Tara Murray
North Sunshine president Rob Telfer said the decision to forfeit their final round senior men’s and reserves matches is a line in the sand moment for the Western Region Football League club.
The Roadrunners, who sit bottom in the seniors and fifth in the reserves in division 3, announced the decision on social media on Tuesday night. They were set to face Laverton in both matches.
It comes after their senior match with Tarneit on Saturday was called off early. Tarneit was leading 16.14 (110)-10.7 (67) at the time.
“Following the events from this past weekend, it is the decision of the North Sunshine Football Club executive committee that both the men’s reserves and senior matches scheduled for this weekend will be forfeited essentially ending the 2022 campaign for our men,” the social media post said.
“This decision was not made lightly however the executive committee feels it is the appropriate action given what has occurred.
“The club will now undertake a full investigation into the weekend’s events.”
Telfer told Star Weekly, that while not everyone will agree with the decision, it was something he and the committee stood by.
He knows they have to get better as a club.
“We think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “Next year we will start a fresh, this draws a line in sand. We are not going to accept this behaviour.
“We want to try and rebuild the club and have positive vibes going forward.”
Telfer said in situations where the games have been called off, himself and the coaches have made the move to prevent it getting worse.
In the game against Tarneit, footage seen by Star Weekly shows players wrestling after a free kick was awarded to Tarneit for a dangerous tackle.
Players from both sides can be seen pushing and shoving before the pack grows with players continuing to wrestle.
The footage later shows a confrontation between the two teams on the sidelines after the had called off the match.
In a statement the league said both teams would be stripped of four premiership point and would be fined $2500 each.
“The investigation pertaining to the incident and individuals involved remains ongoing, with the likelihood of further charges to follow,” the statement said.
“The league acknowledges and appreciates the full and ongoing cooperation of both clubs involved.”
It’s the second senior match this season called off early. Wyndhamvale and Newport were stripped of points by the league following an investigation.
Telfer said there had been incidents in the league and across local football, which had seen games called off early due to player behaviour.
He said there’s the ongoing education to players to walk away and not getting involved.
“It’s a difficult thing.”
Telfer said while it was a disappointing way to end the men’s season, there was still lots of positives within the club.
He highlighted the women’s side, saying there had been no incidents occur in their matches.
They were also able to field junior teams again, despite struggling for numbers.
