Footy forfeits: Benalla and North Albury can’t field reserves teams

We speak to two country footy league bosses after multiple round one forfeits increased calls for a change to the current format.

The long term future of reserves football is back on the agenda earlier than anticipated with two major leagues rocked by opening round forfeits.

Neither Benalla nor North Albury could field reserves in their respective leagues on Saturday, with Benalla having only 25 fit players to choose from for its first round game against Seymour in the Goulburn Valley league.

The Saints were among a host of clubs to put out SOS calls for players before the season started.

Benalla has recruited former Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney star defender Heath Shaw for a one-off appearance on Good Friday.

Goulburn Valley league chairman David Roffe said Benalla had flagged a first round forfeit as a possibility.

“Benalla is working really hard to get numbers up,” he said. “The reserves competition is still pretty important. We’ve already gone back to 16 a side to try and make it easier. Clubs are willing to share players if they have an excess just to get people a kick.

“We’re happy to look at anything that improves the situation.”

Benalla senior coach William Martiniello. The Saints had only 25 players to choose from for their round one match. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Ovens and Murray chairman David Sinclair feared two seasons ruined by Covid had fast-tracked the demise of reserves.

“There needs to be a complete rethink of the existing model of country football,” he said.

“It’s clear reserves football is becoming more and more unsustainable, particularly coming out of Covid.

“It needs to be replaced by something and there needs to be some thought given to what happens to players if a reserve competition isn’t there.

“If players aren’t picked in a senior side where do they go?”

He said a short-term solution could be a loosening of permit rules between major and district league clubs.

“Every weekend there are leagues with clubs having byes,” he said.

“There should be a chance for a club, which can’t make up a reserves side, to grab players from those clubs to top up numbers.”

The Benalla and North Albury senior teams suffered heavy defeats by 123 and 105 points respectively on Saturday.

Lopsided results were also bobbing up in other leagues.

Tallangatta and District league club Dederang-Mt Beauty kicked a league record score of 63.12 (390) to Wahgunyah 5.2 (32) on Saturday.

It came only a week after Wahgunyah was beaten by perennial battler Wodonga by 233 points.