CDRL willing to give U18s every chance to play
Cairns District Rugby League hasn’t given up on providing a way for the sport’s most critical age group to get on the field, with the door wide open for clubs to reconsider the decision to cancel the 2020 season.
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Cairns District Rugby League hasn’t given up on providing a way for the sport’s most critical age group to get on the field, with the door wide open for clubs to reconsider the decision to cancel the 2020 season.
The under-18s competition was among those canned a month ago when the CDRL voted to not go ahead with a season, removing a major step in the developmental pathway.
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The Queensland Rugby League has been working on ways to provide a playing field for the “important” U15 and U18 age groups, regardless of whether community leagues went ahead, with a school-based format the most likely option.
CDRL secretary/operations manager Pat Bailey said the plans were achievable and would ensure that most of the Far North’s U18 players, who play as part of the senior league, would not miss out on a years’ worth of footy.
“That would be great and it would probably be the best way to do it, but there’s still a lot of kids that are in that (U18) age group who are working or finished school,” she said.
Bailey said the CDRL would explore running its own U18 competition, provided clubs were keen to play and local players were eligible for QRL assistance.
The QRL last week announced a $500,000 rescue package for clubs across the state, which will cover insurance costs of players from U6 to U18.
While the U18s competition is run by the senior administrative body, they are classified by the QRL as juniors.
QRL Regional General Manager Glenn Ottaway said the decisions made by clubs and league must be respected.
But, Ottaway said, every league had to make a decision based not just on what happens this year, but into 2021 and beyond.
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“The under-18s age group is challenging to retain, and any decision to keep them engaged is usually a smart one,” Ottaway said.
“That’s what sustains the senior competitions into the future.
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“We love our ageing veterans who have played 400 games for the club, but everyone has a shelf life.
“Clubs need to look at whether it’s sustainable and affordable, and what damage could be done if we don’t have the under-18s.”
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While an ambitious plan for a condensed CDRL-run U18s competition was in the infant stages, Bailey said game days could be held at West Barlow Park.
“It would be easy to patrol, because there’s one gate coming in and you’ve got the bridge as you come over from the carpark, where you can get people to sign in,” she said.
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“You would not open the dressing sheds, only the toilets, and depending on the restrictions you could look at running a canteen or something like that.
“If you had six clubs with an U18s team, you could play it at the one ground on a Sunday and have three games, starting at noon, 1.30pm and 3pm. If we had eight teams, we could start them a bit earlier.”
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“It’s an idea but at the end of the day we will be guided by the QRL.”
Other regions, like Bundaberg, will run the U18s through the junior association this year to provide an arena for clubs who still have the players.
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Bailey said this was not the CDRL’s preferred option, as it would risk overloading the Cairns District Junior Rugby League.
The CDJRL chose not to comment on whether it would be open to running an U18s competition, with club presidents to met Thursday night to discuss how their existing junior competitions will look this year.
Originally published as CDRL willing to give U18s every chance to play