Questions raised over NRRRL call to cancel round 16, play catch-up games

The NRRRL’s decision to scrap the final round of the season has been called into question after it was revealed the board directly contradicted a club vote on the issue.

The NRRRL’s decision to cancel round 16 and complete rained out games has come into question. Picture: DC Sports Photography

Questions have been raised over the NRRRL’s decision to scrap the final round of the regular season in order to complete a backlog of rained out games, with concerns over the legitimacy of the move amid revelations the executive decision made by the board went against a club vote on the issue.

On Wednesday this masthead reported that the NRRRL had decided to cancel round 16 and play the remaining five fixtures from the partially completed round five in its place across the weekend of August 16/17.

NRRRL secretary Josh Gollan said the decision to complete round five – which saw just two of seven games completed as Cudgen defeated Mullumbimby 64-10 and Ballina beat Byron Bay 36-0 back on May 18 – was based on trying to maintain the “integrity of the draw”.

“The last three rounds are all double-ups of one of the rounds prior, so we’ve now cancelled round 16 and put the round five fixtures in that position. Now every team has an opportunity to play each other once,” he said.

“It just maintains the integrity of the draw a little more than wiping it out completely and some clubs potentially playing against a weaker team (twice) and getting an extra two points.”

The game between Ballina and Byron Bay, pictured here in 2024, was one of only two games to be played in round five. Picture: DC Sports Photography

However it has since come to light that the decision directly contradicted a club vote on the issue.

Last Monday clubs voted 9-2 to scrap round five, which would have meant that the victories by Cudgen and Ballina were to be wiped from the record and both sides would have lost the two competition points earned.

It is understood that this decision is based on the NRRRL’s by-laws, which state that if less than 50 per cent of the games of any particular round are rained out and replays cannot be rescheduled, then the full round itself can be cancelled.

Now questions are being raised about the legitimacy of the decision and whether it is in line with the competition’s rules.

This masthead has contacted the NRRRL and is awaiting a response to seek clarification on whether the executive decision made was in line with competition by-laws. It is also seeking clarity on whether the club vote to cancel round five was binding in any way.

The decision to go against the majority of clubs and cancel round 16 has caused plenty of consternation across the competition.

In addition to a sense of frustration at their voices being overturned, some clubs are disappointed at possibly losing a scheduled home game, while others are furious at the prospect of potentially being left at a disadvantage in the race for the finals given the tight nature of the competition.

The matter could also be potentially decisive in the under-18s competition as some clubs will finish the regular season with more byes than others.

“Every competition has got by-law rules. And if you don’t go by rules, you open up a can of worms,” one club official said.

Wet weather caused havoc with the early part of the season.

From Wednesday: The final round of the NRRRL regular season has been cancelled as the division looks to complete the backlog of rained-out games from earlier in the year.

The board made the call to scrap round 16 altogether and replace it with the partially completed round five.

Just two games – Cudgen’s 64-10 victory over Mullumbimby and Ballina’s 36-0 win over Byron Bay – were played during the round’s original scheduling on May 18, with the remaining five fixtures to be played across the weekend of August 16/17.

NRRRL secretary Josh Gollan said the decision was based on trying to make the competition as fair as possible.

“The last three rounds are all double-ups of one of the rounds prior, so we’ve now cancelled round 16 and put the round five fixtures in that position. Now every team has an opportunity to play each other once,” he said.

“It just maintains the integrity of the draw a little more than wiping it out completely and some clubs potentially playing against a weaker team (twice) and getting an extra two points.”

The NRRRL board made the decision to cancel round 16. Picture: DC Sports Photography

It what has been a trend of recent seasons, the competition was badly affected by wet weather during autumn, which led to a considerably lopsided situation between some clubs.

For example, by mid-May Cudgen had played its full complement of five games while Marist Brothers had only played one.

It meant that once the grounds dried out the Rams played a remarkable six games across the month of June just to catch up.

With limited wriggle room to reschedule games between now and the beginning of the finals at the end of August, Gollan said that the board will work with clubs to find a solution should any games be postponed from this point on.

“We’ll obviously have a conversation with the clubs about it because we like to consult and collaborate with them to make sure that we’re hitting the right mark.

“If more than 50 per cent of the games go ahead then the round will be played and there will be catch-up games, but if at any point in time they can’t be played and the round is cancelled, we would go back to the clubs to try and maintain that integrity.”