Disparity in Premier B raises questions on FTLOTG

The lopsided results after Round 4 of Premier B have raised interesting discussion regarding the possible re-grading of the men’s sections on the VAFA’s For the Love of the Game podcast with Joe Pignataro, Brian Waldron and Nick Armistead.

The disparity between sides in Premier B was showcased in its fullest on the weekend, with Old Carey defeating Mazenod by 93 points, St Bernard’s running over Ajax by 98 and Uni Blacks dismantling Monash Blues to the tune of 154 at the Uni Oval.

Speaking on FTLOTG, De La Salle President Brian Waldron raised the question after Monash kicked one goal while their opponents piled on 26.

“What happens now in B grade? Is there any side in C grade who could potentially come up to B grade now?

“I’m just asking the question because if you’re uncompetitive it has a detrimental impact across your whole club for a sustained period of time. A club like Blues (Monash), is there an argument that the bottom couple in B at the moment would be better served playing in C and the best in C come up? We do it in the girls.”

After three weeks of VAFA women’s football, the sections have been regraded to enable improved competitive balance, with the three Divisions affected by changes.

In reply to Brian, VAFA Head of Media Nick Armistead questioned if any club would subscribe to that model in the men’s competition after earning the right to compete in their section for the duration of the season.

“Do you think those clubs want to do that? Those clubs have worked hard to recruit, to improve so they can hopefully go up with the flag in hand, do you think that they’d be for it?”

Fitzroy, who were in Premier B in 2017, finished ninth on the ladder and fell to Premier C – they’re currently undefeated after four rounds and sitting second on the Premier C ladder. The Roys trail just Williamstown CYMS who are currently in top spot with a percentage of 196.25%.

The one-sided Premier B score lines didn’t go unnoticed with the host of VAFA Tragics Andrew Leonard raising it off the top of this week’s edition.

“Whilst that might be good result for the Blacks, I’m not sure it’s a good look for Premier B. This gap that’s growing between the top and the rest of the competition is just getting a little bit too big and it’s concerning. I’m not sure how we bridge it at the moment, the average winning margin on the weekend is 77.6 points, compared to William Buck Premier (29 points), how do we change it?”

The boys will be keeping a close eye on Premier B results this weekend where match-ups include Beaumaris vs. Uni Blacks, Monash vs. Mazenod, Parkdale vs. Old Carey, Caulfield vs. Ajax and Old Haileybury vs. St Bernard’s

The topic continues to be hotly debated across Twitter so join the conversation @VAFA_HQ.

Keep up to date with everything happening in the VAFA on VAFA Tragics released every Wednesday with Andrew Leonard and Nick Armistead plus the VAFA’s official podcast For The Love of the Game released Wednesday afternoon’s with Joe Pignataro, Nick Armistead and Brian Waldron.

Listen to this week’s podcast by clicking this LINK