28th June, 2006
Roos forfeit Nottingham win due to ineligible player
by Adam Bennett

The Roos have forfeitted the win against the Nottingham Scorpions on the 24th June, due to an ineligible player registration. The league ruled that one player registered as an EU from previous seasons did not qualify under the league rules and should be registered as an Aussie, therefore the match result was reversed and Nottingham take the points.

The error in registration was not made out of any wish to break the rules or take an unfair advantage, and the Roos stand by the league's decision and will abide by it. Currently we're looking into the previous registrations made for that player and if previous approval from the league can be recovered, then the decision may be appealed.

The issue also raised the point that there may be a perception in the Regional league that the Roos do flaunt the rules and play more Aussies than the rules allow on the pitch at one time. I assure you that this is not the case and that we do keep close track of the players we have on the pitch at any one time. We are blessed with a number of very good Aussie players, coupled with a core of EU players who learned some hard lessons playing in the London league and the International Cup in Australia, but learned these lessons well and put them into practice on the pitch.

The situation against Nottingham was a mistake made in ignorance, not maliciousness, and will not be repeated. The Roos have conducted a thorough audit of all players to ensure that they met with current league rules regarding eligibility.

The match reversal, coupled with the loss to Nottingham a couple of weeks later, swaps the top two in the Regional league, and with the Scorpions firing on all cylinders, will make it very difficult to finish the season on top of the Regional ladder, but the play-offs are still very accessible, so the Grand Final win of 2004 can still be repeated.

Any questions or concerns regarding this situation, which is now considered closed, should be addressed to me and will be responded to at the first opportunity.

Adam Bennett
Club President and Captain
Reading Kangaroos