Questions raised: Group 11 asks for discussion over Western Rams squad

GROUP 11 secretary Ross McDermott questioned Western Division’s selection process after two Group 10 players were called into the Rams squad for Saturday’s Country Rugby League Regional Championships clash with Greater Northern Tigers.

Dubbo Macquarie hooker Jeremy Smith and Blayney’s Dane Howarth pulled out of the original squad, selected after Group 11 defeated Group 10 at the Western Division representative cluster.

Group 11’s impressive performance in the 14-6 win wasn’t enough to earn any more players a call-up, with Rams coach Mick Sullivan naming Bears prop Terawhiti Cooper and Orange CYMS lock Tim Mortimer on the bench instead - despite neither originally being picked in the Group 10 side.

Mortimer was called into the Group 10 side as a late replacement, while Cooper didn’t play at all.

With Sullivan coaching CYMS and being unable to see regular Group 11 football, McDermott feels there should have been more input from his committee and selectors regarding replacements.

“It’s extremely disappointing and something we want to talk to the Western Rams executives about,” McDermott said.

“The final selection was left up to Mr Sullivan and we have a lot of respect for him but that’s a bit of a change of protocol and we have a bit of a different view and at the next meeting we’d like a bit of a discussion about it because we weren’t greatly involved in the process.”

Bathurst St Pat’s hooker Benjamin John will benefit the most from the change, and is set to become an 80-minute hooker, while the changes give the Rams an all-forward bench.

Wellington’s Richard Peckham, who played off the bench behind Smith for Group 11, was overlooked for a utility role while McDermott also felt Parkes’ Sam Dwyer was unlucky not to make the cut.

The late additions compound the somewhat controversial selections of St Pat’s pivot Gary Reilly and Mudgee duo Jack Afamasaga and Demetrius Ainnu, none of whom played at the representative cluster.

Those decisions left McDermott questioning the importance of that trial match.

“We thought it was a selection trial and it should have been. They’ve picked people that didn’t turn up and that’s one issue because we’ve got a lot of up-and-coming players who could have filled in,” he said.

“There’s no doubts about Michael Sullivan’s credentials, he’s played NRL and done really well with Orange CYMS, so we support him but it’s just not the process we would have followed.

“We’ll still support them on Saturday but we’d like a discussion about it.”

Western meets the Tigers at 2pm this Saturday at Bathurst’s Carrington Park.