Hume league scraps premiership points with introduction of match ratio method

Premiership points accrued by clubs will be scrapped and replaced with a percentage determined by the amount of matches won divided by matches played.

As is stands, all clubs have played 12 matches after round 13 was cancelled last weekend due a perfect storm with the decision to lock down Victoria and the news infected Sydney removalists had stopped at a Jindera petrol station, making it a COVID-19 exposure site.

CDHBU has been the club hardest hit by the lockdown with 19 players, including John Pratt, Mick Collins and Corey Smith, who all reside in Victoria.

After a marathon meeting of the Hume league board on Wednesday night, the competition carried two motions relating to round 14 matches.

The first motion carried was for the normal resumption of round 14 football and netball as per the draw.

The second motion carried was for the league to adopt the match ratio method for all grades of football to determine the ladder positions as per By-Law 8.7.3.

ALSO IN SPORT:

A decision on whether fixtures go ahead is purely on the clubs involved and won't be enforced by the board.

The fourth-placed Power seniors look on course to play finals and wouldn't lose ground to the rest of the competition under the match ratio method by not playing this weekend.

CDHBU would maintain a percentage of 66.67 with eight wins from 12 matches and would make ground on third-placed Rand-Walbundrie-Walla Giants if they played and lost to Brock-Burrum on Saturday.

A loss would take the Giants percentage from 75 to 69.23.

Once the match ratio method is activated, it can't be reversed as it would disadvantage sides who opt not to play this weekend.

Hume league president Brendan I'Anson said it was the only fair and equitable way to keep the competition going.

"But the longer you stand out and don't play, it will hurt you. It's still going to catch up with you in the end," I'Anson said.

"If a few clubs can't play and don't have enough numbers, that's what happens and they don't fall off the tree overnight.

"They could miss a couple of matches and keep the pace.

"A lot of clubs we've spoken to that are pretty strong, such as Osborne and Holbrook, were pretty good and said you've got to help the clubs impacted out.

"You don't want to disadvantage clubs at all, so I think clubs will be pretty good in agreeing to withdraw a match."

I'Anson didn't rule out the prospect of clubs playing scratch matches not for points or dropping down to 16 or 14 players per side to get games completed.

"We could go down to 14 a side at senior and reserve level to make a match of it," he added.

"If you've got three or four out, and there's a few clubs across the league that have three or four out so lets play with 14 if you like, what the heck.

"We can make that decision overnight if clubs want to do it.

"The other thing when clubs don't play is they miss out on votes in the Azzi and their best and fairest."

Points percentage will still be used to determine the higher ranked team if they have the same match ratio percentage at the end of the season.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: