FOOTBALL/NETBALL
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
MORWELL East Football-Netball Club will hold a special general meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, June 11) regarding a desired move to the North Gippsland Football-Netball League.
The club’s committee has invited all club members, life members, players, officials and sponsors to discuss the decision to leave Mid Gippsland FNL, which the Hawks have pushed for over the last four seasons.
Extensive consideration is said to have been taken by the Morwell East board about fronting North Gippsland clubs again, unanimously believing that the move leads to “long-term future, growth and sustainability” of the club.
Exact reasonings behind the committee’s recommendation will be outlined in detail during the meeting.
Previously, Morwell East cited geographical justifications in aligning with North Gippsland, finding it easier to recruit when competing in a more contained zone.
The Hawks primarily bring in or see players join from around the Morwell or Traralgon area, making it ideal to play in a league closer to those towns.
Morwell East’s junior affiliate club, Morwell Eagles, also competes in the Traralgon District Junior Football League, which includes a number of North Gippsland affiliate junior clubs.
If the club’s committee can convince its members to try again, the Hawks will present to North Gippsland clubs for the fourth year in a row.
Morwell East failed to get past a club vote in 2022, but then received a 90 per cent approval in going the next step the following year.
At the conclusion of the 2023 season, the Hawks fell agonisingly short, missing out on becoming the 12th North Gippsland member club by one vote.
A majority vote requiring eight of the 11 North Gippsland member clubs for Morwell East joining went awry, with Woodside, Rosedale, Glengarry and Gormandale objecting to the move.
In 2024, the Hawks were joined by fellow Mid Gippsland clubs Newborough and Yinnar in attempting to join North Gippsland.
That vote only got to the stage where North Gippsland clubs were voting on if they wanted one, two or three clubs to join, rather than who exactly.
It was understood that four votes were in favour of two clubs joining, and six were for one club coming across.
However, a 75 per cent majority eventually agreed on no new clubs.
In 2025, Morwell East was once again on its own, but six clubs thwarted the Hawks’ hopes, coming in the form of Woodside, Yarram, Gormandale, Cowwarr, Sale City and Heyfield.
That vote was of heightened interest, as a number of clubs had flipflopped both for and against between 2023 and 2025.
The North Gippsland board supported the acceptance of Morwell East in each of the last three league votes.
Immediate previous North Gippsland FNL president Martha Truin, who was a part of the league contingent that voted for the Hawks’ move in 2024 and 2025, offered words on Morwell East’s Facebook post.
“Good luck, hopefully you can get across the line for 2027,” she penned.
“I hope the NGFNL clubs have a good hard think about their sustainability as a league, something they have not done in the past.”
Concern from North Gippsland clubs has previously regarded the lack of an under 18 team at Morwell East, as well as the additional strain on the Sale Umpires Association.
This season, the Hawks have got a thirds side on the park for the first time since 2021.
It should also be noted that North Gippsland club Traralgon Tyers United is not fielding an under 18s team this season.
Neither of Newborough or Yinnar has yet indicated if they will make another attempt to join North Gippsland in the future.
Yallourn Yallourn North was the last club to be accepted into North Gippsland, making the move away from Mid Gippsland ahead of season 2021.
Morwell East’s special general meeting will be held at the upstairs social club from 7.30pm.
