There are so many follow up questions that need to be answered if the vote goes in favour of the Division split. ALL clubs will be trying to recruit to give themselves the best opportunity to finish up the ladder because who's going to want to play at a Div 2 side. It will become infinitely harder for those clubs out of the top 5/6 clubs to ever become competitive with the top group. Where does that leave the metro/regional zones? Does that become a free for all? Does the SACA funding stay the same? Do the Div 1 clubs get more than the Div 2 clubs? To get an opportunity at the next level, do you have to be at a Div 1 club? Would that mean someone with aspirations to play for the Redbacks, let's say Isaac Conway, would he have to leave Port and move to another club? Will they put in place rules around player movement between clubs?
My opinion is, this is their best way of getting what they want while allowing the individual clubs to keep their identities. The top 4/5 clubs will get to play each other every year and there'll be 2/3 teams on the periphery that will get an opportunity each year. I agree that there should be more to just this seasons results to determine the divisions. Club structure, finances, facilities and player development should all be part of the process.
Final thought, I wonder whether this will make clubs look at approaching other clubs to talk about merging???