Narromine Jets president Michael Burns can't wait to see his side in a competition where players play purely for the love of his game.
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That was his message after the Jets' long and storied time in Group 11 came to an end on Sunday.
After a number of difficult years in Group 11 it was confirmed on Sunday the Jets will now call the Castlereagh League home.
A struggle for player numbers and a smaller volunteer base was key to the decision, as was the Jets' desire to not be part of the new western-wide Peter McDonald Premiership which will start next season.
It was a unanimous decision from the existing nine Castlereagh League clubs to welcome the Jets into the competition and there's real excitement within the club for the times ahead.
"We're going back to a competition where players want to play football for the pure fact of playing football," Burns said.
"They're not doing it for the wrong reason of playing for money.
"We've been speaking to sponsors and supporters and players for awhile now and they've all said the same thing about going to that competition so that can only hold us in good stead."
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Burns said the majority of people he's spoken to have supported the move while Chris Deighton, the Castlereagh president, has welcomed the Jets into the competition.
"Obviously Castlereagh League is doing something right in terms of providing footy for our communities," he said.
"We are not a 'cheque book' competition and we thrive on having players, clubs, sponsors and supporters who just want to have local rugby league in their town.
"The way our competition is run makes it viable for small communities to have teams and continue to do so.
"We look forward to the Narromine Jets becoming a valued member of the Castlereagh community."
A club with a proud tradition in Group 11, the Jets won four of their 11 first grade premierships in the 1950s.
There was also a period of real strength in the early 2000s, with premierships won in 2000 and 2005 while there was also multiple titles won in the under 18s competition during that time.
But numbers have dwindled since, and the club won just three games across all four grades in a 2021 season that was ultimately cut short by COVID.
The Jets have now committed to fielding a senior side and a league tag team for the 2022 Castlereagh League season while they will soon decide if there is the player pool for a Youth League team.
To be competitive in Group 11 first grade you need at least $150,000 and that's embarrassing.
- Michael Burns
"If there's any Narromine juniors who want to play for us or blokes who haven't played for us for three or four years, we'd love you have you because we're aiming for a team of 95 per cent Narromine juniors," Burns said, before speaking about the benefit of having a team of locals.
"It takes the pressure off us as a committee because it's the same people each year. This year we have a few new people on the committee and that's great. But to be competitive in Group 11 first grade you need at least $150,000 and that's embarrassing.
"We're running our club with a lot less than that. You couldn't buy a new car with what we run our club on."
While some often see the Castlereagh League as one with a standard well below the neighbouring Group 11 competition, it has made great strides in recent years.
There's currently 10 clubs set to play in the senior competition next season while the league tag competition has gone from strength to strength.
A number of standout individuals have also shone in both divisions and earned higher representative honours.
"I haven't had anything to with the Castlereagh League committee but at the meeting they all seemed like a good, hard-working bunch of people who only had rugby league in their minds," Burns said,.
"Everything they spoke about always came back to the betterment of rugby league, which is really refreshing.
"It's always a throwaway line that it's a pub footy but it's a great competition and there's some really good players in the competition and I can only see it going forward.
"You look at the list of premiers and there's been a couple of clubs who have been strong throughout the time but they've shared it around. Anyone is a chance on the day and we're really happy to be there."
The Jets plan to announce their coaches this week while there will also be a Facebook live session on the club Facebook page where Burns will discuss the competition switch with players, sponsors and supporters and answer any questions they have.