Penrith District Rugby League: Grand final qualifier marred by outdated rule book

Nothing separated Emu Plains and St Patricks after 100 minutes in the Men’s Div 1 rugby league grand final qualifier. The way the “winner” was determined has left plenty screaming for change.

Penrith District Rugby League, 2023.

It was one of the best local footy matches in decades, but for one coach the end of an “archaic rule” can’t come fast enough.

As the sun nudged the horizon on Sunday afternoon, two of Penrith’s top rugby league side’s couldn’t be split in the Men’s Division 1 grand final qualifier.

St Patricks struck level against Emu Plains in the dying minutes of regulation time at Oxley Park, and the scores remained locked at 24-all following 20 minutes of extra time.

With no scope for the addition of more play, the tape was rewound to see who scored the first try.

After a gripping 100 minutes, it was James Riik’s try in just the seventh minute that proved enough for Emu Plains to advance to next week’s decider against Windsor.

“It’s an archaic rule,” said St Patricks coach Daniel Jackson.

“This isn’t kids footy and it’s certainly not a token competition. It’s A-grade rugby league and the players should be deciding the result on their own terms.

“You don’t win finals matches in the first ten minutes, even if they said the winner was the team with the most tries, I could understand that.”

How finals are decided is causing heartache in local Penrith footy.

While ecstatic with the result, Emu Plains coach Darren Bell offered a sympathetic ear.

“I can understand why St Pats are upset, the same thing happened to our reserve grade side last season,” said Bell.

“If I was on the other side I’d certainly be disappointed. It’s a brutal way to end a season, you definitely want to win playing footy.”

Contacted for comment, new Junior League general manager Blake South expressed his desire to review the current conditions, including awarding the premiership to the side highest on the ladder if the grand finalists remain locked after extra time.

“The rule has been in place for a long time,” said South.

“It’s a rule that I'm not comfortable with and one that will be reviewed by the league in the off-season. I have my own thoughts and I certainly share the opinion that the results of finals deserve to be determined by the players.

“The same goes for the grand final, that’s another rule that’s not ideal and will also be reviewed. In both cases the league didn’t want to go ahead and make changes during the course of this season.”