EVEN on a day of challenges for the Meeniyan-Dumbalk United seniors, in the Elimination Final at Toora last season, when they faced third-placed Foster, the Demons kept coming all day.
In the end they were only a couple of goals from progressing to a semi-final but it wasn’t to be.
The loss of ruckman Kieran Bohn in the opening minutes, and sometimes prolific goal kicker Darren Sheen 15 minutes in, likely made the difference.
So, it wasn’t at all surprising to see MDU launch a team-building foray immediately the off-season started, and they have already landed a big fish right off the bat with three-time Leongatha reserves premiership coach Rhett Kelly a predictable signing as the club's new senior coach.
Kelly, with Demons’ captain and brother Fraser already at the club and father, Nick, a life member and senior premiership player (1981); he’ll be right at home out at Meeniyan.
In an illustrious 255-game career, father Nick also coached the reserves and played in several reserves premierships.
“We tried to get him four years ago before we appointed Steve Wright and again before we got Nathan Allen to coach us two years ago but he wanted to stay on at Leongatha and get the job done there which we obviously respect,” said MDUFNC President Jason Harris.
“But yeah, it’s great he’ll be coming across now,” he said.
Kelly will be bringing a few of his mates.
Best mate Josh Schelling, who played four senior games and 11 reserves games for Leongatha last year, including a starring role in their premiership victory, is still well and truly up to the standard of senior football in the Gippsland League and would be expected to make an impact in Mid Gippsland, whether in a key defensive role, or in the ruck.
One of the assistant coaches at Leongatha, also a member of the 2024 reserves premiership team, Nick Nagel, has also signed, and there are others who’ve indicated they’ll also make the move.
Chief among the possible signings is Sam Forrester, whose brother Steve joined MDU recently.
As one of the best defenders in the Gippsland League, and the stand-in onballer for Tom Marriott when he was injured this year, Forrester is still very much a required player at Leongatha but would be a huge coup for MDU and would only rank as a ‘one pointer’ in the player points system as a Demon junior.
It has also been revealed that MDU has several other Leongatha players in their sights.
On the plus side, Leongatha will welcome back Aaron Heppell after a year away from football. He’d have been very handy on September 21 at Morwell.
Rhett Kelly joins MDU from Leongatha with a remarkable body of work behind him, as a 300-game Leongatha player, senior premiership winner, multiple reserves premierships and best and fairest awards and a coaching career stretching back to his teenage years.
He was among the best on the day at Morwell a few weeks ago.
He has already been warmly welcomed to the club on social media.
The boost at MDU, especially after a highly competitive showing in 2024, will very much put them in the premiership window in 2025. If they win, it will smash a 35-year senior football premiership drought, stretching back to 1990.
The club’s netball stocks are also in very good shape after winning A Grade and C Grade in 2024; the As coming through from fifth in an incredible effort by them.
Player payments query
The ‘silly season’ of recruiting has raised the hoary old chestnut of minor-league clubs, especially, needing to test the ceiling of their player payment caps to attract leading players.
AFL Gippsland Region Manager Tim Cotter believes the penalties and scrutiny that exist are more than enough to stop clubs from going rogue.
“There’s nearly 1000 clubs with more that 8500 teams playing across 85 Victorian football netball leagues and there’s only been four breach notices, so I’d say the system is working well,” Mr Cotter said.
“There’s just too much at stake with club presidents, leaders in their communities, required to sign stat decs that their player payments are in order.
“If found to have knowingly breached the rules, they’ve got to stand up in front of their local communities and say so.”
As part of the annual compliance checking process, all grand finalists are audited, the results of which have not yet been released for this year.
But the implications of breaches are serious.
In 2022, the Wangaratta Magpies were caught having breached their salary cap and were stripped of the premiership, fined $28,000 and lost four premiership points the next year.
In July this year Sunraysia Football Netball League club Robinvale-Euston was hit with a $15,000 fine and the loss of 12 premiership points while their president was banned from holding office at any AFL affiliated club for 12 months for a salary cap breach of less than $10,000.
Alexandra, Emerald and Mooroopna were other clubs cited.
This year the salary cap for Mid Gippsland clubs has been raised to $70,000, most of which, according to Fish Creek FNC President Ray Stefani, will be used to attract players.
“We’ve been a bit lucky in recent years, from when Reggie Hoskin came back to us and brought some blokes from Melbourne who really enjoyed playing with us. That’s continued on with others bringing down their mates as well.
“We can’t attract players from the Latrobe Valley because they go to the other Mid Gippsland clubs first.
“We’ve got to get some players from Melbourne to remain competitive and when you consider they are driving past 40 clubs to get to us, it’s not easy.”
Certainly, a winning culture helps, and Fish Creek has been second-to-none in developing that over the years.
According to Tim Cotter, salary caps for most Gippsland leagues will stay the same in 2025: Gippsland $125,000, West Gippsland $100,000, Ellinbank $78,750 (based on additional rounds) and Mid Gippsland $70,000 the same as North Gippsland.
Many club officials say the points system does more to keep clubs in line than the player salary cap, but Mr Cotter said the two systems worked well together.
“There needs to be a level of deterrence, and we think both working in tandem do a good job,” Mr Cotter said.
The level of player payments, and competition for players’ services, is often blamed for “killing country football” and there’s little doubt that it’s an onerous impost on the fundraising efforts of especially small clubs, but for the most part, clubs are towing the line… or else.
