A finals fling for Cobram

 August 25 2010

Shepparton News

Cobram Soccer Club's reserves team is officially finals bound after having three points Goulburn North East Football Association incorrectly docked reinstated.

The online ladder still shows Shepparton United in fourth position with 30 points and Cobram in sixth on 29, but the returned points will propel the Tigers ahead of the Blues and into the finals.

The association originally removed six points from Cobram after it was found recruit Domenic "Mick" Perri played rounds 15 and 16 without an International Transfer Clearance.

However, a review of the case found that under Grievance Disciplinary and Tribunal by-law 15.2 Cobram could only be docked three points for a "first offence" because the association had not informed the club of Perri's need for an ITC after the initial round 15 game.

Cobram claimed to have not known Perri, an Australian who played a short stint overseas, needed an ITC because it was under the impression he hadn't signed any papers with an international club.

President Roy Boncaldo admitted his club made a mistake in not doing sufficient homework on Perri (it searched online for registration information on "Mick" Perri instead of "Domenic" Perri), but that it was against GDT by-laws to dock the club points from both rounds.

Boncaldo said the club's frustration to get the matter reviewed by the association prompted it to lodge a protest into round 17's senior match against Cobram Victory in which it was alleged Adam Gatcum and Cameron Miles played while ineligible.

"If we followed that through we would have had a case, but we're sick of fighting with them," Boncaldo said.

"But we were sick of not being looked at. It (the round 17 senior game protest) was pretty much just to get their (the association's) attention. We wanted to be heard and we wanted them to know that we did have a case against the six points we were stripped.

"We only wanted a fair trial and that's all we were asking for. We know we made a mistake, we should have checked him (Perri). We did say that, but we also said `you need to check your by-laws'."

Association president Frank Trimboli confirmed it had apologised to Cobram for the incorrect stripping of all six points.