Omeo and District: Swan Reach players’ revised points allocations revealed

Swan Reach’s season of woe continues, with the club forfeiting its match against Swifts Creek after being sunk to the bottom of the ladder following a player points breach.

Swan Reach has forfeited its match against Omeo and District league ladder leaders Swifts Creek on Saturday.

League administrator Rod Twining confirmed the club, which went from top to bottom of the ladder due to a major player points breach, notified the league early Friday it had insufficient numbers to field a team against Swifts Creek.

In addition to the player points breach involving four players, Swan Reach cleared 11 player before the June 30 clearance deadline.

It has meant the club has been forced to work overtime to come up with replacement players in the previous two rounds against Omeo-Benambra and Bruthen.

Max Solomon playing for Lindenow South in last year’s Omeo District grand final. He joined Swan Reach this season. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

But a suspension to leading goalkicker Max Solomon and a hamstring injury to coach Joel Waters from last week’s game contributed to the club being left with only 12 players available.

Among the 11 players cleared by Swan Reach was Robbie Farnham, who has joined Swifts Creek and needs to play all remaining games to be eligible to play in finals.

It’s unclear whether the forfeit makes him ineligible for finals, which start in a fortnight.

“STAYING UNITED”

Four players at the centre of the Swan Reach player points controversy have played together for the first time with their revised points allocations.

Swan Reach went from top to bottom of the Omeo and District league ladder after being stripped of premiership points from eights wins when Che Davies, Joshua Clifford, Darby McNamara and Lucky Whelan wrongly played as one-pointers.

The quartet played together on Saturday against Bruthen following the tough penalties handed down by AFL Gippsland earlier this month with Davies and Clifford four-pointers, McNamara a three-pointer and Whelan a two-pointer.

A player must play 40 matches with a club as a junior to be classed a one-pointer.

Evidence to support the four players being one-pointers was sought from Swan Reach, which hasn’t appealed the penalties.

Swan Reach coach Joel Waters addresses his players in a match last season. Picture: Supplied

“It was unintentional what happened and we’re staying united as a club,” Swan Reach president Paul Marsden said.

“We want to get a senior team on the ground every week for the rest of the year, but it hasn’t been easy, as we’ve found out the last two weeks.

“We will support our juniors and netballers who are playing in finals.”

Compounding the points breach, Swan Reach cleared 11 players, including three to rival ODFNL clubs, before the June 30 clearance deadline.

Robbie Farnham has joined flag favourites Swifts Creek, and Alex Saunders and Boris Bryant have been cleared to Lindenow South, which is in a battle with Buchan for the last finals spot.

Despite the points breaches and player exodus, Swan Reach has managed to field a team against Omeo-Benambra and Bruthen the past two rounds.

But depth will be tested again on Saturday with leading goalkicker Max Solomon set to miss with suspension.

Solomon leads the ODFNL goalkicking with 55 goals, his biggest bag being nine in the previous match against Bruthen.

Swan Reach plays Swifts Creek and Buchan in the last two matches before finals.

Lindenow South, which won the premiership last season, kept its finals chances alive with a four-point win over Buchan.

West Australian recruit Jack Redman kicked five goals for Lindenow South.

Saunders and Bryant have joined Lindenow South as five-pointers with Farnham also a five-pointer at Swifts Creek.