Maryborough staring at another season in recess

Maryborough’s bid to join a local league has been rejected with its hopes of an onfield return now up in the air. Read the reaction.

Maryborough is staring at the grim prospect of another season in recess after the Maryborough-Castlemaine District league denied its entry for the second time in 12 months.

The former Bendigo league club went into the vote of the league’s seven board members and 13 club presidents on Wednesday night needing 75 per cent majority support.

“We did everything we possibly could,” Maryborough president Glen Bardsley said.

“We’re pretty gutted and everyone is extremely disappointed.

“Some clubs fold because they don’t have the players or support.

“All we wanted to do was drop down a league where we can survive.”

Last year, Maryborough made its first attempt to join MCDFNL, but was rejected by the league’s 13 clubs.

Maryborough went into recess after a troubled 2024 in the Bendigo league. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Since last season, the MCDFNL changed its constitution to allow the seven-member board led by president Paul Wicks to also vote on whether to admit another club.

“We were set up to failure more or less,” Bardsley said.

“It was an unfair way to go about it really.

“We just don’t get it.

“They also won’t tell us what the final vote was.

“We’re not asking who voted what, we just want to know what the final number was.”

Wicks said he understood Maryborough’s frustration at being deined a second time.

“It’s hard,” he said.

“I feel sorry for them as much as anyone to be honest.

“There are different reasons why clubs voted the way they did.

“The 75 per cent wasn’t reached so unfortunately it’s end of story.”

Maryborough also sounded out the Central Highlands league, but no formal application went ahead when feedback from clubs was lukewarm.

The MCDFNL already has a high number of clubs in a close proximity of the Maryborough township with a population of 15,000 people.

The Weekly Times has been told the prospect of another team in the competition drawing from the same pool of players influenced the way some, not all, clubs voted.