Pups in training for AFL juniors

THE new AFL Central Victoria under 18 football competition is headed to five sides ... still all from the Loddon Valley league.

Pyramid Hill has named Bryden Morison to spearhead the Bulldogs’ return to junior football for the first time since 2019.

The Bulldogs dominated Loddon Valley under 18s in their final three years with a hat-trick of flags.

A shortage of players saw Pyramid Hill withdraw before the COVID-abandoned 2020 season. Morison, a 278-game veteran at Mitchell Park and former club best and fairest has been named coach of the relaunched young Bulldogs.

AFL Central Victoria general manager Craig Armstead last week said: “Pyramid Hill are most likely to have a team and AFL Central Vic are continuing discussions with many other clubs to ensure the maximum number of 17 and 18 year olds are playing AFL football.”

However, the only other confirmed clubs in the new competition are from the Loddon Valley league - Bridgewater, East Loddon Rams, Inglewood and Marong.

While Newbridge wants to see the return of a Maroons’ junior team, club president Andrew Friswell said earlier last month that the club’s priority was repairs and rebuilding the club’s headquarters damaged in October’s flood emergency.

Armstead said the first round of matches will be played on April 15, a later start than the Loddon Valley season that kicks off before Easter.

“The complete fixture is to be released when all teams are finalised,” he said.

Armstead said the commission would wait as long as possible for more teams to join the competition.

He said there continued to be talks with clubs with either a surplus of junior players or those without numbers currently to field a team with combined teams a possibility.

Armstead said the commission would work to facilitate amalgamated teams for the under 18 competition.

“Clubs and teams from outside AFL CV’s existing geography are invited to express interest,” he said.

Loddon Valley decided late last year to hand its junior competition over to AFL Cetral Victoria.

The under 18 format had been reduced to four teams. East Loddon Rams made their debut in

Club wants major cup meeting in January

WEDDERBURN Harness Racing the 2022 season but Maiden Gully opted not to field an under 18 team. z Meanwhile, the Loddon Valley league board will meet next week where members are expected to discuss a proposal to form teams from its clubs to play in the Bendigo junior league.

Club wants it premier meeting returned to a January date on the calendar.

AFL Central Victoria last week appointed Michael Hartley as manager of the new competition.

Hartley played 49 AFL games with Essendon and Hawthorn and 86 VFL games with Collingwood, Essendon, Box Hill and Coburg. He has level 2 AFL coaching accreditation, and was a development coach with Collingwood Football Club’s VFLM and AFLW teams.

Michael has certificates in sports development, player development management, and fitness. He also spent six years as a volunteer with The Academy which is operated by Essendon.

“Michael is incredibly well credentialed to take on this important position,” Armstead said.

Proposals have been put to the league that would allow creation of teams drawing players from multiple clubs under a model similar to the East Loddon Rams.

- CHRIS EARL

Secretary Tom Nisbet made the call last week for the cup meeting to return to a traditional early year date. His comments came as Wedderburn conducted its first meeting of 2023 on the Maryborough club track at Carisbrook.

Donaldson Park is unavailable for racing during construction works of new facilities. “Monday would have been Wedderburn Cup Day normally but HRV decided that this date would be used for their Industry awards. Well the Industry awards never went ahead and there was no harness racing in Victoria.

“We have been given a date in September for our cup but rest assured that we will fight to have our cup day back on the last Sunday in January 2024,” Nisbet said.