By Russell Bennett
Courtesy of an overwhelmingly one-sided voice of opinion among the club presidents, this year’s West Gippsland Football Netball Competition grand final date has been changed back from Sunday 16 September to Saturday the 15th.
Inverloch Kongwak president Bruce Clark, who attended last night’s meeting in Warragul where the opinion was gauged, said this year’s decider had been moved back to the Saturday, with the potential of a Sunday grand final in 2019.
But he also said the finals fixtures across the region could be staggered next year so that they were on different Saturdays throughout September.
“It just didn’t stack up work-wise, football-wise, or club sense-wise,” Clark said of the initial decision to have this year’s grand final on a Sunday.
“The AFL is thinking of a twilight or night grand final, but they’ve never said ‘let’s chuck a Sunday in there’.
“It’s just common sense.”
Expressions of interest for finals hosts close on Tuesday (31 July) but the two most likely candidates to host the grand final appear to be Garfield, or Gippsland League club Wonthaggi – which hosted the 2017 WGFNC decider.
If his side was to again make this year’s grand final, Clark said it would be happy to play at either venue.
“My only thing is – and it didn’t come up (at the meeting) because it wasn’t for discussion – is that let’s say Phillip Island and Inverloch were to play in the grand final… I’d be looking at going back to Wonthaggi,” he said, talking about the numbers of attendees from the southern end of the competition that would turn out in droves to watch the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs go head-to-head.
Likewise, he said should Nar Nar Goon and Kooweerup make it, the common sense option would be to host the game at Garfield.
“I reckon you’ve got to keep all options open,” Clark said, adding that a contingency plan of having both venues as potential deciders right up until grand final week could be an option.
“I’m very happy for it to be at Garfield, but if they want to maximise their revenue they have to keep their options open.”
There were a number of letters initially drafted by WGFNC clubs in staunch opposition of a Sunday grand final, due to a range of factors including pre-arranged post-grand final club functions already booked for the Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
“It’s the timeframe of it all,” Clark explained about his club’s stance.
“Everyone has already set their social calendars and they’re pretty much already cemented.
“If they want a Sunday grand final, it needs to be discussed now for next year.”
Clark also said that if the Sunday grand final remained this season, and his club was to again feature in the senior football decider, coach Ben Soumilas wouldn’t even be available to try and lead the group to back-to-back flags due to pre-existing work commitments on the day.
Clark confirmed that his club initiated the process around a month ago of gathering feedback from each of the other WGFNC clubs when it came to the preferred grand final day.
“The emails and letters we got back were pretty much a carbon copy of what we’d said,” he added.
“If it was going to beneficial (to be held on a Sunday) we’d vote that way, but it’s just of no benefit for anyone concerned.”
The competition’s advisory committee and AFL Gippsland maintain a Sunday grand final would have benefited all parties, but ultimately the collective wishes of the clubs couldn’t be overlooked.
“The suggestion of a Sunday grand final was raised and discussed when we met with the clubs in June and no one voiced any major concerns at that stage,” AFL Gippsland region commission chair John Schelling said.
“Since we made the announcement our clubs have provided feedback, which we have taken on board.
“Hopefully this decision reiterates that we are willing to listen and work with our key stakeholders and we can now move on and enjoy a successful finals series.”
