How Cairns junior rugby league was saved by unpopular decision
A wildly unpopular and lambasted decision to postpone a meeting by three days has saved the junior rugby league season.
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A wildly unpopular and lambasted decision to postpone a meeting by three days has saved the junior rugby league season.
“We wouldn’t have had a competition,” Cairns District Junior Rugby League chairman Jodi Stevens said Thursday night.
The CDJRL was originally meant to meet on Monday night, the same day the Queensland Government brought forward the move to Stage 3 restrictions.
With that came a shift from a cap of 100 people per venue to an unlimited number of spectators, provided they abided by physical distancing guidelines.
Stevens said the board was hammered for delaying the meeting for a second time - at their meeting on June 8 the clubs decided to postpone their decision until July 31 - but, with hindsight, proved it was the right call.
“It wasn’t something we wanted to do but we knew some announcements were coming, and the QRL had asked all of the leagues and clubs to be patient.
“Everyone has needed to know, we’ve had to make the decision, but if we didn’t change the meeting it would’ve been different.
“There’d probably be no games.”
And that would have been a disaster for rugby league.
Already battling to keep kids interested in the game, the cancellation of the junior rugby league season would have allowed hundreds of kids to try Aussie rules, football, or the myriad of other sports on offer in the Far North.
While many would likely return to rugby league, the risk of losing players, especially juniors, after they got a taste of other sports or made friends in other codes was far too great.
Rugby union has waited a month for the CDJRL to make their decision, with plans to provide a full competition if the clubs put up the white flag.
Instead, the CDJRL will preside over a season much different to any other.
The league will run competitions in only the competitive age groups, from under-13s to U16s, though there will be no finals, and trophies and awards will not be provided.
Clubs will organise games and gala days for players from U6s to U12s.
The prioritisation of the competitive age groups is similar at organisations across the state.
The age groups are notorious for their drop-off rate, and if competitions weren’t provided there was a real fear young players would be permanently lost to the game.
The majority of competitive games will be played at Jones Park, which allows clubs to organise and run games in the younger age groups at their home grounds.
No games will be played at three fields - Redlynch, Edmonton and Mossman - as they are not fenced.
The season will run from July 31 to September 19.
Only four organisations have approved COVID Safe plans in place - Cairns Brothers, Kangaroos, Innisfail Brothers and Jones Park - and other clubs will need to their plans approved before being allowed to participate.
Stevens said that while clubs entered the meeting from vastly different situations, they were happy with the outcome.
“It would’ve been good to have all of the age groups but the clubs will do their best to run games and gala days for the younger kids,” she said.
“The clubs were happy to go with that.
“We’ll play the majority of our games at Jones Park so they can organise those games and play them at their home grounds.
“Some clubs wanted all grades to run, other clubs are struggling with volunteer numbers, but the most important thing was they wanted those older age groups to get on the field.”
Originally published as How Cairns junior rugby league was saved by unpopular decision