RUGBY UNION
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DEFENDING GrainCorp Cup south premiers Blayney has come up with a NFL-like conference proposal to help alleviate the ever-growing Central West Rugby Union second tier of massively long road trips.
Rams president Craig Gosewisch isn’t impressed with the initial proposal that had Blayney embarking on trips to Grenfell (124km), West Wyalong (227km) and Condobolin (239km) and added new routs to Cootamundra (187km) and Temora (230km) in 2016.
The Rams’ closest away games against Molong and CSU Orange were also scraped after both were bumped to the north division.
Still using the south and north formula, the Rams propose the first eight weeks of the competition to run in a conference system, which would mean the smaller of the Central West Rugby Union’s clubs will benefit from more localised rugby and the support generated by such fixtures.
In the three conference system, Blayney would be grouped alongside Canowindra and northern sides Molong, CSU Orange and Yeoval in a central conference, the south conference would be made up of Temora, Cootamundra, Grenfell, West Wyalong and Condobolin while the north would be Trangie, Coonabarabran, Geurie, Wellington and Coolah.
The remaining six weeks of the regular season would then be used to play the other sides in their respective north and south divisions, with Blayney’s run home consisting of games against south sides Grenfell, West Wyalong, Condobolin, Cootamundra and Temora but, crucially, not all of them will be away from home.
“We just want things a bit more local,” he said.
“We put this forward to Central West (Rugby Union) and we’re hoping to hear back soon.
“Basically, we’re tired of the President’s Cup being a dumping ground. People in the Blowes Cup don’t understand how much support we get at games, and if we’re travelling upwards of three hours at a time we’re not getting that.
“Ag College forfeited to us in Blayney last year ... how are they going to go travelling to Trangie or Coonabarabran?”
CSU Orange president John Melville said the proposal had his full support.
“We’re backing it,” Melville said.
“We’re working hard on getting a team and being competitive in 2016 but it’ll make it hard if we’re travelling over two hours every second week.
“If there’s teams 40 minutes down the road, we should be playing them.”
Gosewisch was hopeful the system would work, and said the Blayney club was fully supportive of both Cootumundra and Temora making the move from the Southern Inland Rugby Union premiership into the CWRU second tier in 2016.
“(The conferences) would definitely help a club like Ag College as well, they were only a couple of players off being a pretty decent side last season.”