Weekly Times |RED Cliffs Football Club will investigate whether the Sunraysia league’s decision to block Nick Stevens from playing in the northwest Victorian competition is allowed, according to club president Reg Cua.
The league board yesterday cited the “interests of the league” in refusing to permit Stevens — the former Carlton and Port Adelaide player — to register as a player or coach in the league until his criminal appeal proceedings were “finally determined”.
Stevens’ conviction last year on several domestic abuse charges brought his appointment as Red Cliffs senior coach last November under scrutiny.
His appeal is scheduled for the County Court in July, and the league said it would not allow Stevens’ registration until those proceedings were determined.
Representatives from the league board, the club and Stevens met prior to Christmas, and the board met on Monday after the club decided to register Stevens as a player this season.
“The board decided that the current appointment of Nick Stevens as a coach and/or player of
the Red Cliffs Football Netball Club is prejudicial to the interests of the league,” the board said.
League administration manager Peter Walker said the board, “under their constitution and our by-laws, are confident they can make that stance” to block Stevens’ registration.
Mr Cua said the club would look into the league’s decision.
“We accept the SFL’s position at the moment, we don’t agree with it, so we’ll be seeking a decision higher up, I suppose, or clarification on what the real ruling is,” Mr Cua said.
The saga of Stevens joining Red Cliffs, the reigning dual premier of the Sunraysia league, began with his appointment as its senior coach in late November.
AFL Victoria informed Stevens soon afterwards it had withdrawn his coaching accreditation, which Stevens intended to appeal, but later claimed his accreditation had expired at the end of 2014.
Despite the ongoing issues with coaching accreditation, club vice-president Patrick Bell told The Weekly Times last week the Tigers would be “more than happy” to have Stevens play at the club.
AFL Victoria community football operations manager Gerard Ryan said it was “permissible” for a league to block a player.
