A PLAYER points system has proved a winner for the Mid Gippsland Football League, according to its president Gary Matthews.
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Matthews told The Courier the system, implemented about four or five years ago, had been widely accepted by the league’s member clubs and believed it was there to stay.
“I reckon it has been great, really. It stops a lot of the wealthier clubs going out and buying a premiership, more or less,” Matthews, in his second year as president, said.
“We still have a dominant few sides, but that’s more population-based.
“It has made it a fair bit easier to get bottom sides up a little bit.”
Matthews said he was part of the board that helped bring in the system, which was because “we thought there was a need to try and even up the competition a little.”
The Mid Gippsland competition comprises 10 clubs, and includes Mirboo North, Newborough, Yinnar, Trafalgar, Boolarra, Hill End, Thorpdale, Morwell East, Yarragon and Yallourn North.
Long-time league secretary Rod Lucas, who has been in the role for more than 20 years,
is also a supporter of the system despite not being convinced it had an impact on player payments.
“We thought it might even up the bottom clubs and encourage lower clubs to come up,” Lucas said.
“I think it has because three or four clubs could have made the top five this year that just missed out.
“To be honest, probably most points would be only up around the 27 – not going to the full 30.”
Lucas said one example of how the system had worked was perennial struggler Boolarra, which utilised its concessions – a larger points cap as a bottom side – to win the premiership in 2011.
HOW THE MGFL SYSTEM WORKS
Clubs have a maximum of 30 points for a senior team each week.
Clubs list 21 players on the team sheet each week, with points allocated to all 21 players.
CONCESSIONS
Clubs who finished the previous year 10th and ninth have an extra four points.
Clubs who finished the previous year eighth and seventh have an extra three points.
Clubs who finished the previous year sixth have an extra two points.
Clubs who finished the previous year fi fth have an extra one point.
A non-playing coach is not included in the points system.
If a player has played at his current MGFL club, deduct one point for every year of service down to one point.
POINTS ALLOCATION
1 POINT: A player shall revert to a basic one-point player if he returns to the club at which he was either fi rst or last registered as an MGFL under-18s or under-16s player.
The player will return to the higher points level should he transfer to another MGFL club.
If a player has not played at any level for two years, the player will automatically be a basic one-point player.
2 POINTS: All VCFL (including other MGFL clubs), VAFA and Victorian metropolitan players.
Any player playing on a permit on the local area agreement.
3 POINTS: State league players (VFL, SANFL, WAFL, NSW, ACT, NT, AFLQ).
4 POINTS: AFL players.