HORSHAM spearhead David Johns has highlighted North Central league clubs Donald and St Arnaud as ideal candidates for a Wimmera Football League 10th team.
Speaking in response to Wimmera league chief commissioner John Smith's call for a 10th team to play in the competition in Monday's Mail- Times, Johns said in his weekly Mail- Times column `Straight Shooting' that Donald and St Arnaud were the logical teams to join the league.
Johns said a team from Horsham District league would not help the Wimmera league because it would further strain the three Horsham-based clubs.
Horsham District league chairman Fred Mellington was non-committal to any speculation a Horsham District league club could be the right fit for the Wimmera league.
"John is welcome to voice his thoughts and if they want to pursue another club for their league that is up to them," Mellington said.
"Anyway, he didn't say anywhere in his comments that it would be a club from the Horsham District league."
When asked if he believed a Horsham District club would make the move, Mellington said that was not a decision for him to make.
"That is too big a call to make," he said. "It has happened in the past and it may happen again in the future, but who knows."
St Michaels, now Horsham Saints, made the move from Horsham District league to Wimmera league in 1993 and have been more than competitive.
Mellington said he did agree with Smith's comments that leagues and the VCFL should discuss restructuring at some point.
"None of us have a crystal ball to know what is going to happen down the track, but we are going all right at this stage," he said.
Johns said he was pleased Smith had made a positive move by calling for the 10th team.
"For him to publicly come out and make those comments shows that he wants to be on the front foot and make football in the area a better standard and stronger structured," Johns said.
"I hope his fellow commissioners are on the same page and will push to act on this in the next 12 to 18 months, rather than just sitting on their hands and continuing to talk about it."
VCFL area manager Bruce Petering said there had been no concrete moves by country Victoria's governing football body to look at any restructure across the region.
"It is something we would certainly look at, but at the moment it is just paper talk," Petering said.
"We haven't had any formal requests from clubs and we wouldn't do anything until it came from club level."
Last Modified on 05/04/2010 22:33