Casey looks

By Peter Sweeney and Gavin Staindl
A TWO-TIERED competition has been proposed for the Casey Cardinia Football League for 2013.
Ellinbank District Football League clubs based in the Shire of Cardinia are being sounded out over a possible move to Casey Cardinia – and splitting the league into two divisions.
Seven clubs in the 15-team EDFL – Garfield, Bunyip, Lang Lang, Catani, Nar Nar Goon, Kooweerup and Cora Lynn – are in the shire of Cardinia.
The Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League – the parent body of the Casey Cardinia Football League – is leading the move to expand the CCFL.
The MPNFL has been given permission by the Victorian Country Football League to talk to clubs in the EDFL about joining a totally revamped CCFL.
Most of the affected EDFL clubs said the move came as a surprise and that they were not interested in changing leagues.
There are two reasons why the MPNFL wants to change the look of football in Casey Cardinia.
First, league officials are most concerned at the “have and have-nots” – both on and off the field – in the league. Already, rumours are rife Keysborough plans a switch to the Southern Football League next year and Tooradin-Dalmore indicated last week it was considering moving leagues.
Also, new clubs being formed are bypassing the CCFL in favour of leagues that offer two or three-tier competitions, including the Southern and Eastern football leagues.
The MPNFL says it will “take all of next year” to put any revamped league together.
At present there are byes in both the 11-team CCFL and the 15-team EDFL, which league officials say is “far from ideal”.