Legs Man wrote:The number of teams should have been increased to accommodate both Echunga and Nairne along with Mt lofty in Central div to grow our competition - not kept at a number to pander to individual clubs and their protective agenda.
What the league did to Mt Lofty was disgraceful when it meant that the divide was increased between Country and Central and that the possibility was presented of losing junior footballers.
it is my belief that the surrounding clubs of Mt lofty were licking their lips hoping to pick up disgruntled juniors not prepared to travel or play in Country div and set their voting to gain this opportunity. (shame on these clubs and shame on the league for allowing this)
After browsing these forums for a number of years, I've finally been prodded enough to come online and correct some of the hysteria that gets posted on this site.
Legs Man - I admire your passion for your club and agree that Echunga were poorly treated by the HFL during the whole promotion/relegation saga. I also share your concerns about the structure of the Country Division - it is clearly unsustainable.
However, your references to the poor treatment of Mt Lofty has me shaking my head.
First, and this is the most important point I'm going to make, is that the majority of HFL clubs simply voted to
adhere to the HFL by-laws. There was no clandestine agenda to screw Lofty over. For the majority of clubs, we simply wanted the HFL to stick to the rules that all clubs (including Lofty themselves) voted on two years earlier.
As to the issue of the clubs not voting to let Lofty and Nairne also join Central Division, this was based on wanting a competition where we played each other twice. A 12 team comp would mean 22 games, plus the long weekend and country carnival bye. We'd have a season longer than the AFL and crossing over into the cricket season. It was an easy vote and not rocket science.
As to the issue of Lofty being treated badly - how ? They finished stone-motherless last in A grade and B grade. Who else was going to be relegated? Every club in Central Division new of the relegation system at the start of the season (it's in the by-laws). Given they knew before the start of the year that relegation was a possibility AND taking into account that they won the wooden-spoon in A and B grade, how could they possibly feel hard done by ? Surely you're not suggesting that some clubs are too big to be relegated?
Finally, I'm involved in a club that neighbours Lofty and we were not 'licking our lips'. As a club we made a decicion
NOT to approach any Lofty juniors (it's actually minuted at a Board meeting). So I take offence that you think we were circling vultures.
Again, never forget that Lofty are in Country Division due to
their on-field performances, not due to the actions of other clubs. This is exactly the way it should be. I find it extremely frustrating that people forget this fact.
Ask yourself this, if it was Torrens Valley, Ironbank or Bridgewater being relegated last year, would there have been half the hysteria we saw with Lofty going down ? No, of course we wouldnt have.