Anakie blasts point system
Roos threaten to lodge appeal
ANAKIE head of football Ron Sluggett has slammed the league for giving the GDFL’s top sides an armchair ride.
Bell Post Hill has won seven of the past eight flags and has been allocated 40 player points a match. But Bannockburn, Inverleigh and North Geelong have also been capped at 40 as they look to overthrow the Panthers.
Thomson has been set at 42, Geelong West, Anakie, Winchelsea and East Geelong have been allocated 43, Werribee Centrals and Belmont Lions have received 45 and Corio has been given 48.
But Sluggett said he found it hard to believe Anakie would get only three points on powerhouse Bell Post Hill.
“It’s a disgrace. They haven’t taken into account any of the history,” he said.
“They’ve taken it basically, in my opinion, on one season — last season — and taken an easy option.
“If they allow a premier that’s won seven of the last eight in Bell Post Hill to be the same points as three other teams and only two or three points behind the rest of the competition, it doesn’t allow other teams to play catch-up.”
Sluggett said his club would consider an appeal.
“To be wound back from 45 last year to 43 this year, to me it’s saying, ‘ We don’t really want to change the teams that are having all the success in our competition’,” he said.
“We’re finding it a little bit hard to comprehend.
“We’ll have a meeting about it and we will probably, as soon as available in the New Year, lodge an appeal to the commission.”
But Geelong West president Chris Wilkie has welcomed the cap, which has been somewhat scaled based on ladder position.
Like Anakie, the Giants had their cap reduced from 45 to 43. “We budgeted for 40 but with our best team on the park we’re at 38, so we can go out and recruit another two more or one,” Wilkie said.
“It’s good news to us but I don’t know how long it’s going to last.
“I think everyone will be back into 40 eventually and it will be more case by case.”
Wilkie said he didn’t see much point in penalising Bell Post Hill.
“They’re only running at 32 points, so it doesn’t really matter,” he said.
“That’s what success builds, people don’t want to leave. They’ve built their culture on that and that’s why they’ve had so much success. It’s up to us to catch them now.”
‘We’re finding it a little bit hard to comprehend.’ ANAKIE FC’ S RON SLUGGETT