Region general manager John O’Donohue said the AFL NEB review would be conducted over two years and was about “ensuring we’re prepared for what the future holds”.

Corowa-Rutherglen is winless in the Ovens and Murray senior competition and has won just one game in each of the reserves and thirds competitions.

The Roos have one of the smallest population bases in the Ovens and Murray but face stiff competition for players from Tallangatta league clubs Rutherglen and Wahgunyah, along with CDHBU in the Hume league.

Rutherglen is a strong chance to win the Tallangatta league flag while CDHBU is one of the top teams in its competition.

Corowa-Rutherglen has been an advocate for more football and netball grades to be introduced into the Ovens and Murray as a way of stopping the flow of players to neighbouring district leagues.

O’Donohue said data would be presented to the North East commission on participation levels from Auskick through to seniors along with demographic and geographic reports on where players in the Corowa region are competing.

Roos board member and junior president Beau Longmire welcomed the review.

“It’s something we’ve been pushing for a long time,” he said.

“We’re really supportive of a statistical, analytical look at where we’ve been, where we are now and where we’re projected to go into the future as far as numbers go.

“As a cluster, we are under-resourced for the number of sides we have to fill. 

“We feel like we’ve got too many jumper spots and not enough participants.

“We’re not saying where those excess jumper spots are, we’re just saying we need to have a good balanced look at it and discuss where we’re heading.

“We’re keen to be proactive once we start to work through the process with AFL NEB, we’re keen to think outside the square and discuss a range of possibilities.

“We need to work with the other clubs in our cluster and we all need to be open to what might come out of the review.”

Mergers have been a hot topic in recent years but both O’Donohue and Longmire stressed the review wasn’t about forcing amalgamations on clubs.

“It’s about how everyone fits into the puzzle,” O’Donohue said.

“The anecdotal evidence is that they’re all competing for the same people and resources (in the Corowa area).

“Anecdotally, the player pool is getting smaller so what we need to be able to do is actually confirm that with some recording and then work with the clubs on what that looks like.

“If there’s a realisation that things are or aren’t sustainable, we can then work with the clubs.

“We just want to be able to establish the information required to make informed decisions.”

The “Corowa cluster” is one of three high priorities for the eight-point review.

Diminishing numbers across all grades in the Upper Murray and the machinations of the Wangaratta and District juniors and Ovens and King under-18 competitions are also key matters for AFL NEB.

“It’s just about ensuring we’re prepared for what the future holds,” O’Donohue said.

“As we continue to monitor the player points system and implement a salary cap, both significant programs which influence the manner in which clubs operate, it’s necessary AFL NEB, as the code’s governing body understands the consequences of decisions in any particular area and are not simply shifting the challenges to other areas.

“Some of these issues are opportunities. We’re in a period of change, we have to be prepared for the future.

“Our role is to collate all the information we can and then work through the issues, hopefully finding the best outcome for the game.”