Pakenham could become newest Gippsland league member

SOUTH East league club Pakenham could become the newest member of the Gippsland League.

SOUTH East league club Pakenham could become the newest member of the Gippsland League.

Pakenham members will be asked to vote next Wednesday about where they want to play next year, with their choice between the Gippsland League or AFL Yarra Ranges.

Ever since AFL South East abandoned plans for the South East clubs to become part of a tiered competition with the Mornington Peninsula Nepean clubs, the question for the eight South East clubs became what happens next year.

A tiered, divisional structured has been desired by the South East clubs, and AFL Yarra Ranges has firmed as the favoured destination for some.

Pakenham club president Darren Sidebottom said members would be asked to vote to join either Yarra Ranges or Gippsland.

“There is definitely a home for us in 2019 (in Gippsland) is what they told us if we wanted to go that way,” Sidebottom said.

“We tried for West Gippsland and they said that door was not open, but Gippsland was available.”

However, Sidebottom said he thought the club would go to Yarra Ranges because the travel required to go to Bairnsdale and Sale in the Gippsland League was “too far”.

Bairnsdale is 220km from Pakenham. “We’re just trying to give all our members options,” he said.

Pakenham is not the only South East club to have looked east, with Tooradin-Dalmore also hoping to join West Gippsland.

“We’re a country town, we’ve got 300 population, no high school,” Tooradin-Dalmore club president Greg Kelly said.

“We can’t compete with the Narre Warrens, Cranbournes, Berwicks and Beaconfields.”

Complicating matters is that AFL Gippsland has started another competition review for its region, with its recommendations to be finalised by August.

AFL Gippsland commissioner John Schelling confirmed Pakenham was told it “probably didn’t fit West Gippsland”.

“We’ve had a chat with Tooradin-Dalmore and Pakenham … we will include both of them in the review process and we’ve made no promises.” Schelling said.

“We haven’t shut any doors as yet, but remembering Pakenham is an enormously big place so they probably wouldn’t fit into the West Gippsland league, but certainly Tooradin-Dalmore probably would fit in the West Gippsland league.”

Several South East clubs said the Eastern Football League was not an ideal fit because the netball is played separately to the football.