Time for Group 10 and 11 to merge

They were once the big guns in the group.

Back when rugby league was at its toughest, the Tigers were at their best.

From 1960 to 1971 Oberon played in 12-straight Group 10 first grade grand finals, winning 10 of them.

Their seven-straight titles from 1961 to 1967 is a Country Rugby League (CRL) record that still stands today.

For many within Group 10, the return of the Tigerland faithful is being hailed as a coup, a sign the game in the region is building.

But has their inclusion for the 2012 season made the game in Group 10 any stronger?

I don’t think so.

To me, it’s a short-term fix.

The Tigers, gallantly, have tried to re-establish themselves in Group 10’s premier league competition a number of times.

The latest attempt was their winless 2007 campaign.

I hope their return is successful.

Rugby league in Group 10 needs at least eight teams.

But I feel the only way for rugby league in the bush to prosper, especially in the central west, is to merge the Group 10 and Group 11 competitions.

It might sound crazy but how’s this for a comp?

Orange CYMS, Orange Hawks, Dubbo CYMS, Dubbo Macquarie, Mudgee Dragons, Parkes Spacemen, Lithgow Workies, Bathurst Panthers, Bathurst St Pat’s, Cowra Magpies, Forbes Magpies and Wellington Cowboys - any side could win.

Twelve teams, 22 rounds, with a top five finals.

Boom.

There’s your western region rugby league competition.

Sure, travel becomes an issue and there would be plenty of teething problems.

But in the long run, this is the only way the game in the bush will survive.

The super competition might sound crazy to some but the concept has merit.

It’s been trialled as a pre-season competition, the Skilled Challenge, for the last few seasons and, to a degree, it worked.

It’s only fault? A pre-season is never long enough.

I’d love to see Orange CYMS play Dubbo CYMS on a regular basis.

Mudgee take on Parkes and Lithgow face-off against Wellington.

The battle of the magpies - Forbes versus Cowra.

We’ve been robbed of a plethora of great match-ups for too long.

The two best rugby league sides in the central west over the past two seasons, the Parkes Spacemen and Orange CYMS, have only had the chance to play each other once in the Skilled Challenge.

It’s a massive shame.

Both have former NRL stars in Dennis Moran and Michael Sullivan and both sides ooze talent and class across the paddock.

Sullivan said earlier this week he’d like to see a super competition involving Group 10 and Group 11 sides.

Maybe it’ll help retain more of the region’s talent and recruit former top-line players back to what, potentially, could be the strongest competition in the CRL.

Realistically, it will probably never happen.

But, should the concept be given legs, rugby league would be the winner.