‘Strongly against it’: Manly join Souths in snubbing NRL’s junior rule changes
Manly has joined South Sydney in rejecting the controversial junior rugby league edict to abolish the awarding of competition points until the age of 13 and tackling until midway through the under 7s.
The NSWRL is poised to implement the NRL’s nationwide policy, which is already in effect in Queensland and parts of NSW, for the upcoming season. However, the requirement for youngsters to play a non-contact version of the game, as well as the abolition of competition ladders and grand finals, has caused angst at grassroots level.
Souths Juniors became the first association to officially rebel against the NRL’s mandate last October and now Manly-Warringah District Junior Rugby League has done likewise.
The decision was made after all 12 of Manly’s junior clubs voted against adopting the new framework at a meeting earlier in the week.
“All our clubs were strongly against it,” said Manly Juniors president Kim Hunter. There’s a lot of things that could come into it, but we felt because it was such a huge change to the game that would really disrupt our clubs and players that we just couldn’t support it.
“People could easily join another district to play competitively.”
The NRL introduced the protocols in the belief it was the best way to boost participation while protecting the welfare of young participants. However, the Herald has spoken to other associations that are considering following the lead of Souths and Manly in snubbing the changes.
Bondi United junior rugby league players during a training session.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Their decision could ultimately hinge on whether there are any financial or other repercussions in not implementing the policy. The chairman of the NSW Community Rugby Leagues Association, Nathan Waugh, wrote to NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys on January 20 seeking clarification on the ramifications of not implementing the new rules.
“We now find ourselves deep into January, with … no understanding of what these consequences may be, or whether there is any. There are many districts now threatening to follow the direction of a single junior league [Souths Juniors] and rejecting the framework in its entirety,” wrote Waugh, whose association represents nearly 100,000 players and volunteers.
“The framework is a national strategy, developed for a national adoption. It is the NRL’s job to ensure a smooth adoption of such a framework …
“The NRL should be investing large sums of funding into the advertisement of the benefits of this framework. Our volunteers are stretched to the limit as it is, and it should not be up to them to advertise and sell this new framework. Nor should it be up to our Board to continue to chase the simple answers we seek.
“I request that this letter [from the NRL outlining the consequences of not complying] be issued immediately and without delay, or our board and its members will have no choice but not to support the framework for the 2023 season.
“The ongoing bureaucracy and delays on receiving such information has become a habit in our game, and it cannot be accepted any longer. The grassroots game deserves better than this.”
Waugh said he is yet to receive a response.
Hunter said the NSWRL assisted his association by arranging whole-of-game insurance, providing two support administration staff and arranging coaching seminars and accreditation. He said it was unclear if this assistance would continue.
“Everyone has been holding back to see what ramifications there would be to consider doing what we have done,” Hunter said.
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