Picola and District Football League introduce new points cap

A competition in country Victoria is trialling a new points system set to restrict the top teams and provide greater opportunity for bottom clubs. Here’s why.

The Picola and District Football League has implemented a new points system with the aimed of making the competition more competitive.

This year teams who finished at the bottom of the ladder will have more points at their disposal to attract talent, compared to those who finished near the top.

In previous years, all teams were working with the some points total.

Now, teams who finished first to fourth last year get 40 points with fifth to eighth allowed 43.

Ninth to 12th from 2022 have been allocated 46 points while 13th to 15th have a whopping 50 to play with.

“We had a bit of a strategic plan at the start of the year (2022), we met with all our clubs and got their gist of what they wanted in the future,” Picola and District Football operations manager Shane Railton said.

“The overwhelming feedback was and biggest concern was clubs not being competitive for a couple of years and it followed on with what we could do to improve that.

“It (the clubs) came up with a varying points system.”

Yarroweyah Football Netball Club will start with the highest points cap this year after finishing last in the Picola and District Football League in 2022. Photo: Facebook.

Railton said a subcommittee formed by four different people from opposition clubs came up with the new system.

“I guess the situation is based on the feedback that we got from the people involved in it,” he said.

“They drove the variation from the subcommittee. We’ve had some teams who have found it tough coming out of Covid.

“There’s a large variation in travel and a large variation with our clubs.

“It will be a trial and error there is no doubt about it.”

The competition is prepared to make changes depending on how it goes in season one.

Railton said the only issue so far was how points might be allocated for teams who make an early finals exit.

For example, a top-four team is eliminated in straight sets while a club from the bottom half of the eight reaches a grand final.

“(Ideally) we’d like to have it structured where it is set on a set criteria,” he said.

“If you finish sixth on the ladder you know how many points you have on the ladder.”

Waaia won the 2022 premiership. Picture: Waaia Football Netball Club

The decision by the PDFNL to implement its own points system hasn’t pleased everyone.

The competition isn’t affiliated for 2023 with AFL Victoria or AFL Goulburn Murray after talks broke down between the two.

Front and centre was the points system and the peak bodies not allowing the change to happen, according to Railton.

“What originally happened was we had an agreement with the AFL (Victoria) two years ago to stay on a set salary cap and points system for three years,” he said.

“We got a notice from the AFL during the year (2022) that said everyone around the state is going to stay on the same (points and salary cap) if you want to increase and go higher, let us know.

“We were, obviously, still talking to our clubs at that point in regards to having a varied salary cap.

“After that time elapsed we tried to contact AFL Goulburn Murray and got no response, we then got notification from the AFL we were being reduced in our salary cap and reduced in our points.

“I believe we were the only ones around the state that had that imposed on us.

“I wrote to the AFL, on the leagues behalf, and advised we wish to have a varied points system and the salary cap as it was last year.

“As had been previously agreed.

“The AFL came back and said this is what it is and this is a requirement for the affiliation.”

The PDFNL as a result didn’t affiliate, for the second time in five years.

There are other reasons for the decision, including a disagreement on rules the AFL wanted to implement and ‘minor things’ according to Railton.

But at this stage it’s unlikely the affiliation will be done at any stage.

“We haven’t discussed being affiliated with the AFL at all,” Railton said.

“We have been going forward.”

The PDNFL is set to announce its starting date and fixtures in the next few weeks.