District footy ‘deserves respect’

The demise of two once powerful and influential local football leagues, the South West Gippsland and West Gippsland leagues, over the past decade and a bit shook the district out of its sporting complacency.
Both have since virtually reformed under different identities and, despite being graded in different classes by the VCFL, are now competing for dominance in the West Gippsland and Casey region.
The MPNFL Casey Cardinia League is classed as the ‘big league’, but reigning Ellinbank and District Football League premiership coach CHRIS TONER told Gazette football writer BRAD KINGSBURY it was about time the rapidly developing ‘minor’ league was given the credit it deserved.
RESPECT is something that Chris Toner has had to battle for and earn all his sporting life.
Now the reigning Ellinbank and District Football League (EDFL) premiership coach is demanding that clubs in the fast-developing District league are also shown the respect they have fought hard to earn in recent years.
In particular, Toner wants the perennial knockers in the neighbouring Casey Cardinia League (CCL) to acknowledge that they were wrong.
When the former Narre Warren player and reserves coach took over as senior coach of long-time strugglers Cora Lynn three years ago, there were CCL supporters who sniggered that he was ‘down at his right level’, would fail dismally or would not be taken seriously.
Whether it was personal (after all Toner did play for Narre Warren), sour grapes because he had jumped some in the coaching queue or just plain league-versus-league rivalry, was of little consequence.
He now sits atop the pile as the man credited for transforming the Cobras from an on-field rabble into a well-drilled and successful country football team.
Toner has never professed to be a star player or coach, but one thing that is always guaranteed is that he will tell it like it is if he has an opinion.
And that he does when it comes to people talking his club or league down, in particular when it’s compared to the CCL.
“It’s not as inferior as many people think and I think it’s about time some respect was shown towards the Ellinbank clubs,” he said.
“A lot of clubs in the Casey Cardinia League hide behind three or four member clubs – being Narre Warren, Doveton, Pakenham and perhaps Beaconsfield.
“It’s been a long time since any side outside those four has won a premiership and because there’s no promotion-relegation system the other clubs are getting a free ride.”
After the West Gippsland Football League folded in 2005, Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon joined former WGFL clubs including Kooweerup, Lang Lang, Bunyip, Catani and Longwarry.
These had all departed the WGFL to play District league football at various stages after finding they were unable to compete with growth centres like Pakenham.
After some initial problems with off-field politics and some ego massaging, the EDFL has developed into a strong and well-supported competition.
While Chris accepts the fact that the VCFL district league competition is not perceived by the football hierarchy as at the same level as the major league, he disputes that, on a club-by-club basis, the best EDFL clubs including his own are inferior on or off-field to their Casey Cardinia League rivals.
“People have said what a strong league (CCL) is because those three or four clubs have been well managed and successful. The truth is that the others haven’t,” he said.
“People aren’t going to watch Casey Cardinia football as much as they are (in the EDFL).
“There was 10,000 people at our grand final, but only 3500 at the Casey grand final. The drinking (regulations) had a bit to do with that, but with the (CCL) competition dominated by the same sides for so long, the interest is not there.”
Toner said that EDFL clubs, particularly the West Gippsland contingent, had caught up and in some cases passed CCL clubs both on and off-field, but he conceded that different conditions between the two competitions had benefitted the District league.
“One problem is that the Casey Cardinia League clubs only play 16 games each year and young blokes just want to play footy. They don’t want a bye and, let’s be honest, the better players are going to make more money because they play 18 games in the EDFL,” he said.
“We don’t have to chase players now. They come here because they want to play finals and they want to play in front of big crowds. The standard of football is good and getting better all the time and all the clubs are working hard to improve and become genuine finals players.
“I hate hearing people who don’t know and never even come to see Ellinbank (league) games, talking it down. What else do we need to do to earn respect?”
Toner’s opinions are shared by many EDFL club officials who believe the growth of clubs should be carefully monitored on a larger scale with a view to restructuring football throughout the region.
Anomalies including the EDFL’s lack of salary cap regulation or operation of a Player Points System, such as that used in the CCL, have been agenda items at recent delegates’ meetings, but no action has been deemed necessary by league administration.
However, if the patterns of football continue in the area and people like Chris Toner continue to stand up and demand to be heard changes – big changes – could be a lot closer than many local fans think.