North Heidelberg loses Northern Football League appeal for recruit Brent Harvey to be a one-point player

THE Northern Football League has dismissed an appeal from North Heidelberg for recruit Brent Harvey to be allocated as a one-point player.

North Heidelberg recruit Brent Harvey. Picture: Christopher Chan

THE Northern Football League has dismissed an appeal from North Heidelberg for recruit Brent Harvey to be allocated as a one-point player.

North Heidelberg was hopeful Harvey would be reclassified from six points to one point on the grounds he played his junior football with the Bulldogs’ previous feeder club Preston RSL.

However, North Heidelberg president Rick Thompson said the league’s appeals board denied the Bulldogs’ request as there was no official paperwork of the alignment.

“We classified him as a junior because he had made the criteria of playing more than 40 games for that junior club,” Thompson said.

“We went to ask them about that and they knocked us back so we went to appeals and they asked us to show proof on how Brent played there.

“We had stat decs (statutory declaration forms) from life members of the old Diamond Valley (league) and past presidents of both clubs.

“We went to the appeal and they still knocked us back.”

North Heidelberg's Brent Harvey dishes out a handball against Lower Plenty. Picture: Christopher Chan

Thompson said the club did not have any paperwork confirming the alignment between Preston RSL and North Heidelberg.

“We weren’t happy because we thought we’d followed all the processes right but at the end of the day the league’s ruling was they had to follow the letter of the law,” he said.

“The ruling was that Brent would be a six-point player.”

The NFL confirmed North Heidelberg went to an appeal but declined to comment otherwise.

The AFL Victoria Player Points System Policy states a player is graded as a one-point player if they have “played 40 or more games at the aligned junior club”.

As Harvey does not meet the ‘home player’ requirements, he is classified as a six-point player having played AFL in the previous three seasons.

Thompson said the club had calculated Harvey being a one-point player when he signed with the Bulldogs at the end of last year.

“We had calculated our (points) cap system on Brent being one (point),” he said.

“We really have to look now at who we are looking to recruit and for specific positions.

“His points will drop down by one next year but it still puts you between a rock in a hard place.”