Bendigo FL discussion 2024

[localfootyguru]

If

How is the chfl lobsided? Every team has won a game by round 9, two of the bottom three have won premierships in recent seasons
The other team has played in the last two grand finals.
It has too many teams but it’s not lobsided

If you take a long term view Bazza it is a lop sided competition with the league being dominated by the same clubs such as Hepburn, Gordon and Buninyong. Clubs such as Clunes, Creswick, Ballan and Carngham Linton have not got a hope in hell of winning a premiership in both the short and long term. As you mentioned there are way too many clubs and the changes that were proposed in the review would have alleviated this and made football for many clubs far more competitive and provided an opportunity for greater success.

 

[fatkidinthepocket]

I'm not saying that they all meet as a collective with each club.

The council could allocate the clubs equally between council members (do it geographically so council members aren't travelling all over the place) and the council member then meets with one club (or a even cluster of clubs) each fortnight or so and do this sometime between now and the end of the year. They could do it as part of their engagement with clubs.

Say for example each council member was allocated eight clubs. They could meet with four clubs as a group and also meet with the other four one-on-one. Then they report on what information they receive to the council and the council goes off, combines all the reports together and comes up with a final proposal.

Im in my sixties. As a kid I can remember in the 60s and 70s going with the old man once a month on a Sunday to Charlton for a monthly meeting of NCFL delegates. I cannot see any improvement in how the NCFL was run then as to how it is now. When the AFLCENTRALVIC board was initiated it was supoosed to streamline admin and create less work for VOLUNTEERS. I think if you asked any secretary in the 6 leagues who came under the control of the board life at that time life didnt get any easier. Add in a massive rise in affiliation fees,the introduction of points/salary cap systems and I think life for all in country vic footy has become a much harder place to be. Really why do we need the AFL to tell us how to suck lemons when the lemons were sweet for 120 years before they took over. Afl love to contribute to pride rounds, indigenous rounds and whatever passes for inclusivity but put stuff all back into grassroots(they will tell you they put 90 million into womens footy last year),but country footy takes a back seat. Just my opinion as someone who has been involved with footy for 60 years I m probably wrong but thats my take on it.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

I can see merit in a number of options although in a town of Maryborough's size, I would like to see a team in a 'major league'. Maryborough has had a team in either the Ballarat or Bendigo leagues for a very long time and I think we should have some form of pathway for players to participate in a higher standard of football.

I wonder if the attitudes of potential recruits from MCDFNL clubs would be different if the option was to play for Maryborough in the Ballarat league instead of the Bendigo league. Maybe playing at a higher level in Ballarat is more attractive for them than what they know with Bendigo?

 

[Forest St End]

Im in my sixties. As a kid I can remember in the 60s and 70s going with the old man once a month on a Sunday to Charlton for a monthly meeting of NCFL delegates. I cannot see any improvement in how the NCFL was run then as to how it is now. When the AFLCENTRALVIC board was initiated it was supoosed to streamline admin and create less work for VOLUNTEERS. I think if you asked any secretary in the 6 leagues who came under the control of the board life at that time life didnt get any easier. Add in a massive rise in affiliation fees,the introduction of points/salary cap systems and I think life for all in country vic footy has become a much harder place to be. Really why do we need the AFL to tell us how to suck lemons when the lemons were sweet for 120 years before they took over. Afl love to contribute to pride rounds, indigenous rounds and whatever passes for inclusivity but put stuff all back into grassroots(they will tell you they put 90 million into womens footy last year),but country footy takes a back seat. Just my opinion as someone who has been involved with footy for 60 years I m probably wrong but thats my take on it.

Great post.

I wonder if the attitudes of potential recruits from MCDFNL clubs would be different if the option was to play for Maryborough in the Ballarat league instead of the Bendigo league. Maybe playing at a higher level in Ballarat is more attractive for them than what they know with Bendigo?

I don’t think many players care what level they play these days, there’s no pathway to a higher level anymore so every league is essentially the same.

 

[Bazza's Army]

If

If you take a long term view Bazza it is a lop sided competition with the league being dominated by the same clubs such as Hepburn, Gordon and Buninyong. Clubs such as Clunes, Creswick, Ballan and Carngham Linton have not got a hope in hell of winning a premiership in both the short and long term. As you mentioned there are way too many clubs and the changes that were proposed in the review would have alleviated this and made football for many clubs far more competitive and provided an opportunity for greater success.

The Saints could win this years premiership
Creswick and Ballan have significant demographic advantages over most of the competition
Clines is a different story
Gordon has spent the majority of its life in the competition as a struggling outfit
The real problem is that there is no reasonable way to break the league up
Ballan want to be playing Gordon Springbank Bungaree and Dunnstown being in a different league would make no sense

 

[BGOFootyNuff]

Hearing that 2 Castlemaine Senior players were dropped to the Reserves for speaking negatively about a member of the Coaching group. Is this the start of some stronger culture and accountability down the road?

 

[Forest St End]

Hearing that 2 Castlemaine Senior players were dropped to the Reserves for speaking negatively about a member of the Coaching group. Is this the start of some stronger culture and accountability down the road?

Completely untrue I would say.

Very few guys have been dropped full stop due to injuries, certainly none last weekend.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

The stars are potentially aligning.

Melton South looking at options for 2025, including a move to the Riddell league.

A vacancy that could be filled by Gisborne, who could gain some decent money spinner home matches against past local rivals Sunbury, Melton and Darley as well as developing one with Bacchus Marsh. All of these clubs are a closer to Gisborne than their nearest Bendigo league opponent. In the Ballarat league, they could have more than one-third of their away games each year played closer to them than the trip from Gisborne to Castlemaine.

Another bonus is that Gisborne wouldn't have to change their colours if they did move.

 

[BGOFootyNuff]

Completely untrue I would say.

Very few guys have been dropped full stop due to injuries, certainly none last weekend.

It was done couple of weeks ago is my understanding. 2 solid players played 2 games in the reserves side. Not blokes I would have thought would be on the fringe of that side. I’m not having a go if there’s some truth to it I’d be saying that’s positive growth and culture development. Accountability and setting standards for all across the club is a good sign.

 

[Forest St End]

It was done couple of weeks ago is my understanding. 2 solid players played 2 games in the reserves side. Not blokes I would have thought would be on the fringe of that side. I’m not having a go if there’s some truth to it I’d be saying that’s positive growth and culture development. Accountability and setting standards for all across the club is a good sign.

Definitely untrue then. A few came back when Jetta and a few others came in against Gisborne but only guys that would be dropped anyway and they all went back up last week.

 

[Jamstirrer]

Definitely untrue then. A few came back when Jetta and a few others came in against Gisborne but only guys that would be dropped anyway and they all went back up last week.

I heard about one player, not two. It was the week before against Kangaroo Flat and he responded by being best in the two's. Spent two weeks out and now back in. Not sure exactly what he said but it did involve a member of the gameday boundary team. I don't think a huge thing though, more as BGOfootynuff said more of a setting the standards.
A couple of others got dropped a week later against Gisborne but that was just being unable to retain a place in the side as Forest has said. Both of those played really well and we're back in against Sandhurst last week.

 

[Vlodrive]

The stars are potentially aligning.

Melton South looking at options for 2025, including a move to the Riddell league.

A vacancy that could be filled by Gisborne, who could gain some decent money spinner home matches against past local rivals Sunbury, Melton and Darley as well as developing one with Bacchus Marsh. All of these clubs are a closer to Gisborne than their nearest Bendigo league opponent. In the Ballarat league, they could have more than one-third of their away games each year played closer to them than the trip from Gisborne to Castlemaine.

Another bonus is that Gisborne wouldn't have to change their colours if they did move.

Should've seen the size of the crowd for the Gissy Sunbury praccy match at the start of the year..... massive rivalry if they play each other for points.

On SM-G970F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Trent the flight Steward]

Should've seen the size of the crowd for the Gissy Sunbury praccy match at the start of the year..... massive rivalry if they play each other for points.

On SM-G970F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Yep it would be similar when they play darley and marsh too

 

[Trent the flight Steward]

I heard about one player, not two. It was the week before against Kangaroo Flat and he responded by being best in the two's. Spent two weeks out and now back in. Not sure exactly what he said but it did involve a member of the gameday boundary team. I don't think a huge thing though, more as BGOfootynuff said more of a setting the standards.
A couple of others got dropped a week later against Gisborne but that was just being unable to retain a place in the side as Forest has said. Both of those played really well and we're back in against Sandhurst last week.

Maybe they were dropped for form. If a member of the gameday boundary team is telling you what you did wrong, there's a fair chance you're not playing that well.

Its certainly come a long way since I played, I remember being 17 and my senior coach yelled out from the boundary, tell pollard to switch on or we'll play with 17 on the field lol and then at half time it was the only comment I got was you'll be in the reserves next week.

I actually played okay in the second half, we won and I was selected on the ground in the ones the next week. Can't imagine that happening now

 

[Forest St End]

Maybe they were dropped for form

Yep, the player in question is miles away from senior level. Not sure he’d say boo to a goose either.

Was a case of having had a couple of weeks off and having more players available I suspect.

 

[rkjc22]

Are they? Not even a per diem?

I thought they got nothing.

 

[rkjc22]

Anyone know what Maryborough decided Monday?

 

[Leather Magnet]

Anyone know what Maryborough decided Monday?

To train on Tuesday?

Kidding. Did they have a public meeting or similar?

 

[Wosh]

Come and play SOO for Vic Country in the SFA!

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["The Roar Is Back"]

I would hope that council members would meet with EVERY club in their jurisdiction by the end of this season and ask them what they are currently happy and not happy with in their league, the future plans of the club and also how they would like football and netball in the Central Victorian region to look. Then they can spend the summer compiling a plan and they can present it to the leagues and clubs early next year for implementation in 2026. If it gets knocked back by the leagues or clubs at least they are seen to making an effort.

I want to see this council be hands-on, be seen and be doers not just AFL lackies and yes-people who are there for the polo shirt and jacket. If clubs say they need assistance with training, compliance with rules, etc. then the council should try and assist the clubs (even though there are things that leagues should be doing - remember the club with a new committee a few pages back that were told to contact another club's secretary for guidance instead of being directed to the Sport & Recreation Victoria website).

We haven't seen an investigation into football in most areas of the state since pre-Covid days. The Goldfields region was screaming out for leadership in 2018 but all they got was "let's merge the MCDFNL with the CHFL" after consulting with virtually no-one - the predictable result was upheaval and rebellion from the clubs. In the Goulburn Murray region in 2018 or 2019, there were some who were asking for the hierarchy to look into a southern league involving some KDL clubs, some O&K clubs and the likes of Broadford, Yea and Alexandra. Nothing happened. The only action that I can recall came in Gippsland when the WGFNC was created and AFL Barwon this year with their two-division structure for 2025.

The simplest thing they can do is listen to the clubs in all of their leagues, analyse the information they receive and act for the benefit of football in the region, not just for one league or even one club. The AFL won't take the initiative so the council needs to do it.

Few will sh!t-can them if they are seen to be proactive and try and help football and netball in the region. They will continue to attract condemnation if they do what the commission did.

I think you’re being unrealistic to think a AFL appointed commission will be anything but ‘ AFL Lackies ‘ as you have put it , albeit it being rebadged ‘ council ‘ .

‘ Localised people making decisions for localised football ‘ , as per the 2011 Vic country football review . Went out the door when commission dis-continued being elected by stakeholders and started being firstly requiring approval by AFL and then progressed to being appointed by AFL .

 

[ROOTA#6]

I think you’re being unrealistic to think a AFL appointed commission will be anything but ‘ AFL Lackies ‘ as you have put it , albeit it being rebadged ‘ council ‘ .

‘ Localised people making decisions for localised football ‘ , as per the 2011 Vic country football review . Went out the door when commission dis-continued being elected by stakeholders and started being firstly requiring approval by AFL and then progressed to being appointed by AFL .

You want every league to be run by a single person like your league?

 

[GrassKat]

You want every league to be run by a single person like your league?

I’d imagine that if that was the case that the Bendigo League would find itself in a much better position than it is now.

 

[AlburyE]

Completely different topic.

It has gone under the radar but I think the Kangaroo Flat coach Michael Ellings has done a pretty good job this year as the wheels were falling off when he took over and some on this forum questioned his appointment.

They have had some stability about them and played some pretty good football at times. Flat need to stick with Ellings and give him another couple of years at least to develop their younger players and continue to build their team.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

You want every league to be run by a single person like your league?

I’d like to see regional decisions made by regional people for what is best for the region , not made from AFL head office based on what is best for the AFL competition itself and it’s talent identification .
Which is inline with what the review done by Peter Jackson in 2011 found was critical to the future of community football .
Leagues ran independently from the AFL have seen extremely good results in nearly every facets in every region , especially when compared to those being administered by AFL hubs

 

[Grimmett]

The Jackson Report was almost the last act of an independent AFL Victoria (VCFL). AFL realised at that point they didn't have full control so they absorbed AFL Victoria into their structure and made them a division within.
More than eight decades of independence from the 'big league' instantly lost by country Victoria.