By David Nagel
If AFL South East Region General Manager John Anderson is looking for the poster boy for divisional football – he should look no further than ROC/Officer champion Ben Tivendale.
A premiership player in just his third season at the club in 2002, the 36-year-old is about to complete his 13th consecutive season without a finals appearance.
Finals are definitely within reach for his club, but a premiership – well that’s a different story.
“It’s a great test playing the Berwicks and Cranbournes of this world, but it’s hard for a club like ours to compete against them,” the 300-gamer said.
“And it’s getting more and more predictable as the years go by, you start asking yourself will it be Berwick or Cranbourne this year, and Narre Warren might not be as strong as they once were but they’ve been a powerhouse for years as well.”
Tivendale still loves the game, but thinks the lure of success would go a long way towards improving the vibe at struggling clubs.
“The rest of us are playing because we love football, but deep down we know we’re not going to challenge for a premiership anytime soon,” he said.
“It makes it hard for supporters, volunteers, knowing nothing is going to happen. Divisional football would breathe new life into clubs like us, Tooradin, Hampton Park, even Pakenham to an extent.”
Tivendale said building a winning culture could become infectious.
“To go back and compete on an even playing field, and maybe one day win a premiership, would help the struggling clubs build back up,” he said.
“We would all aspire to be in the premier division, but we might need to go backwards before that can happen. We might be in a good position here soon with all the development taking place but a little bit of optimism would certainly go a long way.”
The Kangaroos star acknowledged that clubs would still need to work hard for success if divisional football was to come to fruition.
“Clubs have to get a lot of things right, both on and off the field, to be successful, but competing against clubs in a similar ball park in regards to talent and their financial position would definitely make a difference,” he said.
“It only takes a few wins to quickly lift morale around a club.”
