Former Lavington and Brock-Burrum great Darryn McKimmie told The Border Mail last week Upper Murray League clubs needed to swallow their pride and consider a merger for the greater good of football and netball in the region.

McKimmie, 44, made the comments after coming out of retirement for the first time since 2014 and playing for junior club Federal.

However, Waters said a proposal of all five Upper Murray clubs merging and joining the neighbouring Tallangatta and district league was almost unanimously rejected by the clubs.

Only Federal voted in favour of the proposed merger in September at a league meeting.

"I was disappointed with Darryn's comments last week because there are so many positive stories that could be on the back page about the Upper Murray league," Waters said.

"I had a yarn to Darryn at the game on Saturday and told him how disappointed I was.

"When people see negative stuff in the paper, it makes it harder for clubs to recruit for the following season.

"People start to ask themselves is the Upper Murray league going ahead?

"As a league we had two years to work on a merger and play out of Corryong in the TDFL.

"The proposal was put forward and failed.

"The clubs and communities voted against it.

"Because there is more to country football than just the game of footy.

"There is community involvement.

"They excluded Tumbarumba and Bullioh, so they didn't get any support from them.

"The bird has flown as far as merger talks in the Upper Murray."

Waters said the Upper Murray league was still appealing for players who couldn't commit to training and playing at a higher standard.

"The Upper Murray league is unique and can offer a lot of things that other leagues can't," he said.

"For starters we have a shorter season which suits a lot of players.

"No old footballer wants to retire so they come up and spend their last couple of seasons in the Upper Murray.

"It requires minimal training and is not as professional as the other district leagues

"All clubs have some players that have work commitments and can't train.

"Other leagues that are more professional simply say if you can't train, you can't play.

"So we make concessions that other leagues don't."

McKimme, who recently returned to Corryong to run the family farm, said he was shocked by the lack of involvement, with supporters, volunteers and players all at a shortage.

Waters said that wasn't an issue confined to just the Upper Murray league with McKimmie's former club Lavington in a similar position.

"I have had a bit of involvement with Lavington for the past half-a-dozen years and all my three boys have played there," Waters said.

"I reckon they are a wonderful club and obviously won the flag in 2019.

"But I found they were struggling just as much for volunteers as we are in the Upper Murray.

"So the problem is not just isolated to the Upper Murray.

"You don't hear people running around saying that the O&M should fold."

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While Waters didn't have a solution for the dwindling numbers of juniors in the Upper Murray, the experienced club and league official said it was up to the league to now evolve again.

"I have been involved with the Upper Murray league executive for three decades," he said.

"And we have always evolved as a league

"When I first joined the executive there was no netball.

"Then we introduced an A-grade netball competition.

"There was no under-10 or under-13 football.

"So we just have to evolve again.

"I floated the idea a couple of years ago about a woman's competition but I didn't get enough support for it to go ahead.

"As far as I'm concerned the Upper Murray league is going ahead next year and we will evolve again.

"This season, it's going to be a cracking finals series with Tumbarumba, Bullioh and Cudgewa all legitimate flag contenders.

"So it's not all doom and gloom."

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