Canterbury Cup, Jersey Flegg among competitions that could be put on hold until next year
The future of all competitions under the NSWRL umbrella, including junior reps, could be on the line, with one player manager fearing ‘everything underneath the NRL is going to get decimated.’
NRL
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The NSW Rugby League will make a decision on their second-tier and junior representative competitions this week, with season suspension one of the options on the table.
NSWRL CEO David Trodden confirmed his board are considering all ramifications for their competitions following the global coronavirus pandemic.
All NSWRL competitions have been postponed until May 1 this year, but Trodden concedes the leagues may be put on hold until next season.
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These competitions include the NSW Canterbury Cup, the Jersey Flegg Cup (under 20s) and the SG Ball (under 18s) and Harold Matthews (under 16s).
“There is a strong chance that a decision will be made this week,” Trodden told News Corp Australia.
“Everything is on the table at the moment.
“The considerations for us are a little different to the NRL.
“Our window to return is a lot narrower than the NRL’s because we don’t have the capacity to extend our competitions beyond the normal completion date.
“The time in which we need to make decisions about some of our competitions will be done pretty quickly.
“But we have decided to act consistently with the Queensland Rugby League and what they do with their senior competitions as well.
“I’m in consistent contact with the QRL about that and I imagine a decision on the future of the second-tier competitions will be made by the end of the week, but our concern is for the safety of our players and officials.”
Trodden said the window to make a stance on the Harold Matthews and SG Ball junior representative competitions was even smaller.
“Those competitions were supposed to be completed by May,” he said.
“At that point all of those players would go back to their junior rep competitions.”
Trodden conceded rugby league’s second-tier competitions face an uncertain future, especially with some clubs linked to leagues clubs that have had the hospitality industry put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have no idea what the impact on our clubs will be,” he said.
“It will be severe I’m sure and I’m sure every club will probably be different.”
One player manager fears for the future of second-tier league, declaring: “Everything underneath the NRL is going to get decimated.
“Clubs can’t afford to put lower grade clubs on the field.”
Despite legitimate concerns for the lower grade competitions, player manager Steve Gillis believes it is paramount that the NSW Canterbury Cup survive and thrive into the future.
“Pathways are crucial to the game,” Gillis said.
“We don’t know how this situation will unravel, but I would be flabbergasted if the junior reps went under.
“We need pathways for our aspiring players to earn full-time contracts.
“So, I’d be confident that when the game re-energises there will be pathway competitions.”
Originally published as Canterbury Cup, Jersey Flegg among competitions that could be put on hold until next year