The Western Women's Rugby League competition is one of the best outside of Sydney.
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Having started in 2018, its gone from strength-to-strength and has already helped develop players who have gone on to play in the NRLW.
WWRL president Andrew Pull said the competition is "light years" ahead of most others in the bush while Cheynoah Amone - someone with an NRLW contract - described the competition as "scary" after helping the Panorama Platypi claim a grand final win at Bathurst last weekend.
There's plenty to be proud of.
But despite that, there's a bubbling undercurrent below the competition. Its success means most people involved want the season to be longer, want more opportunity to play the tackle format, and have more time to help young players progress.
And therein lies the problem.
The bigger and better the competition gets, the more work it creates for itself.
We've covered the WWRL and its timing on the sporting calendar at length and people calling for it to move to winter is nothing new.
But it's approaching a breaking point. Something has to give sooner rather than later.
The NSW Rugby League and WWRL met in July of this year and the topic of moving the competition to winter was raised there.
There's been nothing concrete to come out of that while Pull said just this week there's hopes for another meeting but there's yet to be any conversation.
For the good of the game, NSW Rugby League has to act.
The word around the women's game is the Dubbo, Group 10 and Lachlan junior league competitions will introduce an under 14s girls' tackle division next winter and that's another step forward for the game.
Growing the numbers will prove it can be sustainable and launched with confidence.
That launch doesn't have to be next year. Putting a timeframe on it - as Vipers president and Orange footy great Martin Power said last month - could be the way to go.
Power's suggestion was work towards 2027. He backed it up by saying it gives time to have strong player numbers and a volunteer base given so many currently involved in the WWRL are also linked with local clubs during the winter seasons.
People might not agree, but it's something. It's someone thinking constructively about the game and wanting the best for game.
There's no doubt the NSWRL wants the best for game as well and it's clearly something that is being looked into, but giving some idea of where we're at would be welcomed by clubs and players.
The whisper this season was a number of Wiradjuri Goannas players could now hang up the boots. Would they be more likely to stick around if they knew in a couple of years they could have a full-length season in winter to be a part of? The chance to be part of history could keep them involved. We don't want to lose players to this uncertainty.
Anyone involved in rugby league in this area knows things can drag on.
There were dozens of Peter McDonald Premiership draft draws created before the 2023 season and it created a huge amount of confusion before the final fixtures were revealed just weeks before the competition kicked off.
We don't want that here. We want clarity. We want a plan. We want the best for a competition that has quickly become one of the biggest positives for sport in the western area.
And while we're at it, let's hurry up and get the 2024 PMP draw released as well.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
