A lack of team registrations has forced the cancellation of the David Peachey Foundation Aboriginal rugby league carnival in Dubbo this weekend.
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Event co-ordinator Irene Peachey said the cancellation was disappointing but had not deterred the organising committee from pushing ahead with plans for next year.
Ms Peachey said they needed 20 teams to make the competition viable but had only received 14 nominations up to the cut-off date this week.
She said the Dubbo carnival was established to provide easier access for country teams and supporters, who found it difficult to attend the event being held in Sydney.
Dubbo last hosted the carnival in 2000 but had not been able to since, due to the National Aboriginal Rugby League Association (NARLA) rules, which granted hosting rights to each year's winning team.
However, NARLA has since folded due to disputes arising from the hosting rights.
Last year, a group under the banner of the Cec Patten-Ron Merritt Aboriginal rugby league knockout hosted a competition at Redfern.
The same group is hosting a similar competition again this year.
Ms Peachey said the Dubbo carnival was not set up in opposition to the Sydney event but to provide an alternative for country people.
"It's terribly disappointing that we were not able to attract enough teams this year," she said.
"But we are confident of gaining more support next year - we're determined to keep it going."
Ms Peachey admitted there has been a lot of division among rival camps trying to seize control of the knockout.
But she didn't believe that was the reason for the lack of numbers for the Dubbo competition.
"There has been a lot of rivalry among different groups but we tried to avoid all that and concentrate on getting this carnival established," she said.
"We received a lot of support from teams around the region and fantastic in-kind support from businesses, agencies and individuals in Dubbo.
"I'm disappointed for their sake because they have been so good to us.
"But we are determined to press on and make this something Dubbo can be proud of."