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AFLcountry thumbWeekly Times | AFL Victoria’s trial points system designed as part of a wider plan to combat spiralling player payments in community football will be released to clubs by the end of this month.

Its equalisation working party will meet again later this week as it attempts to finalise its proposal.

Already several leagues, including the Ovens and Murray and Ballarat competitions, have agreed to trial it.

AFL Victoria community football manager Brett Connell, who chairs the equalisation working party, last month said he expected to release by Easter the points system for clubs to trial.

But it appears that will happen before the end of this month, with some leagues already well into their seasons.

Connell has maintained throughout the process the delay would not effect the trial as the system, which will not be enforced this year, can be applied retrospectively.

“The equalisation working party continues to fine tune the provisions that will be trialled this season with a view of statewide implementation in 2016,” Connell said.

Ballarat Football League operations manager Aaron Nunn said it was important to the competition’s clubs to get equalisation measures in place, but they also wanted to “have it right”.

Nunn would not go so far to say some of the league’s clubs felt their future was at risk if nothing was done, but there were serious concerns about their ability to remain competitive.

“There’s no doubt about that. A lot of clubs in country Victoria fall into that same bracket. I don’t think that’s just our clubs around here that feel that way,” Nunn said.

He said it would never be a completely level playing field because “no two clubs are the same” but the measures might get competitions closer to that goal.

“It’s an important thing to get in place, and have it right and fair for everyone to be able to compete on an even playing field. You’re never going to get that because there’s certain issues and scenarios that play out in country footy,” Nunn said.

“If there is a trial system that is put out to the leagues, we’ll certainly be taking it up because our clubs want to know how it would work and how they’ll be affected by it.”

The strain player payments was placing on clubs was flagged in Peter Jackson’s review into country football in 2011.

Last month new AFL Victoria general manager Steven Reaper identified it as a major issue to tackle.

The Weekly Times understands the key principles of the points system have been agreed, and it will be based on a person’s playing history.

Minor elements are still being examined, such as how many categories players could be sorted into.

The final points system is expected to work in conjunction with a statewide salary cap, and the working party has met with members of the AFL’s integrity unit about policing a cap and potential penalties for breaches.

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