New ruling to allow Ongerup Football Association players to help out Albany Sharks during bye week

A ruling to allow players from the team with a bye in the Ongerup Football Association to play for the Albany Sharks will be introduced for the rest of the Great Southern Football League season. The Statewide cut-off date for player clearances from one league to another is tomorrow. However the GSFL and OFA are both supportive of a move that will assist the struggling Sharks with a handful of senior players each week. The ruling will allow players to transfer into the GSFL and play for the Sharks and then still be cleared back to their home club, despite the transfer window being shut. The WA Country Football League is understood to be in support of the proposal. In round one, the Sharks had Boxwood Hill duo Isaac Baum and Jeremy Walker play in their league side. Boxwood had the bye last weekend and Walker made the trip in to play for the Sharks along with teammates Hayden Richter and Tom Bertola. The OFA has condensed the football season to six regular rounds where each of the five teams play each other once. The finals will be held over three weekends with the grand final set down for September 5 which is round nine in the GSFL. GSFL president Joe Burton said this was a way to help the Sharks with more senior players. “It’s going to happen,” he said. “The Ongerup league has supported it, the WACFL support it and now it’s just sorting the rules and regulations around it. “It makes sense and is a great idea, hopefully it can work and help the Sharks with some more senior players. “Sharks have done a great job off the field and I think they have the capacity on-field to turn things around very quickly because they have got the right people involved.” Sharks president Tracy Blaszkow said the support was welcomed. “We had players in round one and three from the OFA,” she said. “Anything that can help us is great, if we can get it across the board and get a few more senior players every week from that team with the bye in the OFA would be great. We have to get permission from the WACFL, they will ultimately make the decision but it has been supported. “There is a fine balance between our young players and the guys who have been here doing the work playing league but we feel this will make us more competitive in the remaining seven weeks.” Lake Grace-Pingrup have the bye in the OFA this week.