Players lodge clearances out of Northern Football League
A former AFL player and Division 1 premiership coach is the first player in the Northern Football League to lodge a transfer to a rival competition with a confirmed return to play date.
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Former Essendon midfielder Ricky Dyson is the first big name player from the Northern Football League to lodge a transfer request.
The Banyule star has a clearance pending to join Picola league club Rennie after the NFL decided to abandon its season last week.
Dyson joined the Bears last year after six seasons at Bundoora, including his final two as coach as he led the Bulls to the 2017 Division 1 premiership.
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Despite the transfer request, Banyule coach Paul Harris has no doubt Dyson will be back at Beverley Road in 2021.
“He’ll definitely be back, it’s purely so he can keep playing,” Harris said.
“He’s 34 and doesn’t want to sit out a year, so he’ll go up there and be back with us in 2021.
“I’m of the view that if we’re not going ahead, we’re not going to deprive blokes from having a kick of the footy.”
Fitzroy Stars’ Jake Firebrace has twice been denied a move to Southern club St Kilda City.
Reece Lewis (Watsonia) has applied for a transfer to Gippsland and Ben Peterson (South Morang) to EDFL outfit Northern Saints.
The NFL has said it will block any player movement until AFL Victoria unveils a permit system and leagues declare their intentions to play in 2020.
The Picola league was the first in Victoria to confirm a return to play date, with a first bounce scheduled for July 25.
Dyson will be joined at the Hoppers by two-time Coleman medallist Brendan Fevola.
The league could be set for a massive influx of players as competitions around the state weigh up their futures.
PDFNL president Denis Brooks is eyeing a 13-week home-and-away season and four-week finals series.
“The PDFNL is very conscious of the key role that football and netball plays in the physical and mental health and well-being of our local communities and we have been working closely with AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria as we endeavour to return players to the field and court for the season,” he said.
“The current landscape means that we operate in an ever-changing environment and there will no doubt be challenges that will present in both the short and long term.
“However, the PDFNL remains confident that by setting a proposed starting date, that clubs will now be able to move forward and we can all return to enjoying the benefits of reconnecting within the football and netball community environment.”
The Eastern Football League also decided to cancel its season and has seen one player request a move, with Nunawading’s Josh Peers lodging a transfer to Blighty.