By Marcus Uhe
Division One of the Outer East Football Netball League has been extended by two home-and-away rounds and will feature an uneven number of games per team, requiring the implementation of the Match Ratio system to determine ladder positions.
18 rounds will be played compared to the originally scheduled 16, and the finals system will be reduced to a three-week, top four format, as was used last year.
One extra round will take place during what had previously been slated for a split round in July, while the other will be played on what was expected to be the first week of finals, on 26 August.
Division One clubs “unanimously decided” upon this system as part of consultation between them and administration, the league said.
Emerald, Berwick Springs and Seville have 16 games with two byes, while Officer, Hallam, Healesville and Belgrave play 15, with three byes.
Match Ratio (Games won/Games played x 100) will be used to determine a club’s ladder position, due to the uneven number of games played for each side.
If required, the tie-breaker for teams who finish the season on an equal amount of Match Ratio points will be the Head-to-Head system.
If the sides play just twice and split their meetings one-one, the aggregate score of the two meetings will be used to separate them.
Percentage will not be shown on the Division One ladders.
Dates for the semi finals, preliminary final and grand final will remain on the 3rd, 10th and 17th of September.
Anzac Round, Pride Round, Sockit2MND Round and First Nations Round will remain at rounds two, five, eight and 11 respectively.
The changes come as a result of Yarra Glen’s move to Division Two, taking the place of Yea, who are unable to field a football team this season.
Yea’s netball team will compete in Division One, taking Yarra Glen’s place.
Round one kicks off on Saturday 15 April, where Berwick Springs host Hallam, Emerald battle Officer and Seville welcome Healesville, while Yea will head to Belgrave in the netball.
