REPRESENTATIVE football has been a hot topic among Farrer League circles for the entire five seasons I've been covering the competition.
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Every year during the annual Gerald Clear Medal presentation night someone or other makes sure to point out the need for players to support the concept.
In 2011 it was Brad Langtry during his medal acceptance speech, and last year it was league president David "Sandman" Oehm.
The message is spread every season urging Farrer League players to put their hand up and make themselves available to play.
It's baffling to think league officials - and in Langtry's case current players - would even need to push others towards representative football.
Surely anyone would feel honoured to be asked to pull on a Farrer League jumper and represent their competition?
It's baffling to think league officials - and in Langtry's case current players - would even need to push others towards representative football.
It should be seen as an honour, rather than a chore.
The attitude of some players towards representing the league is disappointing, to put it mildly.
But it's been that way for a long time and it doesn't look like changing any time soon.
In no way should we tar all Farrer League players with the same brush.
Of course there are those who relish the chance to play representative football whenever they are called on, and you would hope they make up the majority.
The issue is with the ones who should be representing the league but choose not to.
The league has attempted to crack down on players dodging representative "duties" in the past but it's an easy one to get around if you really want to.
You would only have to plan an alibi - family holiday, business trip etcetera - in advance for that weekend and you have a ready-made excuse not to play.
In some cases you can see why a certain player might not want to commit his weekend to one game.
For a lot of bush footballers it's just not convenient to jump on a bus and go away for a day or two.
A lot of them have families, farms and other jobs to consider a priority ahead of football.
All the league can do is try to make representative football more appealing to the players.
There was reports a couple of years ago that players were banned from drinking on the team bus on the way home from playing in Newcastle.
Simple things like refusing them a beer after a game is a sure route to turning them off the trip.
There has been talk in the past of rewarding players - with a cash incentive for example - who make the commitment to play.
It's an idea that would probably work, but at the same time the Farrer League doesn't want to be emptying its pockets for players who might not want to be there anyway.
Simple things like refusing them a beer after a game is a sure route to turning them off the trip.
In the past the league has selected its squad of players, sent the letters to clubs and waited for the first training run to see who arrives.
Maybe the onus should be on clubs at the start of the year to put forward a list of players who are willing and will be available to play the representative weekend.
The Hume League introduced this system this year after struggling with a similar problem.
Hume League clubs must now nominate three of its top-line players for representative selection.
It would take the heat off selectors, who would instead have a list of available players in front of them from which to pick a team.
Clubs should also be pushing their players towards representative football.
After all, they are not just representing the league when they run out to play.
There's probably work to do on both sides of the fence before the Farrer League can get its system down pat.