Dubbo CYMS won’t be part of the 2017 Group 10 competition, but the club’s proposal to change premierships will spark one of the biggest changes to the Western Rams region in over half a century.
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Country Rugby League chief executive officer Terry Quinn revealed a meeting will be held on February 14 with change to the region’s rugby league competitions, namely Group 11 and Group 10, likely.
It’s a massive move from both CRL and the Western Rams region, with the Group competition structure being in place for over 70 overs in both areas.
The catalyst for the meeting, CYMS, has been vocal in its ambition to compete against rugby league clubs from centres of similar size to Dubbo, specifically Orange and Bathurst – both cities have two sides compete in Group 10.
The proposal was, predictably, shot down at the Group 11 annual general meeting at the beginning of November, with each club is the competition having serious concerns.
That decision that was later backed at the Western Rams AGM at Wellington last Tuesday.
Neither governing body was prepared to let the strongest entity in Group 11 abandon the others in a potentially crippling move to the seven remaining clubs.
As a result of being defused at a local level, CYMS vowed to take the proposal to the top and Quinn was aware of the club’s ambition.
“(The proposal) could be heading our way, but we’ll follow the lead of the Western Region,” Quinn said.
“In fact I think they need to sit down, we need to sit down, and look at the whole region; competitions and make-up for the whole region, not just teams jumping from one to the other.”
They’ll see some common sense. Stick for the moment.
- Terrry Quinn's message to Dubbo CYMS
Quinn said he understood where the Fishies were coming from, with Dubbo – although the city boasts three sides in the form of CYMS, Macquarie and Westside – nearly four times the size, population wise, of its nearest Group 11 competition, Parkes.
“I’ve had conversations with (CYMS president) Kevin Walkom and I understand they’ve very strong, got a strong financial backing ... (but) we’ve got to make the best decision for the game,” Quinn said.
“They’ll see some common sense. Stick for the moment.”
He was confident CYMS would do just that and stay, admitting change was imminent for the entire region as the CRL continued its own review of competitions after the NRL’s pathway review was released.
“We think (change is coming), and the opportunity is coming with restructures in 2018 ... a big part of that is us; Country,” he added.
“We want to be part of it and make sure it’s positive, and give players in the bush the opportunity to stay home until they get to where they want to be.”
Quinn said, despite CYMS offering Group 10 a say in the matter, chairman Linore Zamparini and his new board of directors wouldn’t get a vote on the move.
“No,” Quinn said emphatically at Monday’s City-Country announcement in Mudgee’s Glen Willow complex.
