I have a question for you Newcastle boys. I'm sure there's a good answer, but I know nothing about rugby in your region.
How come you guys don't have a team in the Shute Shield? Similar to Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast in the Hospital Cup.
It would only take 23 Seniors and 23 Colts out of your league each week and would do much for your community.
Thoughts?
Hey there en_force_er, having some insomnia tonight as I played a rep game late this arvo & came onto the site for a wander & saw your post.
It may only take 23 seniors & 23 colts as you say but if we lose a handful of players every year to Sydney clubs then that may make it very difficult to maintain depth. It could very well dilute the competitiveness of the local comp. That seems to be the main arguement against it according to people I've talked to that have been involved in Newcastle Rugby longer than me. Opinion is divided though. Certain members in the NHRU at that time when the Wild Fires were in the Shute Shield apparently didn't get behind the team as well as some from individual clubs - from what I've been told.
Some concern I believe was there in regards to finances also, as to whether we'd be able to compete to keep our good players against the likes of the Sydney clubs that probably have more to offer in that regard.
Another reason I have heard was that apparently the Sydney sides did not like travelling up to Newcastle.
IMO I would love to see the Wild Fires come back. It does not bother me whether they get belted or not - I just want my region represented, that way I'd be interested more in the Shute Shield. Before I just watched non-Sydney teams like the Vikings but then they got rid of them too.
I agree with you that it would be great, as a pathway for guys in my region. As a female rugby player I don't have the same concerns for women's rugby in my area because our pathway to rep Rugby does not run soley through Sydney as the main pathway in NSW. However, it would be nice for the guys.
There are a number of business persons who get together & raise funds for Rugby in Newcastle, the 'Hawthorne Club' I believe. I'm sure a collaboration of people like this could help handle to financial concerns to keep players. As far as the drain on the local comp goes I believe as great as it is surely those at the NHRU & individual clubs need to understand how important it is to provide a pathway for locals to rep Rugby.
I can understand to some degree however why some within the NHRU & representatives from clubs (if the mentality from some are still the same now) are protective of the depth & competitiveness of the local comp however. Tribalism is very high. There is a lot of meaning & passion regarding the comp. The Newcastle Herald online gets more comments on its local Rugby news articles than any other sport - & this is in a 'League town'. I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but the past 3-4 years the men's Rugby grand finals in Newcastle got more crowd numbers than the Shute Shield final.
It's a very delicate situation of tradition, pride, & love of the heart & soul of our competition up against potentially weakening it to provide a pathway for Rugby players in our region. I am all for the pathway but two things need to happen 1) We need the NHRU & financial benefactors & club people to be all on the same page in support for re-entering the Shute Shield, 2) We need to concentrate on recruiting more players, boosting our juniors locally (which have already increased) + school rugby & bring in more players from overseas - our comp already has some Irish, Saffa, Kiwi, & Islander players who go very well. Ideally we would need an extra couple of grades across the comp - this would hopefully set us up some protection from losing players, currently I think we'd be stretched too thin. I'd like to see an extra colts grade.
Of course this is all 'ideal scenario' stuff & does not reflect the current direction of Rugby in Newcastle (TBH I have no idea what the long term plan is, whether a Shute team is even in the pipe line for the future). I'd like to see us reach out to our Central Coast neighbours in the event we did get a Wild Fires team, I believe they too could benefit by being connected to us that way. Lower CC may align themselves with a club like Norths but upper CC probably would be closer to Newcastle, so from a lifestyle perspective it may be an easier choice especially if juggling work, family, etc with Rugby. Also quite a few Novocastrians live on the CC.
Ultimately yes I agree it would be great for our community but as you can see its complicated. I wish one of the old boys was on here so that they'd divulge more info.
On an unrelated note I'm looking forward to coming down to your stadium this Saturday to watch my boys play your boys. Very excited. I have the blessing of my coach to miss just this one game for the Saders. Hope its a cracker like the Rebs/Bulls game.
