Salary cap, player points, mergers, interleague: Country footy survey results are in
Country footy fans have had their say in a survey of the game’s hottest topics, which attracted more than 5000 votes. See the break down of results and analysis.
Initial penalties dished out to clubs that busted the salary cap were too soft, the Weekly Times inaugural country footy survey has revealed.
Ovens and Murray premier Wangaratta was the latest club found guilty of breaching the salary cap and had dodged losing the flag in the initial sanctions handed down by AFL Northeast Border.
But the league’s board stripped it of the premiership on Monday night.
The survey found 73 per cent of respondents thought previous penalties had been too lenient.
Another 73 per cent felt the salary cap had failed to rein in player payments and 48 per cent thought the best players at clubs were earning $2000 per match.
Torquay kept its 2017 flag after a salary cap bust.
AFL Northeast Border earlier this month fined Wangaratta $28,0000 for the breach.
It also denied them earning premiership points from its first two games against Wangaratta Rovers and Wodonga, and cut four player points from their season total, 40 to 36.
The salary cap and player points system were introduced in the mid-2010s to even up lopsided leagues and curb spiralling player payments.
The jury remains out on the player points system being a success with less than 50 per cent believing it’s working effectively.
A player recruited directly from the AFL carries the highest points and 65 per cent believe it is the right approach, with 31 per cent in favour of a player poached from an opposition club carrying maximum points.
There was 71 per cent support for the wooden spooner receiving extra points, but 54 per cent opposed the premier team losing points.
Koroit has won the last seven Hampden league flags and lost points, a move described by coach Chris McLaren as “crazy”.
“We felt like they’re trying to push the good team down rather than bringing the weaker teams up,” he said.
“I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with teams in isolated areas, have gone through long periods without any success, receiving some more points.
“But I couldn’t be stronger against penalising a team that is doing everything right.
“It’s crazy because in half the flags we’ve won we wouldn’t have finished on top of the ladder.”
CLUB SUSTAINABILITY
A rush of country clubs going into recess over summer won’t be the precursor of more to come, according to the Weekly Times country footy survey.
In a strong show of faith, 79 per cent of survey respondents were confident their club would still be in existence in five to 10 years.
If a club fell on a hard times like Corowa-Rutherglen, which won’t field any football teams this season due mainly to a player exodus, a merger was the preferred option with 55 per cent support compared to 8 per cent who would rather see their club fold.
Country footy fans are also staying loyal to the game with 37 per cent attending the same number of matches compared to a decade ago and 33 per cent going to more games.
But, for clubs to survive, junior player numbers must lift, according to Morwell official Michael Henderson.
“If the AFL can significantly increase participation in the lowest age groups it solves all of the key problems every club faces like salary cap, player points, volunteers,” he said.
“If there’s excess players then clubs aren’t having to fork out ridiculous money to attract recruits, the supply and demand equation is flipped.
“It’s a long-term solution and it requires a sustained investment of resources and effort, but there’s no appetite for it.”
He said the Mid Gippsland league having 13 senior teams, but only six under-18s teams last year was a major worry.
The Ovens and King league has not had juniors since 2019 and the Tallangatta and District league’s under-17s and under-14s didn’t have a full complement of teams last year.
Tatura won’t be fielding under-18s in the Goulburn Valley league this year.
Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers is a merger of three clubs – Sea Lake, Nandaly and Berri-Culgoa – in the North Central league and club president Jarrod McKenzie said providing a place for juniors to play meant mergers were inevitable.
“If you don’t have juniors you basically fold,” he said.
COMPETITIONS
Bringing back interleague football has gained strong support in the Weekly Times country football survey.
A return of the Victorian Country Championships has been backed by 78 per cent of survey respondents, but a preferred format has divided fans.
The league ranking system that existed before Covid where movement up and down was determined by winning or losing had 44 per cent support, and resurrecting a knockout format with a cash prize to the winning league gaining 40 per cent in favour.
A round robin style competition only gained 8 per cent support.
The Ovens and Murray and Goulburn Valley are the only leagues that have played a representative match at senior level post the pandemic.
The O and M thrashed GV at Mooroopna last year and the two arch rivals will meet again at Albury in May.
Gippsland and Bendigo were in talks about also playing this season, but nothing eventuated and Hampden and Ballarat are set to play this year with a match for under-23 players only.
Country footy fans were lukewarm to every league having a women’s competition with 65 per cent backing.
Geelong (33 per cent) edged out Ovens and Murray (31 per cent) as the state’s strongest league with Gippsland the only other competition to attract double digit support, 18 per cent.
The Weekly Times survey was conducted online this month with more than 5000 votes registered.
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