Being a long time observer of hills footy unless echunga attract a shit load of players they will get smashed in every grade(except maybe the A's) I think it could be a huge mistake going to central Maybe a huge ego trip for the Champ and Pocock If they do go up i think Mt lofty must bite the bullet and go to country div for a year or two

Firstly pocock has absolutely NO ego! Nicest bloke you'll meet! Secondly - I have a huge ego but that doens't count for much as I support two HFL clubs.
Now with all of your 'long time' observations do you sincerely believe for one minute that a club being promoted following one teams premiership is going to be ego filled or stupidly approach the new competition without so much as a recruit.
If I was a betting man I'd say that Echunga would have two directions in 2014, don't come bottom and bolstering the juniors.

If it evenutates that the Demons go up I will stand by my word they will not be a spot to be relegated at the end of the 2014 season. Otherwise I will eat your head.

post from Mt Lofty's facebook:

Dear All

Update on the HFL promotion & relegation matter;

On Monday night 11th November 2013 at 7.30 pm the Mt lofty Districts Football Club along with all other Central & Country league Clubs, will again be in attendance at the HFL office to hear an amended motion (to our motion put forward last week) before the League moved by the Board of the HFL.

The Hills Football League Board moves that By Law 18.1.5.be deleted. 18.1.5 currently reads; Central Division to consist of no more than 10 clubs.

The amendment will remove the current stipulation that "the Central Division will consist of no more than 10 clubs" and provide flexibility to increase the number of clubs to cater for growth in the Hills Football Community or special circumstances that will strengthen the HFL.

Mt Lofty Football Club have the full support of the HFL in this amended motion. The MLDFC have confidence the League clubs will support the amended motion and we have installed enormous trust in the HFL to be acting in the best interests of MLDFC & the entire Hills Football League.

In the unlikely event the amended motion is not passed our special Sub Committee formed in this matter assure its members & players your clubs future is in very good & capable hands.

Watch this space for further updates.

Hang on a minute. I don't quite get this. When you say "Mt. Lofty have the full support of the HFL in this amended motion", what do you mean? Isn't the HFL the "League" and isn't the "League" the Clubs? So how can you have "full support" when the motion hasn't been voted on by all Club Delegates? And how can the "Board" move that motion when the "Board" is comprised of persons with interests in their own individual club?
I think this whole situation calls for some proper legal advice before everything goes pear-shaped and Hills Footy is ruined forever.

This is a very sad state of affairs for the Echunga FC but you're all very smart people on here and I'm sure you can see what's happened.
Echunga can't afford lawyers and the CFL wouldn't be reactive enough this side of Christmas so where'd that leave club preparations.

For the record Echunga' predominately B'Grade side comfortably beat Lofty's predominately A'Grade side in a trial this year, Echunga would be a strong candidate for a top five spot.

That is just it isn't it

I can't believe some people are defending the board on this
Not defending them on the Echunga backflip.
A lot of posters blamed the Board for listening to Lofty's proposal which is wrong, the board have a duty to listen to any proposal, so will defend them for that.
Will also defend them for having 2 SGM's because it was actually Uraidla that adjourned the 1st one, NOT the board.
Lofty apparently put up 3 different proposals & the board reduced that to just the one.
Will also defend clubs against lies & bullsh!t posted on here & the guesswork (based on more guesswork, chinese whispers & "bar piss talk") on which way they voted.

Fair enough. You seem to know a little more than most. Can I suggest getting the correct info out early would stop a lot of guess work, and "bar piss talk"? This is a forum which a lot of people in the hills read. Get the info out there early instead of putting fires out later.

Can I also suggest that it is a little more than guess work, as people have had a lot of comunication between the clubs regarding this, so it is not all bullsh!t.

And while you have corrected the record regarding Onkas and the way they voted, it does not mean that there is still a protectionist view from the other clubs that voted yes.

Not only that, but prior to the commencement of the first SGM, it is in the best interests of the HFL and in fact the boards role to ensure that "all of the ducks are in a row" with regards to the proposal, so we don't have the farsical situation of an adjournment. You are correct to say that it is the boards role to listen to any proposal put forward, but they are not there to be an "agony aunt" or a social service.

Congratulations Milang, I hope to make it there this season, I am very happy to see the Tigers back in the C's, lots of numbers are a good sign and it would be very sad not to see a Milang Panthers out on the park, glad we can be part of the series.

Yes full marks to all at Milang, the ground was magnificent, food excellent, 10 out of 10 for the entire day.
I thought the Panthers were much improved, no longer a light/small side and were very tenacious and unstoppable in the last quarter. You must be happy with this result HTR, your boys looked fit and ran on strongly when it mattered.

Cant wait for the response

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I went to the game to collect a mate and we stayed for the game and tea. I have no affiliation with either side and was completely sober and we watched the game from the wing in front of the clubrooms. The game seemed to be played in good spirits and I certainly didn't witness any knuckles, snipers or anything described apart from the dodgey bump which happened right in front of me. It was marginally high and very, very late. It floored a small player which is never good for the game. It changed the tone of the game in that Uraidla players around us who were indeed drunk applauded it and called for more.
A Milang player was sent off not long after. There was a skirmish, again right in front of us. Hits rather than punches were thrown, two each from a Milang and Uri player. This is fact. We didn't see any other aggression during the game.
We felt the umpiring was very ordinary and very disappointing if it's the best HFL can offer.
As for trainers getting involved, all we witnessed was a Milang timekeeper coming out of the box to take issue at quarter time.
The Milang gameplan warrants a reply. I watched them with interest several times last year including the finals. The team we saw on the offending night wasn't a patch on the team we saw last year, especially in the Grand Final. They played from behind all night and I would have to agree they didn't lay a tackle or win a hard ball.

Ironbank over Lobethal on Saturday night, certainly not Mickey Mouse and teams going hard at it, there's pressure on at Lobethal we are 7-0 in the A's and have 7 A graders out at the moment so everyone needs to perform to get a game, if they want to play A'2's our blokes are going to need to work hard in the C's, nothing's for free anymore.

Milang by 4 goals against Barker today. A good standard game with the Panthers never in doubt. An excellent umpiring display by a decent umpire (Guy Schubert) lifted the standard and was appreciated by both sides.

In relation to previous posts; yes we don't perform well at night and never have. Our first game this Friday night under our own new lights will be testing. Yes again; the standard of Cs is getting higher. Ironbank and Uraidla will set the pace and as clubs overloaded with Seniors, will be hard to beat.

There are a few new faces in the Panthers' line-up this year. The side has around 75% of last year's players. Some tactical changes may or may not bear fruit. As always, we are keen and have players missing out on a game nearly every week.

Certainly not a "Mickey Mouse" Comp as someone suggested here recently. Obviously hasn't seen a game!
I played today and it certainly was a great game some really good players in the Milang side and they deserved the win. The fact that more footy isn't played at Milang is a shame, best surface in the league and great people at the club including a lot of kids running around which is good for the future. Never seen so many people at a C Grade game as well had a good chat with a few Milang people after the game good blokes all round. :D

Good to read lively discussion here again. HTR you mentioned Strath as a nearby club catching your juniors, Langhorne Creek would surely present problems for you too? no wonder juniors would be hard to imagine in the near future as both clubs are pretty out there. I think Milang are on the right track staying exactly where you are and playing good footy around good people. You pulling on the boots this year HTR?

Go the Panthers. Stick it up the suburbanites

Any scores from the semi finals today?

Yo there YOPK! Apologies for being so vacant on this site all year. Have had repeated log-in issues from a new device.

Milang over Ironbank by 4 goals yesterday. The margin was as wide as 8 goals for the Panthers with Ironbank failing to score a goal for nearly 2 quarters. Ironbank were assisted by plenty of hot wind from an assembled and uniformed Blackwood side behind the fence. Good to know they'd rather not play us.

So the Mighty Milang Panthers play Blackwood at Blackwood's home ground (funny that!) in the Grand Final on Friday night, Aug 21st. under lights (funny that too!).

We will go into the game fielding a team full of lads who play for the jumper, who do it for nothing and who don't have B's and A's to stack from.

GO PANTHERS! If you believe in genuine C's, be there for $2 on Aug. 21st and support real C grade footy!

HTR well done good to see Milang in the G/F all the best.

Great to see a club like Milang playing within their means in a suitable comp & making the final. Are the rules sufficient so Blackwood can't stack their side for the final or are there loopholes that will allow for manipulation from them. Good luck to Milang either way.

saintal wrote:Go the Panthers. Stick it up the suburbanites

Moreso coz its Blackwood

Good luck to the Milang boys - hope you can get up!

Pretty average decision having it scheduled at one of the competing sides home ground - plus the advantage that home side gets with sides playing in the grades above C 's and being able to manipulate the system with players.

Who makes these decisions ?

Surely a neutral ground could have been utilised in a geographical location between both clubs - both Hahndorf and Echunga have suitable lights.

Go the Panthers - Echunga will be hoping you win.

Really? Was at footy the other day and Milang have a great deck but would the lights be up to it? Hoping milang can cause what would be a huge upset and come home with the flag!

I'm not far away either. Catch you in the huddle HTR and sincere good wishes to the boys. Minus Blackwood you would have been after your second or third flag by now. The more support you get the better so lets all get behind the Panthers.

Being nearby I might just do that.

There seems to be a ludicrous situation in progress regarding the location of the Div 3 Grand Final this weekend.

Blackwood had been scheduled to host the event all year. Not a level playing field for the other participants given their power, but we were ready for it and accepted it. Needless to say, we had a lot of support from everywhere to overturn a BW home final but hadn't planned on playing anywhere else.

Then Saturday we were notified that the venue had changed and that we (Milang) would be hosting. We were obviously thrilled and began to gather the necessary support personnel. 24 hours later we are told that Blackwood want the GF back and are fighting to the finish to get it.

Cracka, you seem in the know. Wondering if you can enlighten as to why the venue changed to Pantherland in the first place, and then changed again?

What a load of shyte for us to deal with in GF week. Might be a bit a fun for Blackwood but it's a big few days for our Club and we'd like a fair go. And HFL politics aside, any reasonable person would have to wonder why a Grand Final is scheduled at a competing club's home ground, when that ground is already under water and steady rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday?

What is going on here ! You've got Milang Oval in pristine condition, versus Blackwood Oval which is deplorable. Who cares what Blackwood wants, do whats best for the game.

The tail has been waging the dog too many times recently when it comes to decisions like these.

There seems to be a ludicrous situation in progress regarding the location of the Div 3 Grand Final this weekend.

Blackwood had been scheduled to host the event all year. Not a level playing field for the other participants given their power, but we were ready for it and accepted it. Needless to say, we had a lot of support from everywhere to overturn a BW home final but hadn't planned on playing anywhere else.

Then Saturday we were notified that the venue had changed and that we (Milang) would be hosting. We were obviously thrilled and began to gather the necessary support personnel. 24 hours later we are told that Blackwood want the GF back and are fighting to the finish to get it.

Cracka, you seem in the know. Wondering if you can enlighten as to why the venue changed to Pantherland in the first place, and then changed again?

What a load of shyte for us to deal with in GF week. Might be a bit a fun for Blackwood but it's a big few days for our Club and we'd like a fair go. And HFL politics aside, any reasonable person would have to wonder why a Grand Final is scheduled at a competing club's home ground, when that ground is already under water and steady rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday?

Any reason it can't be played at a neutral venue eg Ironbank or Mt Lofty? Neither being used this weekend? Are they in better condition?

Its not like the hills footy league to make dodgy decisions...said no one ever.

Are these the same peanuts in charge of div 3 that sorted out relegation issues between div 1 and 2 so well oh hang on no they changed their minds about echunga coming up to div 1 initially then lost 60+k in court costs the following year because they cant even word their own documents correctly.

As stated earlier milang deck is in mint condition, if blackwoods isnt then move it...whats the drama? Im a fan of rotateing grand finals to all clubs so no issues with a home gf if a team is lucky enough to play in one or changing location if a club cant sort their oval out for a big game.

If it is the same people involved higher with hills fl that have backflipped and stuffed up on another decision then shame on them, again.

Legs Man wrote:

Alaska wrote:But they were still arguing where it was going to be played by the Papers deadline.

That says it all - absolute disgrace!

Think you'll find that the Blackwood president has a bit to answer for causing the delay in the final decision & for the confusion on where this game is being played.

Problem is it requires people to get off their complaining a**es, put their hand up & actually do something. Then they've got to cop the abuse coz no matter what they do or say, it will be wrong for someone. As I've found throughout life, people will complain on the smallest of issues but very rarely give praise for even the toughest decisions.

Fully understand Cracka and agree with your comment
It certainly would be a thankless job and taking into account it is fully voluntary not too many would put their hand up.
There may be a resistance from prospective new board members currently though as they won't nominate to be part of the current board.
To gain a fresh start and possibly gain a new board make up the current board needs to be dissolved in its entirety - make this known publicly - and promote it as a fresh start.
Promote it strongly that change is occurring and actively seek new board members.
If this results in current board members being re elected then the clubs and hills footy community have to live with it.

Is it a situation where anyone can nominate or do they need to be sanctioned by a current member?
If the latter - then maybe this is a roadblock?
Can you assist with the club of origin and serving time for current board members Cracka - as you have a good understanding of it?
Anyone can be nominated & has to be seconded. Can't nominate yourself.

Who do they have to be seconded by?
Anyone at the AGM, could be their mate sitting next to them if he wants.

I couldn't help but notice the total absence of a single mention of the HFL Div. 3 Grand Final in this week's Courier. I think this says it all in terms of the interest and respect the HFL has for this competition.

No-one in their right mind would nominate to be part of the existing HFL Board.

There needs to be a vote of no confidence in the entire Board and all positions declared vacant. There is a provision for this in the Constitution if the majority of member clubs agree. All it needs is a few clubs with enough b***ls to make it happen.