Southern league club Frankston Dolphins applies to join MPNFL

The Southern league’s Frankston Dolphins are seeking a move to the Mornington Peninsula Nepean competition - but there’s a twist to their application.

The Frankston Dolphins will be staying in the Southern league in 2022.

The Southern league’s Frankston Dolphins are seeking to switch to the MPNFL – but not for next season.

The Dolphins have applied to join the Mornington Peninsula Nepean competition, however they’ve made it clear they cannot do so until 2023.

The club became a senior entity in Southern in 2018.

It is in Division 4 of the SFNL and Dolphins officials believe they need to strengthen their playing stocks before transferring leagues.

Frankston Dolphins registered an “expression of interest’’ to join the MPNFL, and on August 31 submitted an official application to AFL South East.

MPNFL clubs will be asked to vote this month on taking in Frankston Dolphins and AFL Outer East club Cranbourne.

“It’s too big a step for us,’’ Dolphins president Mal Lewis said of the prospect of joining the MPNFL in 2022.

“We’ve got to recruit a new coach and build the stocks through next year and be ready to go in 2023.’’

Lewis said the club had always believed it would be more suited geographically to play in the MPNFL.

The Dolphins copped injuries this year.

“It seems the right fit for us,’’ he said. “Southern has been exceptionally good for us but we’re feeling now the timing is right to take the step and really start to build our junior ranks to come through.

“We want to make a real place for those kids to play and have a pathway. That’s why the club was set up, to create a pathway for our juniors.’’

The Dolphins made the Division 4 finals in 2019 but, hit by injuries, they finished 6-6 this year.

Their reserves, Under 19s and women’s teams all made the finals, as did one of their two netball sides.

Senior coach Chris Lacey has since stood down and the club is advertising the position.

Lewis said the Dolphins had a strong committee and would be adding it to.

The AFLSE has scheduled a special general meeting of MPNFL clubs for September 29 to vote on the Cranbourne and Frankston Dolphins applications.

Under the MPNFL statement of rules, the AFLSE commission must present a recommendation to the clubs at the special general meeting to accept or reject the application for affiliation.

The MPNFL “strategic subcommittee’’ will advise the commission.

“This committee will consider all respective applications and the merits or otherwise to the benefits to the MPNFL including financial, possible competition structures, fixturing options and any other information relevant to the applications,’’ AFLSE regional manager Will Dakis told clubs in a memo.

“AFLSE will assist in ensuring the committee is provided with all relevant information and assist the committee where required.

“The recommendation will be provided to clubs before the vote occurs. We will also provide the opportunity to Frankston and Cranbourne to make a presentation to the MPNFL presidents ahead of the special general meeting to enable all presidents the opportunity to ask any question or seek clarification from the applicants. This process will also allow clubs to then consult with their executive committees before a final vote.’’

Southern CEO Lee Hartman said the SFNL board would discuss the Dolphins next week.

“We’re pleased they’re playing with us in 2022 and beyond that we’ll sit down and have a discussion with them,’’ Hartman said.

He said the Dolphins were formed out of the junior club and “we nurtured them from a brand-new club to the growth they’ve had and the club they are now’’.

If the Dolphins are accepted to the MPNFL for 2023, it remains to be seen if they will compete in second division or a new third division that the league has been discussing in the past three years.