The Courier | Smythesdale senior coach Stephen Frys says he is struggling to find the reasons behind the severe lack of numbers threatening his club’s survival.
Frys is surprised by the issues the club currently faces given its slow and steady build over the past couple of seasons, which included the snapping of a five-year drought in the senior football last year.
“I really can’t put my finger on why it’s the way it is at the moment,” Frys said on ABC radio.
“I sort of was hoping just to fill the blanks this year in what we needed to improve once again, but it’s just a commitment level, I think.
I really can’t put my finger on why it’s the way it is at the moment.
“A lot of guys are still up in the air about what they want to do and whether they even want to play football or if they want to go to other clubs.”
The battle for players and being competitive in the Central Highlands Football League is not a new issue for the Bulldogs, which joined the competition ahead of the 2011 season.
But Frys admitted the current position is serious.
“We have been through it before, but probably not to the extent we are at the moment,” he said.
“In the past few years, we’ve just been able to get guys to commit. Once you get a few guys committed to the club, then the others all follow, so to speak.”
Frys said the club is lacking the numbers for a reserves football side less than a month out from the start of the 2017 campaign.
“We basically need a reserves side, so if we could get 18-20 guys that are either missing out on games elsewhere or just have a good heart and want to come out and help a struggling footy side and make a difference, then you’re all more than welcome,” he said.
Frys said the option of a year in recess has been discussed, but believes it raises issues around the retention of junior footballers and netballers when the club reformed.
“If you missed out on a lot of those kids coming back, that could hurt the club massively as well,” Frys said.
“The idea has been spoken about, but at the minute we are more leaning towards really trying to keep this club going. Even if it is just to struggle through one more season and see what AFL Goldfields and the likes are going to do next season to help these struggling sides out.”
Smythesdale has called a crisis meeting for February 27.