Country Rugby League boss Terry Quinn has slammed suggestions that it’s unsafe for NRL Victoria’s schoolboys side to compete at the annual Southern Zone Country Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Quinn was speaking after Group 11 under 15s coach Shawn Townsend raised questions, following his side’s 24-6 grand final defeat at Apex Oval on Sunday.
NRL Victoria fielded sides in both the under 14 and 15s age groups, taking out both Southern Cup finals to progress to the Country Championships deciders against Northern Zone this weekend.
Both teams featured a large majority of players of Polynesian descent.
They brought the ball skills, speed and athleticism to be expected of state teams, and redefined the term ‘hard-hitting’.
“They’ve got an advantage straight away because they’re just physically bigger than every other kid here,” Group 11 under 15s coach Shawn Townsend said.
“You’ve got little kids from Nyngan, Forbes, Parkes competing against kids that could be 20 kilos heavier than them.
“The last couple of years, they’re tackling so hard kids are breaking bones. I don’t know what it’s going to take, Country Rugby League is it going to take a kid with a broken neck against these kids for them to say you’re going to have to go somewhere else?”
Quinn was angered by the comments, saying “that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life”.
He questioned where else the Victorian players could be exposed to such high quality competition.
“We’ve never had a complaint against a Victorian side in the time they’ve been playing,” Quinn said.
“We’ve got to do what we think is best for the sport of rugby league. If there’s a big kid in Group 11 what, do you kick him out?”
Quinn said grading players by weight, not age, was unfeasible in country areas with small player numbers.
Townsend was at pains not to blame the young Victorian players, whose skill and speed he praised.
“It’s not their fault. That’s the cards they’ve been dealt with,” he said.
“They tackle hard and they run hard … You can’t complain if someone tackles your kid hard because that’s exactly what you’d want them to do to them … That’s what you teach your kids.”
Quinn urged anyone with concerns to lodge a formal complaint with CRL.