THIS week, Hepburn Football Netball Club president Jason Dooley demanded an apology from myself, The Courier and The Advocate for a story that detailed the Burras had exceeded their player points cap in rounds one and two of the 2016 season.
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Following this email, I made contact with Dooley and Burras senior coach Jason Olver and apologised that the story was now shown to be incorrect.
However, I made it clear that at the time of print I felt that the club had breached its allocation. It was visible on the league’s website and after discussions with Olver around the issue – he was also shown the story before it was published – I determined it was factually correct.
Central Highlands Football League administrator Diane Ryan spoke to me about possible errors in the online team management system, which she felt could have contributed to the apparent breach. Following conversation with Olver, it was still felt that the Burras were over their limit.
Now, weeks later, an AFL Goldfields audit has shown the Burras were under their cap on both occasions. While The Courier has since clarified the updated information, it believed the evidence at the time pointed to a breach.
There has been many articles published by The Courier regarding the issues the league has endured with the new player points system, some of which have been the subject of follow-up statements on the CHFL website. Some of these insinuate there is an effort by myself and fellow journalists to push a particular agenda.
This is offensive and simply not true. – Tim O’Connor