Southern Football Netball League boss hits out at clubs ‘dobbing on each other’ over player-points cap

ONE OF Melbourne’s top suburban sports leagues will carry out an urgent review of the player-points system, because clubs are ‘constantly dobbing on each other’.

THE Southern Football Netball League is carrying out an urgent review of its player-points system after a backlash from clubs.

Every player’s ranking is being reviewed as the league responds to a situation of what CEO Mike Palmer calls clubs “constantly dobbing on each other’’.

Division 1 teams East Malvern and St Kilda were last month stripped of four match points after going over the points cap.

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But the Leader understands for weeks clubs have been pointing the finger at others, and accusing them of breaches.

There have also been suggestions the league has been granting certain clubs favours by reducing the point status of players.

Bentleigh, Cheltenham, Chelsea Heights, Dingley, Heatherton, Oakleigh Districts, St Pauls and Springvale Districts met to discuss the issue, and have called on the league to dock points from all clubs found to be over the cap.

And they want it to scrub player dispensations made earlier in the season.

Southern Football Netball League chief executive Mike Palmer is overseeing the review.

In a letter to the SFNL, the clubs said the league administration and board should provide “certainty, consistency and transparency in their decision making and in their dealings with member clubs’’.

“We believe that currently this is not the case. This is particularly so with the administration of the AFL Victoria point system,’’ the clubs said.

Palmer has responded by pledging the league will:

Complete a full internal review of every Southern player’s points allocation;

Engage AFL Victoria to conduct an independent review;

Discuss any differences in interpretation with AFL Victoria and reach an agreement for every player; and

Reset all the points and “lock them off in the system’’ for the rest of the season.

Palmer said from that stage there would be no changes to the player-points allocations and no appeals would be entertained for the rest of the year.

He said there had been “much discussion’’ about the points system and the league had been “monitoring the situation closely in 2018, to the extent that two member clubs have already been sanctioned this season for a breach of the PPS policy’’.

The main point of contention was points reassessments — or dispensations — being made to players.

St Paul's club members were among the most disgruntled.

Ten clubs were granted dispensations after they approached the league and “applied for reassessment in accordance with the established procedure’’, according to Palmer.

In a letter to clubs, he said: “It is very important to note that there is a formal process around requesting dispensation and the league is perfectly within its rights, acting reasonably, to grant dispensation where it is deemed appropriate and can be justified on playing history and circumstances.

“The suggestion that dispensation is some form of illegal mechanism to ‘get around the rules’ is simply not correct. The SFNL has followed the PPS policy procedures and granted

dispensation where it is has been deemed appropriate.

“Around half of our clubs have approached the league for player points allocation reassessment for many players and the vast majority of these requests have been rejected; but some have been approved.’’

Palmer said there were also rumours at least one club was being allowed to play over the cap of 47 points.

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He said the while the league didn’t normally respond to “unfounded rumours, in this case I can confirm categorically that this is simply not true’’. He said all teams in the SFNL had the same cap.

Palmer said the SFNL would not reassess dispensation cases and retrospectively adjust player points and match results.

He said the clubs approached the league in the right way and within the PPS rules and guiding principles.

“All reassessed player points allocations (dispensations) were granted in accordance with the PPS policy rules … based on all available information and in good-faith,’’ Palmer said.

“Clubs have recruited and played the relevant players on the basis of the PPS policy rules and with SFNL approval. As such, we will not be reversing any player points allocations, or results retrospectively, apart from those that have been dealt with through the recent and formal SFNL hearing process (Involving East Malvern and St Kilda City).

“Given that the capacity to request and receive reassessment (dispensation) has created significant angst and led to clubs targeting each other, the league believe we need to review this system going forward.

“In plain speak, we cannot have a system where clubs are constantly ‘dobbing’ on each

other. I am assured that this has never been part of the SFNL culture and it is

completely contrary to the spirit that I encountered at the club workshop on my

first day as CEO.’’

Palmer said the league would put the issue of dispensation on the agenda at the AGM and clubs could decide if they wanted to keep it.