The MDFL held its annual general meeting on Wednesday night, in which the embattled club pitched its case to join the league after having moves to the Central Highlands and Maryborough Castlemaine District Leagues rejected.

Chairperson of the MDFL John Box said that the deadline for the final decision is looming. 

“It was our AGM, so Smythesdale came in and put their case across to the clubs,” he said. 

“We put two weeks on them last night, so the clubs have to let us know by the December 12.” 

“It has nothing to do with the board, the clubs are the shareholders so it’s up to the clubs to decide.” 

Great Western has been in a similar position to Smythesdale in recent years, with the Mininera League throwing the Lions a lifeline.

Great Western Football Netball Club president Tracy McCartney said they will think about the scenario. 

“We had applied to Mininera and we got knocked back,” she said. 

“We then went into recess for 12 months and applied again and Mininera took us in.” 

“We will have our next committee meeting on December 10 and we will present to the board members what was said at the meeting and then we will take a vote from there.” 

“They put over a fairly good case I thought.” 

One team that is in a strong position is 2018 senior football premiers Wickliffe-Lake Bolac.

Magpies president Richard Blackburn said he felt sorry for the club. 

“I thought it was a good pitch,” he said. 

“I feel sorry for them really, they’ve been neglected by the Goldfields area and are not allowed to play in their own area really, so this is their last ditch effort to try and play football.

“We have got to go back and think about it as a league and as a club to see if we are going to accept them into our league.” 

One problem if the clubs do accept Smythesdale into the league is the travel which may affect other clubs, and Blackburn said that could be the major factor. 

“The travel is the biggest issue I think it’s going to come down to,” he said 

 “Smythesdale has indicated in the first two years that they will be willing to do a lot of the travel to the further clubs in our league. 

“At the end of the day it won’t affect our club a great deal because we are sort of pretty central in the league.

“It’s the clubs down south like Hawkesdale-Macarthur, Penshurst, Caramut and places like that, that are going to struggle with the travel as they draw a lot of players from the Warrnambool and Hamilton areas so to go all the way to Smythesdale will be a bit of an ask for their players.”

Despite clubs being allocated two weeks to come to a decision, the Ararat Eagles seem to have already made up their minds.

Eagles president Reagan Hughes said hopefully the right decision will be made. 

“I reckon the right result would be to let them come in,” he said. 

“I look at it the other way around the clubs have given others a go that have needed to do it and we have been in that position before changing leagues, it’s not easy but the right result would be to let them in.” 

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