“IT’S all because the board is trying to encourage teams to play”.

Central West Rugby Union chief executive officer Peter Veenstra made an effort to justify his board’s decision to abandon the penalties in place for clubs forfeiting Blowes Clothing Cup colts match-ups, after CSU Bathurst club captain Jarrod Hyde expressed his club’s frustration with the move.

Hyde explained CSU already felt, prior to the season, the change in format to the colts competition put the club at a significant disadvantage thanks to their reliance on the annual influx of first year students to fill their colts units, traditionally more suited to the under-20 format.

They rallied hard to put a halt to those changes, ultimately losing that fight, but through hard work managed to put a strong colts side on the paddock.

Now, Hyde feels, the new rule gives teams a chance to forfeit games and go unpunished as a result. 

CSU’s colts have already missed one game, thanks to Dubbo Rhinos not being able to field a side in round one.

“It has really injured the whole colts side of things at the club,” Hyde said.

“We were lucky to get a side together but we do now, and we’re not getting much football.

“In the first round, our colts were warming up thinking they were about to go out and play only to be told that Rhinos didn’t have a team. 

“Rhinos (and) Orange Emus have already forfeited games and there is no penalty for them.

“We’re looking at having weeks at a time where we don’t get a game and that hurts.”

Veenstra said the basis behind removing the penalties was to try and encourage clubs to play as often as possible, even if that means playing with less than 15 men.

“There will be new guidelines in place soon, we’re looking at teams playing down to 10 [men] because as I said, it’s about encouraging teams to play and we don’t really think a $500 fine is doing that,” Veenstra said.

“So far, it’s only been Dubbo Rhinos and Orange Emus that have forfeited games (this season). [Both clubs] are trying to get sides together.

“[Struggles for numbers] are not limited to us. Illawarra only have three under-19 teams and the Central Coast is struggling to.

“With the [representative program] moving to the under-19 age next season we don’t think there would be much sense in [going back to under 20s