How Riddell District league plans to salvage games lost to lockdown

Riddell District Football League clubs will have the chance to vote on a proposal to extend the home-and-away season to save games lost to Melbourne’s lockdown.

Melton Central’s Milan Savic kicks under pressure. Picture: Hamish Blair

The Riddell District Football League could cut back its finals series in order to finish its home-and-away season.

The league is considering several proposals to reschedule games lost due to Melbourne’s fourth COVID lockdown.

Two rounds have already been postponed with officials hopeful play will be able to resume on June 19th subject to state government restrictions.

RDFL general manager Jordan Doyle said the league had the ability to push the season back one week but would then need to consider how best to restructure the season.

Clubs will have the chance to vote to either scrap the missed Round 7 and 8 games or shorten the final series.

Lancefield captain Matthew Bowden. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Shortening the finals series could potentially reduce the current top-five, four-week series to a top-four, three-week series or even top-four, two-week proposal.

Doyle said the league was committed to playing a 16-game season but clubs would have the final say.

“We really want to keep the integrity of our competition if we can,” he said.

“We’ve got a 16-game home-and-away season and everyone plays each other twice, it’s really even.

“If we do start losing games, it’s not the end of the world, but we’d prefer to keep the 16 games and if we have to lose any time it would probably be the finals that are reduced.

“We won’t make these decisions without fully consulting the board and all our clubs but they’re the three options we’ve got.

“For the fairness of everyone – everyone has already missed a whole year of footy – we’d like to get a as much of the home-and-away season in as possible and have a reduced finals series, that would be my preference.”

The RDFL is also juggling clubs across metro and country regions that will be under different government restrictions.

Jack Jedwab in action for Romsey. Picture: Rob Leeson

The senior competition has six country club and three metro clubs while the junior competition has a eight-seven country-metro split.

Border competitions such as the Ovens and Murray and Picola leagues have committed to playing games in NSW only but that would be difficult to adopt.

Doyle said the league would not resume before adult sport was allowed to resume in metro areas.

“It sounds like there’s going to be a bit of a gap between metro and country (regions), which leaves us in a precarious position,” he said.

“A lot of the regional clubs have still got people who live in metro, so it’s difficult.

OWN IT: DIGGERS REST WON’T FORGET HISTORIC LOSS

LEADER: GET YOUR RIDDELL DISTRICT FOOTY NEWS HERE

PICOLA: BORDER LEAGUE TO RESTART WITH VIC TEAMS

“It’s still up in the air a little bit at the moment and we’re not rushing to make a call because things change so quickly.

“Especially last year everyone was racing to be first but I think this year everyone has learned a little bit and are waiting it out.”

Doyle is confident the junior competition will be able to resume on June 20.

With junior sport allowed to resume in regional areas it is expected the government will pull back restrictions similarly in metro areas.