New East Wagga-Kooringal coach Jake Barrett is confident the Hawks won't have any issues with the player points system next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Barrett has begun his time at Gumly Oval with a bang as the Hawks have lured some of the best footballers in the Riverina for next season.
Jerry Maslin, Dylan Morton, Mason Dryburgh, Luke Gerhard, Jeremy Piercy and Zac Randal have all signed at the Hawks since Barrett's arrival.
It has left some questioning whether the Hawks will be able to squeeze the players in within the player points system, an issue that plagued Barrett in his last season in charge at Coolamon this year.
But the former Greater Western Sydney and Brisbane Lions footballer is confident the Hawks will be under the Farrer League limit of 37 points.
"I worked that out and I made sure it was," Barrett said.
"I think this year with Coolamon, we had them players come late and we weren't going to say no. That's why it did hurt us but the year before we had so many injuries.
"I think this year (at EWK), if we can get one or two more it would still be good, if people do come late, you've just got to have those conversations.
"We're going to be just on, if we are."
MORE SPORT NEWS
Barrett revealed that Morton will be a marquee recruit at the Hawks, given his time at South Australian National Football League (SANFL) level. That drops him to two points.
Piercy and Randal are EWK juniors so they will be one-point players.
Barrett, Maslin and Dryburgh are expected to be four points, the standard for players crossing from a 'premium' competition to community league.
Gerhard is expected to be graded as five points since he is crossing from the Riverina League but also is playing against a former club.
The only players on the Hawks existing list worth multiple points in 2024 will be Jackson Hughes (three points), Wes Clark (three points), Xavier McDevitt (two points) and Connor Quade (two points).
Barrett admits the player points system adds another tough dimension to coaching these days.
"It's hard. It's such a hard thing to manage these days," he said.
"I feel more sorry for an 18-year-old, who goes to a club, just wants to play a game of football and gets points attached to him. That shouldn't happen.
"The club he's at could have a terrible culture, or he just wants to go a higher level and better his football and he gets points attached to him.
"It's just unfair these days for young kids."
Barrett believes AFL NSW-ACT should look at a rule previously applied in AFL Queensland where players under the age of 20 get a point deducted.
"I like the points system, I just think it needs to be reviewed," he said.
The Hawks' points squeeze is nothing new in either the Riverina or Farrer League competition in recent seasons.
Farrer League rivals The Rock-Yerong Creek and Marrar have both faced points squeezes in previous seasons.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters