THE River Murray Football League is prepared to boycott the South Australian Country Championships because of a change in zoning.
Due to the strength of the Southern Districts zone side, the South Australian National Football League has assigned the River Murray to the South East zone this year.
The Southern Districts side, which featured the Hills, River Murray, Great Southern and Southern Football Leagues, has won four of the last five titles at the championships.
The South East zone previously consisted of representatives from the Western Border, Mid South East and Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football leagues.
However, the change in zones means that River Murray players must travel as far Mount Gambier or Naracoorte to attend trainings, something that worries RMFL president Mick O’Hara.
“With the price of petrol we don’t want to be responsible for making a player travel a 700-kilometre trip just to train,” he said.
“If the player lives in Adelaide, it will be about 1am by the time they get back in.”
O’Hara said there were also safety concerns, such as fatigue while driving, for the players having to travel such a long distance merely to train.
“It would be on our head if they went and something happened, we don’t want to be responsible for that,” he said. Because of this, O’Hara said the River Murray, and the rest of the football leagues that made up the Southern Districts zone, would not be entering into the championships.
“This year we were asked by the SANFL to join the South Eastern zone,” he said.
“We have refused.
“So at this stage we have withdrawn our application for the country championships.”
A meeting was held on Wednesday night between presidents of the Hills, River Murray, Great Southern and Southern Football Leagues and SANFL delegates to try and work out a solution.
“We have told them we won’t play under those conditions,” O’Hara said.
“As it stands the entire Southern Districts Zone will not be entering a team in the championships.”
O’Hara said the outcome of the meeting was productive, but not successful.
“It is at a stalemate at the moment,” he said.
“The ball is back in their (SANFL) court.”
He said the Southern Districts side would not be entering a team in the championships unless the SANFL changed its mind about the re-zoning.
But O’Hara said he hoped the SANFL could find a solution to the problem.
“We don’t want to keep our footballers away from the championships,” he said.
“That’s the last thing we want.”
The SANFL is expected to announce it decision in the coming days. Meanwhile, the South East zone has selected 11 River Murray footballers in a training squad for the championships, despite the fact it is unlikely the players will represent the zone.
*** *** ***
South East zone squad members
Imperials - Ryan Eyre, Henry Hodge, Roger Puckridge, Luke Harrowfield, Ramblers - Liam O’Neil, Luke Button, Ryan Morris, Mypolonga - Joe Pedler, James Pedler, George Pedler, Jervois - Trevor Rigney.
Email a friend