FOOTBALL/NETBALL
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
HOPING for a different result this time around, Morwell East Football-Netball Club have once again lodged their bid to exit Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League and to join North Gippsland FNL.
This will be the Hawks third try at convincing North Gippsland member clubs of their entry, after they made efforts to join in 2023 and 2024, while additionally in 2022 failed at the first step by not hitting the required amount at the club vote.
This time around the consensus around the club is that change needs to happen.
The last two member votes held had seen an overwhelming majority.
You only have to look at a map to see the reason for the move.
“Geography is the main point, but we think we will find it a little bit more easier to be able to recruit being in North Gippy for both footballers and netballers,” Morwell East FNC President Colin King said.
King added that the club primarily brings in or sees players join from around the Morwell or Traralgon area, make it ideal for them to compete in a league closer to this location.
As it currently stands, Morwell East, Newborough, and Hill End are all furthest north from the rest of Mid Gippsland clubs, with all indicating over the last 12 months their desire to seek elsewhere.
Hill End and Newborough have each held limited discussions with Ellinbank District FNL, while the Bulldogs jumped in the rink with the Hawks and Yinnar as the three Mid Gippsland clubs last year identifying North Gippsland as their desired choice.
A major requirement for Morwell East’s consideration (the same was for former Mid Gippsland club Yallourn Yallourn North when they were accepted into North Gippsland) is the need to field an under-18s side.
North Gippsland feature a full U18s competition from all 11 clubs, while Mid Gippsland only hold a seven-team junior competition.
To Mid Gippsland’s credit, it’s something the league and its clubs have worked incredibly hard on, as in recent years the thirds field had been limited to in some seasons only four or five teams.
Morwell East believe that with the closer proximity for junior footballers to play locally, they can give themselves a higher likelihood of getting an U18s side off the ground – something they haven’t had since 2017.
“We think we’re really going to struggle to get a thirds team when we’re in Mid Gippy, because of the closeness of other clubs for kids from Morwell to go play in the Gippsland League or North Gippsland league where they can play in a full-team competition at under-18 level,” King said.
“If we give kids a viable option, if we can get into North Gippy, we think we’ve got a much better chance of getting a thirds team.”
While there are questions to be asked in regards to where you can pluck these kids from, as Morwell continues to drop in junior sport participation (especially as they hit 15, 16 year-of-age), with Morwell Eagles Junior Football Club in the Traralgon & District Junior Football League, it makes more sense than what it currently is.
It appears as though the Hawks are the only club to continue to give themselves a fighting chance of seeing out a change of scenery, with Newborough and Yinnar yet to pull the trigger.
Club transfer processes were amended at the beginning of May this year, bringing forward the cut-off date for the 2026 season from October 31 to June 30 this year, perhaps to avoid distraction ahead or during the local football/netball finals campaigns.
Morwell East will now meet with the North Gippsland board, and have already begun reaching out to member clubs to identify their position on the matter.
It was revealed in the 2023 vote by North Gippsland member clubs who voted for and against the Hawks’ entry, but with three clubs on offer last year, the voting only got to the stage of choosing if they wanted one, two or three clubs onboard.
In 2023, Traralgon Tyers United, Heyfield, YYN, Churchill, Yarram, Sale City, and Cowwarr all voted in favour, all that was needed was one more to see the Hawks across, but Woodside, Rosedale, Glengarry, and Gormandale all went against.
Per AFL Victoria club and team transfer regulations, the club, source league (Mid Gippsland), and destination league (North Gippsland) are to meet by July 31 to address the justifications and consequences of the transfer application.
Whether or not Morwell East’s wish is granted, it appears as though this topic won’t be going away any time soon, with Drouin in the Gippsland League also expressing a desire to move on and into West Gippsland FNL.
