South Warrnambool juniors are facing the reality of just seven games per season as a result of AFL Western District’s review.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
South Warrnambool president Steve Harris said his club had 32 under 12 players registered, meaning 11 players will be forced to sit out each week as the result of rules stipulating just 16 players may take the field at once.
Five players are allowed on the bench.
Rules allow teams to register more under 12 players than the cap allows if the junior is a sibling of another already registered at the same club.
An exemption must also be granted by the AFL Western District commission.
Harris said the under 12 ruling meant juniors were denied the right to participate. “Only 21 kids can fit into this system on a weekly basis. That means we’ll have some that have to miss out (on a rotational policy) each week,” he said.
“We believe that’s fundamentally wrong and against the charter they’ve applied with participation in mind.
“It’s a major concern.”