One of the biggest leagues in country football has stripped its premiers of last year’s flag for a salary cap breach.
The Ovens and Murray league made the sensational call on Monday night to take the premiership from Wangaratta just a week after AFL Northeast Border, the game’s governing body in the region, ruled the club could retain its flag despite going over the $125,000 cap by $28,000.
The Wangaratta premiership team.
Wangaratta were thrust into the national spotlight last year when one of their players, teacher Joe Richards, was recruited by Collingwood in the draft. The club is also coached by former Collingwood premiership player Ben Reid.
The club had been initially fined $28,000, deemed ineligible to earn premiership points in the first two rounds of 2023 and had its player points cut by four, from 40 to 36.
Wangaratta defeated Yarrawonga by three points in a thrilling grand final. The 2022 flag has not been awarded.
Under Ovens and Murray Football Netball League guidelines, the league can deal with any rule breaches “in any manner which in its absolute discretion it thinks fit”.
“Whilst aware of the emotion surrounding last night’s decision, particularly to the players, volunteers and supporters of Wangaratta, the league remains committed to the allowable player payment rules and absolute integrity around this,” league chairman David Sinclair said.
“Where a breach is proven, innocent mistake or otherwise, the league simply cannot award a premiership where sanctions are handed out that bring into focus the integrity of the competition.”
The errors were reportedly not discovered until the end of the season. The club self-reported after the breaches were found.
The drama is another blow to the league after Corowa-Rutherglen, the junior club of former North Melbourne champion and Sydney coach John Longmire, went into recess for this year.
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