by clubs last year after being in existence from 2009 to 2017.
Murrabit president Ross Stanton said the talks with the Picola District league were constructive, but were only a “first step”.
“It’s a bit of a leap of faith if we decide to go that way,” he said.
“The only thing we do know is we can all go there as five clubs, but there are possibilities that could open up once we’re over there.
“We’ve got to weigh up that with the other possibilities that may or may not be there.”
The other options are joining the Loddon Valley or waiting to see what a 17-team Central Murray structure looked like.
The Golden Rivers clubs are looking for a new home due to Ultima seeking a transfer to the Central Murray league.
Golden Rivers and Central Murray are presently governed by the one Central Rivers board.
“The five clubs have a strong desire to remain as a collective group,” Picola District operations manager Shane Railton said.
“There is next to zero chance of any of these clubs joining the current 15-team competition.
“The five clubs have hope that western based PDFNL clubs may consider joining them.
“The PDFNL has no desire to force any current clubs to join that competition.
“It would merely be optional for clubs to consider and or request to join.”
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Originally published as Five Golden Rivers clubs offered a lifeline to join Picola District model
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