Club denies $30,000 theft claim by rival

By Rebecca Fraser
TWO warring sports clubs have publicly aired their differences with one club hitting back at allegations they stole $30,000 from the other.
At a committee meeting held at Casey’s council chambers on Tuesday night, the Narre South Lions Junior Football Club and Maranatha Methodist Cricket Club (MMCC) each gave 10-minute presentations on ground allocations at Strathaird Reserve for winter 2006, and spoke of the issues each club was experiencing.
The move follows a bitter split between the two clubs with the Narre South Lions Junior Football Club (NSLJFC) forced to break away from the MMCC to form their own incorporated club.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Mick Rogers of the NSLJFC said prior to breaking away from the MMCC, the club did not have its own bank account and no one from the junior football club was signatories to the cricket club’s account.
However, Mr Rogers said this was despite all funds raised from the junior football club going straight in the MMCC’s account.
In a tabled council report, the MMCC has alleged that there is a discrepancy of about $30,000 of income missing and have advised council that they are in the process of taking legal action against NSLJFC to recover the money allegedly owed to them.
This week councillor Rob Wilson, secretary of the MMCC, presented information to Narre Warren police regarding this allegation.
However, Detective Senior Constable Brian Whitehead of Narre Warren CIU said the matter would only be investigated if both parties presented fully audited books to police.
Det Sen Const Whitehead said he had spoken to the NSLJFC this week and they were more than happy to present their independently audited books to police.
But he had left three messages with Cr Wilson seeking the same from the MMCC, but had received no response.
“He (Cr Wilson) appears to have gone very silent on the issue.
“Unless he comes and talks to me and presents the independently audited books, we will not be taking this any further.
“Mr Wilson only left a brief outline of the allegations and some other documents and I could not see anything there that would warrant an investigation,” he said.
President of the MMCC Rob Ward also gave a presentation and spoke of his club’s vision for the future stating that the club would like to have disabled sports, cricket for blind players at the reserve as well as netball, Auskick and soccer this year.
However, Cr Lorraine Wreford questioned this and asked the MMCC how they “seriously” expected to house all those sports at one reserve.
Mr Rich said he was interesting to hear that the MMCC had a desire to provide disabled sports at Strathaird Reserve, as at a recent committee of management meeting, Cr Wilson moved that a disabled toilet be removed from stage-two works at the Narre Warren South reserve to make way for more storage space.
Mr Ward also conceded that there had been management issues but said the MMCC had done nothing wrong.
Mr Ward said they hoped to have 200 junior football players playing for the newly formed Casey Central Junior Football Club this year.
This statement led to eruptions of laughter in the packed out public gallery from members and supporters of the NSLJFC.
Mr Rogers said their club currently had more than 150 players and were well on they way to achieving their target of 10 junior teams.
Council will announce the ground allocations next Tuesday.