By Lance Jenkinson
Manor Lakes will not be fielding men’s seniors or reserves teams against Wyndhamvale in the Western Region Football League division 2 this weekend.
The Storm conveyed to its players in a meeting on Thursday night that both teams would be pulled from the competition for the remainder of the 2019 season.
However, in a statement released by the WRFL on Friday that added confusion to the situation, the league has left the door open for the Storm to return to action after this weekend’s forfeited matches.
The statement read in part: “The club’s position for future rounds of 2019 remains subject to further discussions between the club and league next week”.
Manor Lakes club president Shane White was contacted for clarification, but he was advised by the WRFL not to speak to the media.
The Storm players, who are in limbo, are showing signs of urgency around their futures.
Some players were preparing for their departures from the Storm on Friday with clearances put into the league for processing.
Storm player-coach Dion Lawson is stuck in the middle of wanting what it best for both the club and his players.
“It’s a difficult situation to be in,” Lawson said.
“You’ve obviously got to look at both sides of the coin.
“We want to make sure there’s a club that is sustainable down there next year and we’ve got to make sure we do everything in our power to do that.
“You’ve also got to look at it from a playing group and a personal playing perspective.
“At the end of the day, if the club wants to be around for the next five, six, 10 years, it’s unfortunately a step that the club has decided to take and think it’s the way to keep the club alive in the future.”
The question on everyone’s lips is, why has Manor Lakes decided to pull its teams out of the competition?
The WRFL did not elaborate on the reasons in its statement and Manor Lakes’ committee has been gagged from talking about the situation by the league.
Lawson can only go on what was told in meetings between the committee and the playing group.
He understands the financial sustainability of the club could be compromised if the seniors and reserves teams play out the rest of the season.
“I can only say from the information that I’ve been told, but I think there’s a variety of different reasons why we’re in the situation that we’re in,” Lawson said.
“The easiest way to explain it is that it’s snowballed year after year and unfortunately it’s reached a point where there’s been a few people who have put their foot down and said if we don’t change it now, when are we going to change it?
“The club can go through the rest of the year and potentially pay the players what they’re owed or need to be owed.
“What we’ve also got to look at is there’s other expenses you’ve got to put in there like league fees, day to day operations and other costs.
“It all adds up at the end of the day. If the club can stay in a good position and focus on the juniors for the rest of the year, it’s something that can obviously help.”
Lawson understands there will be no issue surrounding outstanding player payments.
In the briefing on Thursday night, players were told that payments for the first eight rounds will be processed by Manor Lakes within a fortnight.
“We were meant to get paid this week, but with this decision [to forfeit matches this weekend], they’ve held off and I think everything is meant to be processed over the next week or two,” Lawson said.
“All players will be paid up until round eight.
“It’s obviously just a better forecast for the club if they are not worried about paying the playing group [for the rest of the season] and paying the fees for the league and other operational expenses.
“That’s only my perspective though. I don’t sit in committee meetings and I’ve never looked at their financial books, so this is just the information I’m hearing.”
Lawson understands that Manor Lakes is hoping to field seniors and reserves teams in 2020, much like other WRFL clubs Glen Orden and Parkside, who sat out a season and returned the following year.
In the meantime, Lawson said it was important for the WRFL and Manor Lakes to facilitate a smooth transition for players to join new clubs, so they can play out the rest of the season.
“I think they’ve got to make sure they provide an environment that’s accepting to cater for this mass leaving of the footy club,” Lawson said.
“It’s all about seeing what we can do for the rest of the year to make sure the boys will be able to have a kick if they want to have a kick and make sure they’ve got a home to go to and have a run around.”
The senior women’s team and all junior grades will not be impacted and games will continue as scheduled.
