Goulburn Valley: Mooroopna’s secure points reduction for Nathan Drummond

Mooroopna supporters have used social media to come to the rescue, proving former Tiger Nathan Drummond is a homegrown player.

Goulburn Valley league finals contender Mooroopna has won a drawn out battle to prove homegrown star Nathan Drummond had been wrongly classed as a five-point player in two matches this season.

Mooroopna was forced to take the unusual step of launching a social media shout out to club supporters to produce photographic evidence Drummond played for the Cats as a junior in 2006 and force the reduction to being a one-pointer only.

Drummond played against Mansfield and Benalla as a five-pointer before the downgrade was confirmed last Friday.

A hamstring injury early in the match against Mansfield prevented Drummond playing against undefeated Echuca the next day under his revised points allocation.

AFL Victoria introduced the player points system in 2016 as a way of equalising leagues and rewards clubs that can produce and retain its own players.

AFL Goulburn Murray regional manager Shaun Connell. Picture supplied

AFL Goulburn Murray regional manager Shaun Connell defended the need for the extra evidence needed from Mooroopna to demonstrate Drummond was a one pointer.

“It’s incumbent on the club to prove the player has homegrown status,” he said.

“When it put in its submission to claim he was a home grown player that information wasn’t provided.

“For the integrity of the policy we need to be really confident that the information provided is accurate.”

To be eligible for homegrown status a player must play 40 games with an aligned junior club.

Nathan Drummond training with Richmond in 2015. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Mooroopna president Bill Dowling said club records, which would have helped proved Drummond should have been a one pointer much earlier, were destroyed in floods last spring.

He likened the drawn out saga to a video goal review in an AFL match.

“Most of the time everyone knows the answer including the paid umpire,” he said.

“They just like to check it from all angles.”

https://www.facebook.com/mooroopnafnc/posts/pfbid028Kfajn6anDnSgStRazu79NF1qSU8vBs3kHFFoGxYmkyXcWFJY1cA6pTyCvJmioYBl

Drummond last played at senior level for Mooroopna in 2014 before being drafted at the end of the year to Richmond.

He was delisted by the Tigers at the end of 2018 and spent the next four seasons on Footscray’s VFL list.

Drummond remains with the Bulldogs and this season nominated Mooroopna as his “second club” where he can play when not selected at VFL level.

He made a delayed start to the season due to injury and resumed with Mooroopna last month.

Mooroopna is sitting sixth on the ladder, but is no immediate danger of missing finals with seventh-placed Tatura three wins and percentage behind.