AFL Western District confirmed in a document on Friday that the reigning premiers had two points stripped from its allocation of 45 last season.

The Blues are the only club to lose multiple points. Allansford, Dennington, Merrivale, South Rovers, Timboon (44), East Warrnambool and Russells Creek (47) have all lost one point. 

Panmure (46), Kolora-Noorat and runners-up Old Collegians (42) were the only teams to remain on the same allocation. 

Ranking points were introduced by AFL Victoria as an equalisation tool and encourage clubs to prioritise juniors and player retention, with home-grown talent worth just one point. Ex-AFL or VFL talent, meanwhile, can cost up to five points.

Nirranda co-coach Shane Threlfall echoed the thoughts of Koroit president Stephen Hoy around the clarity of player point deductions. 

“I agree with the points system but the way it is being interrupted is a bit off. What is the criteria? There is confusion on how points are allocated,” he said.

“I would like to know how they are allocated but I feel you also shouldn’t take points of successful clubs. You can still give points to clubs who are struggling.”

When the points system was introduced in 2016 Nirranda had 50 points, because of its location and access to juniors. Since then the Blues have lost a total of seven points after winning premierships in 2016 and 2018.