THE district’s three local competitions will take on opponents each side has faced during the past two years in next season’s AFL Victoria Community Championships.
AFL Victoria announced the draw for the 32-league competition on Friday, with matches to be held across the State on Saturday, May 13.
The Central Murray Football Netball League will travel to take on Heathcote and District in a match between the 19th and 20th-ranked sides in Victoria.
It will be the second time the two competitions have met in the past three seasons, with Heathcote District recording a 29-point win in their last meeting at Bendigo in 2015.
Since then, the CMFNL defeated North Central by 14 points in this year’s championship match between the 19th and 20th-ranked competitions in Victoria, with the HDFNL losing to Bellarine by 80 points in the showdown between the 17th and 18th-ranked leagues in the State.
Meanwhile, the Golden Rivers Football League will look to record consecutive wins against Kyabram and District in the battle between the 31st and 32nd ranked competitions in Victoria, with the match to occur at a GRFL venue.
The GRFL will go into the match with confidence following this year’s 67-point win, but remain at the foot of the competition after Alberton, Ellinbank, Mid Gippsland, Mininera and South West leagues, as well as the Mornington Peninsula Nepean’s second representative team, all did not accept offers to take part in the 2017 edition of the competition.
“It means a lot to the leagues to participate. Both leagues want to put the best team on ground and to ensure we showcase our players against other leagues,” AFL Central Murray regional operations manager, David Alderuccio said.
Negotiations between all competitions will begin soon, with the potential of underage football and netball games to be investigated alongside talks for suitable venues.
Clubs from both local leagues will soon be contacted regarding enabling players to take part in the competition.
Wandella spearhead, Paul Grayling will oversee the GRFL side, with the CMFNL in talks with this year’s coach, Troy Coates to see whether he will continue in the role in 2017.
“We are really hoping to get a squad out early and want to ensure that all clubs support the championships,” Alderuccio said.
“It’s a great opportunity for our players to play at the elite level.”
