By Russell Bennett
The Drouin Football Netball Club is exploring all its options when it comes to a potential move to the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition from next season.
The Hawks have appointed a sub-committee to investigate the possible league change from the Gippsland League back to West Gippsland.
Chris Soumilas, Drouin’s club president and the former general manager of the old West Gippsland Latrobe Football League, acknowledged a sub-committee had been set up “to gather all the data and present it to the committee to see what our best option is”.
“AFL Gippsland is the decision-maker but if the club isn’t happy, it can appeal to AFL Victoria,” Soumilas said.
It is, of course, possible that the Hawks remain in the Gippsland League moving forward.
In a statement to the Gazette, AFL Gippsland confirmed Drouin had been granted permission to investigate the option of applying from a transfer from the Gippsland League to the WGFNC for 2018. In accordance with section 3.7.2 of the AFL Victoria Country Handbook, Drouin approached football development manager Matt Cracknell to advise of its intentions to contact clubs within both the Gippsland League and the WGFNC to discuss the matter independently.
AFL Gippsland region general manager Travis Switzer said he was satisfied the appropriate process had been followed.
“Drouin made a formal request to speak to other clubs as they are entitled to do prior to the July 31 deadline,” he said.
“It’s now up to Drouin to have some important discussions with its members and other key stakeholders and decide what is the right direction for the club to head in.”
Soumilas said the Hawks have asked for the 31 July deadline to be brought forward so they could know as soon as possible which league to prepare for in 2018.
Drouin’s current plight is well known in local footy circles. The seniors are yet to win a game this Gippsland League season and have a current percentage of just 21.03.
They made the finals last year, but finished seventh in 2015, went winless in 2014 with a percentage of 13.22, and finished ninth in the 10-team competition in 2013 with just one win.
Soumilas said the Hawks’ main struggles included: Having a very small band of hard working volunteers that are forced to take on too much due to a lack of numbers; difficulties in retaining young players from the junior into the senior club; and struggling to retain its metropolitan-based players due to the travel involved. The club is currently desperately short for senior aged players.
If the Hawks pursue the move to West Gippsland, the club would need to formally apply to the AFL Gippsland Region Commission and the advisory committees of both competitions between 1 August and 31 October this year.
