Odyssey_Park the 2nd
Fred Wood (13)
Wins in Colts should be enough to keep Newport off the bottom of the table assuming we don’t see any upsets in 1s for the rest of the year.
Sydney Subbies 2025
- Thread starter Lindommer
- Start date
Heavyd
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
I've got no doubt subbies will come up with something to keep Drummoyne up in Div 1 if the Club Champs begin to look a little too dire.
Odyssey_Park the 2nd
Fred Wood (13)
I believe that Subbies will be pushing for at least 8x7x7 in the top 3 divisions next year. How they get there I don’t know.
I don’t think Subbies will get caught with 6 team divisions next year.
footy_footy
Larry Dwyer (12)
Even finding 7 clubs to fill Div 2 seems like a long shot. I'm not sure how popular the mixed club fixtures are (i.e. Irish/Burraneer/Waverley or Hills/Colleagues Colts etc etc) but it must be a logistical nightmare for all involved. Are these arrangements the answer or a short-term fix? I don't know.
Could Div 1 become 10 clubs? It was voted down a few years ago but maybe it is the best answer - Petersham & UNSW are a cut above in Div 2 at the moment with only Briars providing any sort of close competition. St Pat's and Forest aren't the clubs they used to be but the question is whether this is a bad year or clubs on the slide? Again, I don't know
Pfitzy
Phil Waugh (73)
Or do we go to 12 and put Pats and/or Forest and/or Briars back in there as well?
As always, a lot of moving parts...
Heavyd
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
The promotion/relegation system is no longer remotely relevant. Most Clubs are desperately hanging on with dwindling player numbers year after year. Covid has fast tracked the decline. Shute Shield types smugly have thus far avoided this decline, but only via recruiting heavily from overseas & interstate too maintain numbers. But even that can no longer be maintained, clubs like Wildfires, Two Blues, Souths & West Harbour struggling to field required grades. Two blues colts are 0-30 and the once mighty Norths colts program are 4 from 45. None of this is sustainable.
It will require bravery and leadership from all rugby associations. It will face pushback & derision by administrators @ short sighted clubs as not our problem, “we have good numbers”. We know what the status quo looks like & we know it’s not sustainable.
Do we have Super subbies clubs?
Formal Partnerships with Shute shield clubs. Waverley/Randwick, Colleagues/Easts, Warringah/Newport, Gordon/Lindfield, Manly/Forest, Norths/Mosman, West Harbour/ Drummoyne?
or do you look geographical.
Example. Northern Comp. Mosman, Forest, Newport, Lindfield, Knox play each other twice, then take on other regions based on rankings. Selling to players every 2nd Saturday isn’t an hour drive across Sydney can only help player retention. Yep there are a million issues with the how, but I think we can all agree on the why.
It will require bravery and leadership from all rugby associations. It will face pushback & derision by administrators @ short sighted clubs as not our problem, “we have good numbers”. We know what the status quo looks like & we know it’s not sustainable.
Do we have Super subbies clubs?
Formal Partnerships with Shute shield clubs. Waverley/Randwick, Colleagues/Easts, Warringah/Newport, Gordon/Lindfield, Manly/Forest, Norths/Mosman, West Harbour/ Drummoyne?
or do you look geographical.
Example. Northern Comp. Mosman, Forest, Newport, Lindfield, Knox play each other twice, then take on other regions based on rankings. Selling to players every 2nd Saturday isn’t an hour drive across Sydney can only help player retention. Yep there are a million issues with the how, but I think we can all agree on the why.
Pfitzy
Phil Waugh (73)
Eastwood don't have a 4th Grade. And some of their lower grade guys are now turning up at Subbies clubs I believe.
Pfitzy
Phil Waugh (73)
At the Western Sydney Alliance meeting on Monday night this was a major talking point for the Junior clubs in particular