By Kirstie Fitzgerald
The introduction of the Western Region Football League’s new Division Three competition has seen a significant reduction in average winning margins this season, some by more than 50 per cent.
With the successful introduction of Werribee Districts and Tarneit Football Clubs in 2014, the league was split into three senior divisions after 13 rounds of football last year to create 10 (Division One), eight (Division Two) and six-team (Division Three) competitions.
Since the split, all three divisions have had significant reductions in average winning margins across the first eight rounds of football in 2015 compared to the same time last season.
In Division One, the senior competition has seen an average reduction of 15.1 points a game and the reserves competition has also been reduced by approximately two goals.
The average winning margin in the Division Two senior competition has been reduced by 51.1 points while the Division Three senior competition margin was cut by more than half, falling from 111.7 points in 2014 to 41.6 points.
In one case study, the total margin for Round 5 in Division Two last season was 1,024 points. Twelve months on, and that figure has been cut back to 254 points in Division Two and 182 points in Division Three.
WRFL chief executive Bob Tregear said that the reductions already seen this season was proof that the new Division Three tier has delivered a more even competition.
“While some clubs weren’t too keen on being relegated to Division Three when it was initially introduced, it has provided all clubs with a great opportunity to play at a more competitive level.”
While the recent Community Club Sustainability Program proposal by the AFL Vitoria Equalisation Working Party will help regulate more equal competition across the state next season, the work conducted by the WRFL Strategic Planning Committee over the past four years has in itself led to impressive margins.
“Our 2010-2014 Strategic Planning committee worked really hard on providing a more even competition structure and to get the league in a position where three divisions was possible has been a major contributor of these margin reductions,” Tregear said.
The decline in margins in excess of 100 points across all three divisions has also been reduced compared to the same time last year, with a drop of 57 instances in 2014 to just 25 occasions this year.
“Big margins over 100 or 200-points affects all clubs no matter what side of the results you fall on, so the fact that we have been able to reduce them this season is outstanding,” Tregear said.
Start-up clubs as well as clubs who have traditionally struggled for wins each season have seen the benefits of the third tier, none more so than North Sunshine.
“The split last year gave our Reserves the opportunity to gain some finals experience, which we haven’t had in a long time, so we could see the benefits of Division Three in its early stages,” North Sunshine Vice President Paul Comino said.
Recording just 19 wins over the past decade, North Sunshine has already chalked up two wins this season sitting in seventh place on the ladder, while its reserves have won three matches and sit in fifth place.
“There’s a positive feeling down at the club at the moment.
“Some of our losses this year have been close matches, so we will be taking that confidence into the second half of the season.
“From a committee point of view, we are really pleased with how the club is travelling and feel like we are coming out of the hard times.
“We have the patience to keep improving each year and while we know that we won’t win every game, we are determined to get better each week and be competitive, which the new division has allowed us to do.”
Last Modified on 16/06/2015 15:08