NSWRL's Tim Del Guzzo said there is the possibility for a four-grade Western competition

With just over a month until the finals of the competition which combined Group 10 and Group 11 for the first time, there has been talk in the recent week about how the 2023 season should look.

Earlier in the week, Group 11 secretary Paul Loxley said he wanted the competition to remove the current pool phase of the season and just have all four grades play the same way.

In reply, Group 10 president Linore Zamparini admitted he just wants to keep every club playing football as much as they can.

The grand final for the competition will be played on September 4 and Del Guzzo said after the season is complete there would be time to reflect and possibly make changes if necessary.

"There is definitely an appetite amongst clubs to bring both competitions together fully for 2023," he said.

"Of course, there are some clubs not so keen on the idea but overall, it's a discussion we're keen to have post-season.

"Personally, I think that while initially, it was the right move to keep reserve grade and ladies league Tag in their separate Groups, the success of the Peter McDonald and Western Premierships has shown that the time might be right to move to a four-grade fully integrated competition next season."

Currently, the competition is split into Group 10 and Group 11 pools with crossover rounds occurring during the season but Del Guzzo said there are a few things which will be assessed over the off-season.

"In saying that things are going well, there is always room for improvement," he said.

"Being the first year of the competition, we won't have gotten everything right, so we'll definitely be seeking input from the participating clubs as to any potential changes to the structure and working closely with them to improve on what we've achieved this season.

"The main talking points of the draw structure, finals system and all 4 grades' participation will be reviewed post-season."

There are only four rounds remaining in the regular season before the top four sides in each pool advance to the finals with Dubbo CYMS and Mudgee Dragons currently on top of their respective ladders.

While there are some things which could be tweaked moving forward, Del Guzzo is confident the competition has been a big success for rugby league in the Western region.

"The competition has exceeded expectations in some important areas," he said.

"The biggest one for me is the quality of the football being played on the field and the relative evenness of the competition across both Groups.

"We still don't know which team will finish as minor premier, in the top 2, 4 or 8 and we won't know until the last round I suspect.

"The other end of the ladder is also encouraging with the lower end teams consistently running the top sides right to the 80 minutes in most matches this season and in some cases beating them."

Like the first-grade competition, the under-18s is also a Western-wide concept and Del Guzzo said he has enjoyed watching the next generation of talented players.

"The Western Premiership Under 18's is another example of this, last weekend we saw bottom placed Mudgee upset ladder leaders Nyngan in a high-quality game of junior football," he said.

"Most, if not all of the feedback we've received from clubs in regards to the Premiership has been of a constructive nature and from a place of positivity.

"Everybody I've spoken to is keen to put forward ideas as to how we can make the competition better. There's been an encouraging amount of interaction and genuine interest which is always a good sign."

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