Laurimar preparing to make jump into Northern Football League seniors next year

ONE of the Northern Football League’s fastest-growing junior clubs will make the jump to the senior ranks next year.

Laurimar is ready to make the jump to senior football next year. Picture: Hamish Blair.

ONE of the Northern Football League’s fastest-growing junior clubs will make the jump to the senior ranks next year.

Laurimar Power, which has grown from two junior sides in 2011 to 15 this year, has started advertising for senior, reserves and under-19 players for 2017.

Power president Alasdair Walker said the club had been working closely with the NFL to ensure it would be ready to make its senior debut next year.

“As our older juniors next year play under-17s and progress into senior footy, we’ll be well and truly set up in and structured in a way where the transition for them is nice and easy,” Walker said.

Walker said Laurimar, which also has two Superules sides, wanted to provide a pathway for its strong junior base into senior football.

“Predominantly to fill that gap between our juniors, our oldest age group is nearing the end of their junior careers,” he said. “We want to have seniors for them so they can progress at the same club if they desire.”

He said the club was yet to be given a deadline by the NFL to confirm it would field senior teams.

“We’ve had that many positive statements around the fact that seniors are coming,” he said.

“People are almost saying, ‘I’m surprised that it took that long’.

“There’s always the contrary view where some people are saying, ‘really, are you ready at this point?’

“But there are that many people that are keen for the seniors to be up and running it’s not funny.”

Whittlesea Leader first reported on Laurimar’s intention to become a senior club in 2014.

At the time, Walker said senior sides were “definitely on our radar”.

NFL chief executive Peter McDougall said Laurimar’s push to join Division 3 would not impact on Reservoir’s efforts to return from recess.

The reigning Division 3 premier was forced to withdraw from Division 2 this year after facing a crippling shortage of players.

Laurimar is seeking expressions of interest from prospective players, saying it could choose to field only a senior or under-19 side depending on numbers.

“We (could) enter an under-19 side which will be our first step into senior footy,” Walker said.

“If we can’t get 19s, we might only get a senior side. The NFL have been really good around flexibility with what we enter.”

If Reservoir and Laurimar both entered senior sides, Division 3 would be a nine-team competition next year.

“It’s the right time as our juniors move into senior footy which is primarily why we’re doing it now,” Walker said.

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