Redlegs keenBy Paul Pickering

BAIRNSDALE Football Club is keen to have a presence in the new Gippsland Football League.
Representatives from the dominant East Gippsland club (the Redlegs) met with West Gippsland Latrobe Football League officials last week to discuss the prospect of defecting to the new major league.
WGLFL chief executive Chris Soumilas described the informal meeting as no more than a brainstorming session, but said he was encouraged by Bairnsdale’s interest.
“A working party is being looked at to try and put a proposal together that may be acceptable to the clubs up their end,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s refreshing to have someone who wants to come to our league, but, in terms of actually getting to our league, there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.”
Soumilas confirmed that any formal proposal would likely involve Bairnsdale fielding a representative team in the major league, with players who are not selected returning to their home clubs.
The WGLFL is awaiting decisions from Wonthaggi Power (Alberton Football League) and Garfield on their immediate futures, but Soumilas said he was happy to accommodate both clubs in a 10-team competition next season.
Soumilas believes that a Bairnsdale side would be an asset to the expanded league.
“If something can be put together that represents the eastern end of the state, and if Wonthaggi joined our league, that would mean that the 10 biggest towns in Gippsland would all be in the one league,” he explained. “I think that would be great and I believe most of our clubs would be in favour of a presence from Bairnsdale.”