Trimboli lashes delegates

 

May 22 2009

Shepparton News

Goulburn North East Football Association president Frank Trimboli has slammed club delegates for their failure to pass on information to their members after half the competition was fined for misconduct.

The league chief said not only was the fine system formalised pre-season, but hit back at suggestions that they were part of a revenue-raising exercise.

He suggested money taken in fines might be more appropriately directed toward the re-education of clubs.

Cobram, Shepparton, Tatura, Shepparton United and Kialla United were all fined $200 (10 penalty units) by the league in a week where three of the league's leading players were handed long suspensions.

``We watered down the unit penalties from $100 per point to $20,'' Trimboli said.

``In Melbourne the penalties would be much greater, they can't accuse us of revenue rasing.

``We might need to do a session with the coaches on the rules, the club delegates haven't done a good enough job, we're happy to put the money from fines back into coach education.''

Cobram was fined for behaviour toward a match official, the other four for participation in a melee whether on or off the field.

While Shepparton and Tatura brawled on the field in round four, police were called to an off-field altercation between Kialla United and Shepparton United players the same day.

Making matters worse for the league is its current investigation into a brawl between Shepparton United and Numurkah at theweekend, where two more players were given their marching orders.

Misconduct penalties were rubber-stamped by a collection of league delegates at a pre-season operations meeting, while penalty units and definitions of red-card offences are available on the association website.

Wednesday night's tribunal did not look favourably on three players who challenged set-penalty suspensions, Shepparton duo Johnny Davkovski and Troy Kennedy and Tatura's Carmelo Bazzano.