League change under review

By David Nagel
THE proposal put forward by the Devon Meadows Football Club to move from the Casey Cardinia Football League to the Nepean Football League for season 2012 will be decided on within the next two weeks.
An answer on the proposal is expected to be finalised before the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (MPNFL) Board meet on Monday 5 December.
A delegation from the Panthers committee met with the MPNFL board last week, which resulted in some minor amendments to the original proposal.
The revised proposal is now in the hands of the MPNFL.
“We met with Devon Meadows last Tuesday, and they put forward their case,” League operations manager Ian Benson said this week.
“As it stands right now, we are arranging meetings and seeking comment from Casey Cardinia and Nepean League clubs.
“It’s not my decision; it’s up to the clubs to decide what’s going to happen.
“We would hope to have things finalised before our meeting on 5 December.”
One of the Panthers’ main concerns is their ability to grow at the same rate as some of their CCFL rivals, notably Cranbourne and Narre Warren, and they would like a return to a more rural setting.
Devon Meadows president, Allan King, said the club has had a very fair hearing from the league.
“We’ve been extremely happy with how the board has handled our proposal; they’ve taken everything on board and treated the issue seriously,” King said.
“We’re sort of in a holding pattern right now, we’re just waiting to hear back.
“We know the timeframe is tight if we’re going to play in the Nepean in 2012, so we expect a decision in the near future.
“If things don’t go our way, we’ll reload and try again for 2013.”