From the Weekly Times
THE Ellinbank and District league could be set for huge structural change as soon as next year.That's according to its long-serving president. Roger Gwynne, who has led the league since the early '90s, said his executive would this season turn up the heat on plans to split the league into two divisions and investigate adding three more junior grades.
From the Weekly Times
THE Millewa Football League has been bolstered by the return of its seventh club, Meringur, after a year in recess.
League president Peter Hartmann said last season had become "a bit of a chore for some clubs" because of the drawn-out fixture."There were some rounds where there was only one game and we had club byes and competition byes so it was very stop-start," Hartmann said.
From the Weekly Times
FIRST-year country footy coaches can rarely boast full access to an AFL club and a couple of Collingwood recruits.But Harmit Singh isn't your average first-year coach. The 25-year-old self-confessed footy addict will this year juggle his work as Collingwood Football Club's community engagement officer with his new gig as coach of the Morwell Tigers in the Gippsland league.
From the Weekly Times
FORMER AFL star Jason Akermanis has defended his two-year country roadshow in which he played one-off games. The Brownlow medallist's appearances at regional clubs had been labelled "a circus" and "the Jason Akermanis superannuation fund" by detractors. Now senior coach at North Albury in the Ovens and Murray league, he said playing for different clubs was "more addictive than I thought it would be".
From the Weekly Times
WHEN Meringur Football Club hit the training track in January for the first time since 2011, it was a blazing 43C."We still had 15 blokes turn up," new Roos coach Peter Lindsay said."In the end we only went to the pool, but they still turned up."After a season in recess, Meringur will make its return to northwest Victoria's Millewa Football League when the season kicks off next month.
From the Weekly Times
GOLDFIELDS regional general manager Rod Ward says country footy would "for the first time" have adequate resources.
Ward, currently general manager of the Ballarat Central Administration Hub and chief executive of the Ballarat Football League, will start his new Goldfields role on Monday.
He is one of four regional general managers already appointed under AFL Victoria's new country football administration structure.
From the Weekly Times
BEN Soumilas has just finished his 20th pre-season, but Inverloch-Kongwak's new coach couldn't be more excited. The former Drouin coach's enthusiasm for the Sea Eagles has been amplified by their blockbuster clash against Korumburra-Bena at Easter, one of the biggest games on the Alberton Football League calendar. "I'm pretty pumped about Saturday even though I'm getting on," Soumilas said.
HOW many AFL recruits is too many?
That's the debate raging in the Ovens and Murray Football League after the Yarrawonga Pigeons added a seventh former AFL player to its list.
The reigning premier recently signed three-time Geelong premiership ruckman Brad Ottens for a handful of matches, plus finals, this season.
The Pigeons now boast 776 games of AFL experience after signing former Richmond forward Kayne Pettifer this summer and the headline-grabbing recruitment of Brendan Fevola last year.
COUNTRY footy is unsure of its place in the AFL's anti-doping code.
League chiefs and coaches have called for urgent clarification of several sections of the code, designed for AFL clubs and players.
One clause requires a player to advise his club's medical officer in writing of all substances and medications he has taken in the off-season.
IT'S been a big week for recruiting in the Ballarat region with several high profile stars finding new homes ahead of 2013 season.
At the top of the list is four-time Henderson medallist Jarrod Edwards, who has walked out on powerhouse Redan for cross-town rival North Ballarat City.
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