MPNFL Under 19 competition to undergo review

The future of the MPNFL Under 19 competition is set to be discussed as a spate of 100-point blowouts concern league officials.

MPNFL players will be asked for their input into the future of the Under 19 competition. Picture: Gary Bradshaw

A rising amount of lopsided games in the MPNFL Under 19 competition has league officials on high alert.

Of the 62 games played in Under 19s this season, 18 have resulted in 100-point blowouts.

Four have been 150-point thrashings.

AFL South East MPNFL operations manager Haydn O’Connor says the current competition needs a review.

“Young fellas will probably want to work on a Saturday morning and pick up a couple hundred bucks as opposed to getting beaten by 150 points,” O’Connor said.

He wants to work with clubs and players to come up with a strategic plan to make the competition more competitive.

“We are committed to reviewing the sustainability of the under-age competition after the obvious lack of competitive balance over the first third of the season,” O’Connor said.

Mornington and Pearcedale Under 19s do battle last month. Picture: Alan Dillon

AFL South East intends to hold a forum in June to obtain feedback from presidents, coaches and under 19 players.

Key focusses will be:

*continued and increased participation.

*retention of players.

*ways to ensure competitive balance that is attractive for players to be involved.

O’Connor is especially keen to hear from Under 19 players.

“We want to see what they like, what they didn’t like and just have a look at opening it up and going, ‘is 19 the right age?,” he said.

“But if we do change it what’s the impact on junior football? Will they have to change their age groups?’

“It’s a bigger picture than just going, ‘okay well we’re going to go back to under 18s’.

“But there could be something we find from the players to go, ‘10am on a Saturday morning, we don’t want to play then, we want to play at 4:45pm, or we want to play on a Friday night’.

“We want to ask them, as key stakeholders of the game, where they see it and whether or not they are likely to continue to play at their senior club.

“I just think the under 19s is a space that probably hasn’t been given the priority that it needs to because some of our senior clubs are going to really struggle over the next couple of years.”

O’Connor said he was open to meeting with clubs individually to discuss ways to improve the Under 19 competition.

“It’s more an under 19 study, reviewing the under 19 competition as it currently is and then working towards a short, mid and long term strategic plan to have a sustainable under age senior competition,” O’Connor said.

“That’s the key outcome. Canvassing feedback from coaches, players, presidents.

“I’m pretty open to ideas as always.”

Mt Eliza and Frankston YCW are undefeated in Division 1 of the U19s; the Redlegs have a percentage of 1287.10, while the Stonecats haven’t conceded a goal in their past three games.