By: Troy Swainston – Chief Executive Officer – Eastern Football League
WITH the first third of the season now complete, heading into Round 7 we are hearing many positive comments about the competitiveness of the new five division structure.
Over time, this will only increase as eight clubs or 18 per cent of the total competition will move up or down. This ensures that clubs are given the opportunity to push up to challenge in higher divisions or rebuild, stabilise and have success in a lower division to build momentum for a future push back into a higher division.
As we head around the grounds each week, we are seeing some wonderful games of football being played in great spirit. There are however a few small issues that need to be tidied up over the coming weeks, starting with the amount of time that runners are spending on the ground during games, runner shorts, the number of team officials in the coaches box area and trainers and water carriers being located in the boxes marked around the grounds. It is important just as our footballers need to know and play their role, so do our team and League officials.
The Player Points System and salary cap is always a talking point. Overall, it has been effective in increasing competition and bringing down player payments. It is critical that clubs have processes in place to prepare and review their player point values and ask all the questions necessary to ensure their player points are correct.
New players to clubs and late players added to club lists are where we currently find issues with player point calculations. As a club, you must find out whether a player finished top five in the best and fairest for their last club.
With some clubs around 47 points, the onus of responsibility rest with the clubs to ensure the player points are correct. If clubs have questions around player points, we ask that they are directed to the League and we remind clubs that the League can review player point submission from clubs and adjust points accordingly if appropriate based on the submission presented.
Tackling is always a key discussion point when talking football. The old-fashioned bump or shirtfront has effectively been removed from the game today which is a positive. Today, the sling tackle, the arms pinned ground dump, and the arms pinned momentum body turn throw to the ground are all dangerous tackles and can result in serious harm to players. These are the tackles that need to be coached out of the game by our coaches, the players and adjudicated on by our umpires with a conservative approach for the safety of all players.
Tackle definition;
When a player stops an opposition player with possession of the ball from getting his kick or handball away in a legal manner or reduces the effectiveness of the opposition’s disposal. The tackler’s action must change the course of play.
We feel that an effective tackle in most instances can be applied by keeping your feet and not taking a player to the ground. Over the past two weeks, we have seen players receive yellow cards and be suspended for tackles that have pinned arms and taken players to the ground resulting in a player making head high contact with the ground. These tackles may have been unintentional in terms of the outcome inflicted but by making the decision to pin the players arms and take the player to the ground you are thereby responsible for the safety of the tackled player. Be safe on the field.
Have a great weekend at the football.
