Milang too, unless they get colts and head to Central div

Thanks for the mention FD. We haven't been factored into this discussion thus far. Colts for us are not envisaged in the next 2 years as our aim is to live within our means and field a side of locals or nearby who play for the jumper. When we have enough kids we will expand. Until then we would hope there is a place for a club which actually represents grassroots footy.

Would be great to have Sedan-Cambrai in C Grade if that's correct. I don't think either Club will mind the road trip. Very disappointing Callington imploded without entertaining the idea of Cs which would have kept the Club alive.

Have been well behind the play of late and just heard the news re Blackwood's exit. Good luck to them. They have always been a deterent for potential C Graders in the HFL and most clubs have had to scratch for players willing to get a hiding against them. At least this will clear up the never-ending queries about who was eligible to play and who wasn't. The two Leagues now involved can fight that out amonst themselves :roll:

As for Milang; there are always question marks about the future of Cs at this time of year. As is stands, Milang have plenty of lads who want a game and have had complaints from players that pre-season hadn't started yet 8) We just want to play good footy and enjoy it and we have the crew to make it happen.

As usual the 'powers-that-be' will determine where, when and if we get a game this year. Our players and support staff just want to get out there for a kick.

Cant wait for the response

Jeez , what can I say and where do I start? This could have been an excellent discussion until it got nasty Ted B. All I did was respond to questions here; I didn't ignite anything. In hindsight, I would've shut my mouth and will in future. Being angry doesn't solve anything.

Ted, you made the game sound like a bloodbath. It wasn't. I had a grumble about a VERY late bump and the fact was that your intoxicated crowd applauded it at the time, which will always aggravate any opposition.

As for the umpires, I can only say it's a sad state of affairs if the HFL support Cs then don't organise proper umpires. This happens a lot and is a matter for them to deal with without delay. We were glad the game went ahead, but any umpire, pushed in the deep end or not, needs two eyes at all times. I can't comment on any alleged head-hunting by Milang players, or Uri players for that matter. You don't see much when you're not at the scoring end,

As for involvement by trainers; this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Trainers are there to look after the well-being of players, not to squabble about match day issues. PM me Ted, if this is true, and our club will address this. We have a senior trainer of many years and a new one. We don't have a Team Manager but apparently your trainer was an acting TM? As for our runner counting: I believe you had 24 on the Teamsheet Ted. We are only allowed 22 in Cs. We would have been happy to go with 24 if notified as we also had boys who missed out.

I didnt see any knuckles from either side and I don't miss much.

The criteria for Cs does need to be looked at. Milang are a side in "no-mans-land", being neither Central or Country. For this reason a very clear criteria for Cs needs to be established. Clubs such as Sedan/Cambrai and others may wish to kept alive via this means in the future, so best to establish some rules now.

Hope this answers some questions. Discussion much appreciated :-)

Excellent reading here recently re Country footy problems. Cheers bailey39 for being the sole poster here to mention Milang. I would welcome any discussion as to where punters think we belong in the scheme of things. Where would you put a very solid and consistent C grade side which has players missing out on a game most weeks, yet could not field another grade? Great facilities and oval, new and effective lights, kids everywhere at games.

Over to punters.....

We favour a 'stand alone' C Grade comp played on Sundays which we believe will be a great equaliser while encouraging families to attend.

What about a stand alone comp on Saturdays would you be interested??[/quote]

A very good suggestion Tanka. I don't think this idea has been floated as far as I know. It would certainly ensure that keen and genuine C Graders play, as there wouldn't be any A or B graders available to top up sides. It would also be more family-friendly. Country Cs Friday night footy is just too hard for many, especially if you have players doing outdoor physical day jobs until 5, travel over 50 kms, have a meat pie on the run and be on the ground by 7, not to mention support staff.
It has also been challenging for away sides playing Cs on Saturday nights after the home spectators have been at the ground all day. Not an easy gig.
We would be very intested.

Hey HTR just noticed Milang played in the Country Div back in 2005 A & B's but not in 2006, did you drop straight back into C's in 06? How are things shaping up for 2015 for the Panthers? Still C's and is there a future with A&B's again in a year or 2?

From memory Milang went into recess and didn't field any sides for a few years. Had a mate playing there at the time.

Milang went into recess for 4-5 years after 2005. We had struggled incredibly hard to keep our heads above water by fielding As and Bs but realised we couldn't keep this up indefinitely. Yet we had a core group of administrators and players with passion who genuinely believed in Country footy. We all kept in touch and when the idea of Cs was floated in 2010, we all re-grouped without delay.

As for the future: there are many aspects to take into account. At this time juniors are not feasible due to our catchment area and the interest of bigger clubs such as Strath. As and Bs are more likely, but we have to be realistic and would need an active senior player list of around 50 at the outside. Until we have this, we need to live within our means and remain in Cs. We feel there is a place for us and intend to keep a thriving, healthy and pro-active club where players and families want to be. This will ensure we are ready to take a step up when the time is right.

Anyone know the scores from weekend game Milang v Uraidla?

Milang 10-11 over Uraidla 8-2, give or take a point or two. Both sides really stepped up and played their best footy. First half belonged to the Panthers with the younger lads too fast for the Cabbages. A good fight back for Uraidla in the second half with a re-shuffled attack but not able to catch the Panthers who had plentyof legs and kids on the ball. Milang would have to be very chuffed with a couple of youngsters who wandered to the club looking for a game. Great to see such a high standard of footy and the ladder reflecting the scheme of things as it stands in Cs. Panthers now right up there in the top three and will not finish lower.

Not sure why our scores don't appear on SP. Ladder is unchanged by my calculations and the gap between top and bottom three has widened.

I saw all 3 games on Sunday. Cs really has moved ahead and the comp is very worthy of it's elevation by HFL. Very impressive and well worth a look at free footy with plenty of support and a great atmosphere.

cracka wrote:Have heard the venue has been moved as Blackwood oval is a disgrace today, is this correct.

You are correct Cracka. Grand Final will now be held at Milang this Friday night at 7.15. Seems as though the League have dodged a bullet

Such huge support and interest in Div 3 footy over the past few days! Get to Blackwood if you can tomorrow night at 7 pm and get behind the Mighty Milang Panthers with your voices near the bench, in the huddles and around the ground. Here is a great chance to support a Club which lives within its' means and plays for the jumper. We're very proud to be up there and will give our best :-)

Not a good night for Milang at Blackwood. Final score 17-1 to 1-4 :-( The Panthers never stopped trying but were totally outclassed by a much bigger club. Plenty of support for the undercats who gave it their best shot in front of a huge crowd. Cheers to all for the support on this site also :-)

The condition of the ground was appalling on both sides of the fence with deep bog throughout the totally disorganised car park. It needs to be said than an Ambulance called for a spectator on the other side of the ground was forced to attempt to exit in reverse and became hopelessly bogged in deep mud. It required shovels and a dozen spectators to finally move it. Very fortunate indeed that a dying person wasn't inside as this would have been a life-threatening situation. No denying this I'm afraid. It happened right in front of us. Scheduling finals at places like this must never happen again.

Secret informant, your reply that 22 genuine C graders played for Blackwood on Friday night isn't true.

You are correct oldbomber in your assessment of the number of B graders who played. As I understand it, to be eligible to play in Cs finals a player only has to have played 3-4 games in that grade in the minor round to be allowed to play finals and can otherwise have played in any grade he likes all year. If that makes them genuine C graders I'm baffled,

Milang have gone out of their way all year to ensure all on our player list meet that criteria. We have no other grades to draw from, can't stack and are committed to giving all our lads a go. Many missed a jumper Friday night. So if Milang are "awful" Stinga you might like to consider the ridiculous gap between a huge city club like Blackwood on their muddy home ground and a bunch of lads more than willing to get there by 7pm after a 70km trip from work and home.

If the difference is only 16 goals, then I'm pretty proud of that.

Enough said.

Congratulations to Jake Moisey from the Milang Panthers. 2015 Div 3 Medallist. Very well deserved!