Wangaratta Magpies stripped of 2022 flag due to salary cap breach

Yarrawonga, which lost the 2022 grand final to the Wangaratta Magpies, doesn’t want the flag taken from their rivals. See the latest.

Yarrawonga has confirmed it doesn’t want the Ovens and Murray league premiership that has been stripped from Wangaratta.

Wangaratta had last year’s flag taken from it in a landmark decision by the league’s board on Monday night after escaping the ultimate penalty in earlier sanctions for breaking the salary cap.

The initial sanctions of a $28,000 fine, not being able to earn premiership points from the first two matches of the season and losing four player points, were handed out by the AFL Northeast Border.

But at a special board meeting on the eve of the 2023 season, the league’s board of directors made the bold call to strip Wangaratta of the premiership.

Yarrawonga president Ross Mulquiney.

Yarrawonga lost the grand final by three points, but club president Ross Mulquiney ruled out a bid it be awarded the flag.

“The match was a great contest between 44 quality players,” he said.

“Each prepared, trained and competed all year to put on a wonderful spectacle.

“The match afforded our club the opportunity to win.

“However the better team won on the day.”

Wangaratta has lodged a “request for appeal” with AFL Victoria against the O and M board decision.

It didn’t appeal the initial sanctions handed down by AFL Northeast Border.

Club president Ellyn O’Brien has been contacted for comment.

Wangaratta plays Yarrawonga in round three, which is the first match the Magpies can earn points in.

WANGARATTA STRIPPED OF FLAG

Wangartta has been stripped of its 2022 Ovens and Murray premiership after a stunning call by the league’s board on Monday night.

The Magpies had escaped losing the premiership despite being found guilty of breaking the salary cap by $28,000 last year when it beat Yarrawonga in the grand final by three points.

Instead, AFL Northeast Border fined the club $28,000 and prevented it from earning premiership points from the first two games of the season and cut its player points by four, 40 to 36.

The Wangaratta Magpies pictured with the premiers cup after last year’s win. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

League chairman David Sinclair confirmed the board found Wangaratta in breach of league rules by not staying under its $125,000 salary cap.

“While aware of the emotion surrounding last night’s decision, particularly to the players, volunteers and supporters of Wangaratta, the league remains committed to the allowable player payment rules and absolute integrity around this,” he said.

“Where a breach is proven, innocent mistake or otherwise, the league simply cannot award a premiership where sanctions are handed out that bring into focus the integrity of the competition.”

The 2022 premiership won’t officially be recognised by the Ovens and Murray and not awarded to Yarrawonga.

It means Lavington’s 2019 flag win over Wangaratta remains the last official premiership awarded following the 2020 and 2021 seasons wiped out by Covid.

AFL Northeast Border’s initial failure to take the premiership from Wangaratta had been widely criticised as being “too soft” and an opportunity lost to send a strong message about curbing excessive player payments across the state.

The call to strip Wangaratta of the flag comes after The Weekly Times country footy survey found 73 per cent of respondents thought the penalties for breaking the salary cap were too lenient and another 73 per cent thought the salary cap had not successfully reined in player payments since its introduction in the mid-2010s.

Bellarine league club Torquay was also able to keep its 2017 premiership after a confirmed breach.

The Magpies celebrating after their premiership victory. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

AFL Victoria has confirmed a Wangaratta player received an extra payment last year that in part pushed the club over the $125,000 salary cap.

The club also failed to name all players who received remuneration for playing last season.

The errors weren’t picked up until the end of the season when Wangaratta was reviewing its financials for the year.

Wangaratta had been under investigation due to “inconsistencies identified in compliance auditing” and when the errors were discovered it self-reported the breach.

The club didn’t appeal the initial sanctions and attributed the breach to an “administrative error”.

Originally published as Wangaratta Magpies stripped of 2022 flag due to salary cap breach