Dingley coach David Barnes blasted the MPNFL after his team’s failure to kick a goal against Cranbourne last weekend.By Glen Atwell
THERE is no hiding the fact that the Dingley Football Club is struggling and will leave the Casey Cardinia League at the end of the season.
It was a dark day for the proud club on Saturday when the senior team failed to kick a goal against Cranbourne in its Casey Cardinia League match at Souter Oval.
However, according to coach David Barnes, the 151-point thrashing has not disheartened the dedicated youngsters that make up the bulk of the Dingley side.
“We have a youth policy and a number of talented teenagers and young players doing their very best for the club week in, week out,” he said.
Barnes said the MPNFL’s decision to disallow the Dingoes to leave the Casey-Cardinia competition pre-season was wrong.
“The other clubs voted in our favour, they understood the situation we were in,” he said. “But a couple of small-minded MPNFL executives thought otherwise.”
“The decision to force us to stay was absolutely ridiculous, they don’t care about football.”
Barnes said the club had no choice but to leave the Casey-Cardinia League at the end of the season.
“We’re out of there next year, we have absolutely no choice now.”
Only 11 players were available to play reserves on Saturday and the club turned to the Dingley community to fill the empty jumpers.
Barnes said a ‘number of blokes off the street’ helped out on the day.
“The Dingley community is right behind us,” he said.
Barnes said if the club could survive this year, it would be back bigger and better in 2007.
