By DAVID NAGEL
CASEY CARDINIA FOOTBALL LEAGUE – round 16
KEYSBOROUGH Football Club will bite the bullet and apply for a transfer to the Southern Football League for next season.
A subcommittee recommendation was endorsed by the club’s board, Burra members then voting unanimously to make the switch from the Casey Cardinia Football League at the end of this season.
Keysborough will now submit information to a supportive SFL board that need to endorse the move before submitting an application to AFL Victoria for rubber stamping.
Burra president Manny Scata said there was a very simple reason behind the decision to move.
“Basically it’s about the survival and future of our club and, with that in mind, no other decision could be made,” Scata said.
“Without juniors coming through we just can’t be competitive with the top-tier clubs in Casey Cardinia, like Narre Warren and Cranbourne, who have one of the fastest growing corridors in Australia on their doorstep.
“We don’t expect to be giant killers in Southern; we just want to become a competitive and vibrant club once again, and divisional football suits that need.”
Keysborough will consult with its current playing list and the SFL before a decision is made on which of the three SFL divisions it will commence in.
The Burra heads into its final two games in the Casey Cardinia league in the right frame of mind after a competitive 56-point loss to Beaconsfield at Rowley Allen Reserve.
The Burra – who travel to ROC this week before hosting Hampton Park in a last-round showdown to avoid this year’s wooden spoon- showed glimpses of their best football on Saturday against a true double-chance contender. The Burra trailed by just five points at quarter time, which stretched to 22 at the main break, before a third-quarter lapse gave the Eagles an opening and – as good teams do – they pounced. A 5.5 to 0.1 third term locked away the four points before the Burra squared away the final stanza.
Davor Rajic and best and fairest favourite, Geoff Humphreys, kicked two each for the Burra, who also had big-man Bryce Sutton, the elusive Tim Werner and skipper Ryan Goodes in good form throughout.
Beaconsfield centre-half-forward, Shaun Pollard, continued his fantastic recent form, slotting four goals for the winners.
