THE Griffith Swans are set to vote against a proposed move by Collingullie-Ashmont Kapooka (CAK) into the Riverina Football League, after the club was granted a shock release from the Farrer League earlier this week.

The negative stance from the Swans comes after the club’s committee met on Wednesday night to discuss the issue, which has turned the Australian rules community upside down.

Both CAK and The Rock-Yerong Creek were given permission to leave the Farrer League by a three-man independent tribunal, sparking questions about the validity of an 11-team Riverina Football League (RFL).

Griffith president Robert Harrington said it was an overwhelming no vote from Wednesday night’s meeting, saying an extra team in Wagga was not in the best interests of the Swans.

Harrington also said the club held real fears of being frozen out of the RFL in the future if CAK was allowed to enter the competition.

“We already have 10 teams, and if they (CAK) came in that would be six Wagga sides,” Harrington said.

“And a few years down the track, what’s to stop them from forming a Wagga-only competition and leaving us out in the cold.

“We’re not just looking to next year with our decision, we’re looking 10 years down the track because we have been in the comp since nearly the beginning.”

But Harrington conceded the club would hold further talks, saying this week’s drastic decision had caught the organisation on the hop.

CAK has already started to woo the Swans, with president Scott Lewington offering to bring the Demons to Exies Oval twice a year.

Harrington confirmed the CAK president had approached him about the issue of travel, but questioned how long its offer to cut out one away-game a year would last.

Lewington confirmed the Demons would officially submit a proposal to enter the RFL today, and hoped the league would allow them to make their pitch to the clubs in their prospective new home.

“I would really like to have the opportunity to address the meeting and explain why we want to join,” Lewington said.

“Look, this isn’t a short-term idea that we have thought of this year.

“We pride ourselves on developing our players and our junior ranks have been very strong for a number of years, but we felt the need to go to a different competition to ensure the longevity of the club.”

Lewington also rejected suggestions that CAK’s addition to the RFL could spark a Wagga-only competition in the future.