WANGARATTA coach Brendan Cairns has called for the player points cap to be slashed to 36 for next season.
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The Magpies’ average senior team for the season was just 23.7 points – well below the limit of 42 and more than six less than the league average of 29.9 points.
A four-point reduction – to 38 – has been flagged by AFL North East Border but Cairns said a bigger drop was needed.
“The points system will hopefully come down to around 36 next year, which will make it harder for clubs to go out and go whack,” he said.
The Magpies fell out of finals contention with a last-round loss to Wodonga but Cairns said the club could be proud of its season.
The Magpies blooded nine debutants and took to the field four times with a 21-point team – the lowest figure possible.
“The club has done the right thing the past five or six years to build themselves up to this point,” Cairns said.
“We'll have another 10 come out of the under-18s next year that are top-age and will filter through.
“We'll continue to develop the kids, we just probably need to get a few experienced blokes around them and away we go.”
Analysis of the points system in its first year in the Ovens and Murray shows six clubs averaged less than 30 points a week with Wangaratta (23.7), Wangaratta Rovers (25.1), Corowa-Rutherglen (25.7), Myrtleford (25.8), Yarrawonga (28.6) and North Albury (29.3) all below that mark.
The Saints were granted a cap of 46 after winning the wooden spoon but haven’t got near that figure with their young, home-grown talent pushing them into the top five this season.
Wodonga Raiders (40.3) skated closest to the 42-point limit each week with Wodonga (35.2), Albury (33.4) and Lavington (31.7) also averaging more than 30.
AFL NEB general manager John O’Donohue expected a final announcement on next season’s cap to be made in September but said a four-point drop was “significant”.
“We’re not anticipating it dropping any further than four points,” he said.
“We’ve had an audit panel looking at it all year and we’re pretty comfortable with where the policy sits and how it’s been implemented.
“It’s definitely changed the way clubs have gone about their list management.
“Four points is pretty significant, you’ve got leagues in other parts of the state on 50 points so 38 points for the Ovens and Murray is still pretty low.
“Where it goes from there, we don’t know.
“It’s still early and you’ve still got to allow clubs to recruit, you’ve got to factor in clubs like Corowa-Rutherglen as well.”
O’Donohue expected the Tallangatta and District league to drop from 44 to 40 points with the Ovens and King and Upper Murray competitions to move to 42 points, down from 46.
It comes as AFL Victoria finalises its salary cap policy.
O’Donohue said earlier this month “there’s a bit of work still to be done” before it could be enforceable for the 2017 season.
YOUR CLUB’S AVERAGE POINTS FOR 2016 OVENS AND MURRAY SEASON
Wangaratta 23.7
Wangaratta Rovers 25.1
Corowa-Rutherglen 25.7
Myrtleford 25.8
Yarrawonga 28.6
North Albury 29.3
Lavington 31.7
Albury 33.4
Wodonga 35.2
Wodonga Raiders 40.3