Swan Reach stripped of premiership points in Omeo District FNL

An East Gippsland country footy side has been sensationally stripped of all of this season’s wins after player points breaches.

A country footy premiership contender has been sensationally stripped of nine wins after breaching the player points policy in a decision that has “gutted” the club.

Swan Reach, in far East Gippsland’s Omeo District FNL, has been sent from the top of the ladder to the bottom after they were found guilty and penalised for intentionally breaching the 2023 Player Points Policy, following an AFL Gippsland investigation.

The investigation found the club had completed incorrect player point assessments of four players and exceeded its total team points, an AFL Gippsland statement said.

“New evidence about possible breaches had recently been presented regarding Swan

Reach’s documentation provided to the league at the start of the season and the league

notified AFL Gippsland around this on June 19,” the statement said.

The club was notified of the decision last Thursday.

As a result, the club has lost premiership points from their nine-win, undefeated run from rounds 1 to 9 in the senior football competition.

All senior football scores were also adjusted to 0 from rounds 1 to 9 where ineligible

players were played.

The club has also been fined $1000 for each of the four incorrectly assessed players. This fine is suspended until the end of the 2024 season and payable if further breaches are made in that time.

Swan Reach president Paul Marsden said the penalties sent the club into disarray.

“It was a total shock and put the whole club into turmoil,” he said.

Omeo District Football League‘s Swan Reach has been stripped of their nine wins this season due to player points breaches.

“It was a total kick in the guts to our club and players.”

Mr Marsden said AFL Gippsland contacted the club on Wednesday June 21 requesting the club “provide a written response to AFL Gippsland providing any relevant details for consideration regarding the player points allocation” for four players understood to be former junior players at the club by 5pm Friday, June 23.

“The timing of this was incredibly tough by any standards,” Mr Marsden said.

“We had several players return to the club that previously played for our juniors and we believed they had played the right amount of games to receive a points reduction.

“After talking to the league we were told to submit player statements prior to the start of the season, which we did.

“What doesn’t make sense to me is why did it take 11 rounds into the season for an investigation to take place into our player statements?”

Mr Marsden said the club submitted photos of the players playing for Swan Reach and went into “overdrive” searching for past records to prove the players had met the eligibility criteria.

“The decision sent the club into a spin with players and everyone having no time to talk about it,” he said.

“The club as a whole will continue to support our juniors and netball club at this difficult time.”

Mr Marsden said the club will struggle to field a side this weekend for its NAIDOC round clash against Omeo-Benambra at home, after 10 players requested to leave the club prior to the June 30 transfer deadline so they had a chance of playing finals elsewhere.

“We had to clear them as they are great players and great people, but at least they can play the sport they love,” he said.

Last year Swan Reach finished third in the Omeo District FNL, but was primed for a premiership tilt this season.

Following the verdict the club has lost its last two matches, including an 18-point loss to reigning premier Lindenow South in round 11.