The league will have a cap of 38 points after agreeing to ditch the system it has had in place since 2002.

The move will protect Hume league clubs from raids by the neighbouring Ovens and Murray and Tallangatta competitions.

A Hume league recruit will be worth three points in the Victorian-based competitions from 2017 after costing just one point this season.

AFL NSW-ACT community football manager Paul Habel said ninth and 10th-placed Henty and Rand-Walbundrie-Walla would have 40-point limits while the bottom two sides, Culcairn and Holbrook, would have caps of 42.

“It’s all been very positive, the acceptance has been very good and moving forward I think everyone will realise the value in it,” he said.

The move comes as AFL North East Border finalises its points allocations for next season.

The Ovens and Murray will drop from 42 points to 38 while the Tallangatta and District competition moves down from 44 points to 40 – two more than the Hume league. 

The Upper Murray and Ovens and King leagues will operate with 42-point limits after having a cap of 46.​

“The Hume league was the blackspot on the map,” AFL North East Border general manager John O’Donohue said.

“It’s a good move for the region to have everyone on the one program.”

A salary cap remains at least 12 months away from being implemented in leagues across southern NSW.

“The clubs said to me that we need a strong points system because we don’t have a salary cap,” Hume league president Merv Wegener said.

“You don’t want the top teams getting too far away.”