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Sydney Subbies 2025

Pfitzy

Phil Waugh (73)
Subbies beat Hunter Dev by a fair margin to take third place in the Australian Rugby Shield.

Had they beaten ADRU in Game 2 they might have made the final against NSW Country which would have made interesting viewing.
 

Odyssey_Park the 2nd

Billy Sheehan (19)
Gordon have named 10 coaches for there Top Grade squad (1/2s). We have Shute clubs warehousing players and now coaches as well. It’s rather ridiculous for a semi amateur competition. I imagine we will start to see clubs in Subbies following these trends which isn’t sustainable given clubs are already having to pay for a 1st Grade/Club Coach.
 

Fletch

Frank Nicholson (4)
Gordon have named 10 coaches for there Top Grade squad (1/2s). We have Shute clubs warehousing players and now coaches as well. It’s rather ridiculous for a semi amateur competition. I imagine we will start to see clubs in Subbies following these trends which isn’t sustainable given clubs are already having to pay for a 1st Grade/Club Coach.
Generally you see some in pre season here and there but they drop back to schools or wherever- wouldn’t think that they all have the same commitment
 

Fletch

Frank Nicholson (4)
Anyone who would like to support the club is welcome to attend
penrithemus.iwannaticket.com.au
 

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HarryElite

Ted Fahey (11)
Gordon have named 10 coaches for there Top Grade squad (1/2s). We have Shute clubs warehousing players and now coaches as well. It’s rather ridiculous for a semi amateur competition. I imagine we will start to see clubs in Subbies following these trends which isn’t sustainable given clubs are already having to pay for a 1st Grade/Club Coach.
interestingly enough i think 4-5 have all come through Parra 2 Blues
 

teamsport

Allen Oxlade (6)
interestingly enough i think 4-5 have all come through Parra 2 Blues
Riley Carter, Mick West & Lachie McKinnon (S & C) who are the others?

Noticed Two Blues have Sam Tabuatamata, Pat Faapoi, Sailosi Tagicikbau & Travis Church all coaching and all ex Gordon before they were Two Blues.
 

Pfitzy

Phil Waugh (73)
Which brings up a couple of questions:

1) How many spots are being created for new coaches

2) How many of these guys are getting good enough to enter pro ranks?
 
Is anyone brave enough to pick the Divisional makeups for 2026? Newport down from Div 1 and Petersham or UNSW up from Div 2? No one down from Div 2 but Hills up from Div 3? Div 3 is probably the most uncertain Division. Barker and Blacktown should go down. Can Redfield or Hawkesbury Valley make the jump to Div 3? Should otherwise be stability in Divs 4-6 - not too many controversial changes?
 
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Odyssey_Park the 2nd

Billy Sheehan (19)
Is anyone brave enough to pick the Divisional makeups for 2026? Newport down from Div 1 and Petersham or UNSW up from Div 2? No one down from Div 2 but Hills up from Div 3? Div 3 is probably the most uncertain Division. Barker and Blacktown should go down. Can Redfield or Hawkesbury Valley make the jump to Div 3? Should otherwise be stability in Divs 4-6 - not too many controversial changes?
Subbies goal will be to get as many divisions to the desired 8 team format. I doubt we will see any 6 team comps.
Div 1- no movement. All clubs stay the same with Newport given an additional year to prove themselves in Div 1. 8 teams
Div 2- Hills (with someone’s extra colts side) plus LCOI both moved up (forcibly??) based off the fact they both regularly fielded and are advertising for 3 grades next year. Plus Hills winning the club champs with 1 less team they can’t be left where they are. 8 teams.
Div 3- Hills & LCOI move up, Barker and Blacktown move down. Leaving Beecroft, Knox & Hornsby. Up come 4 teams from the Div 4 & 5 comp. Redfield, Valley, Kings, Harlequins/Rennegades. Colts comp pending numbers and likes to move to old style Radford cup. 7 teams.
Div 4- Comp folded back into Div 6. I don’t see it being viable based off only having colts. Not really seeing the ability to move anyone new into this comp to boost it from 6 teams. Especially with Kings leaving.
Div 5- Remaining teams Harlequins/Rennegades, Epping, Raptors, Canterbury. Picking up Blacktown, Manly & Penrith. Maccabi & Colleagues split and end up back in Div 6. Pending the Barker rebuild they may end up here as well or Merrylands. 8 teams.
Div 6- Combination of Div 4 and Div 6 from this year. Wakehurst, Chatswood, Barker/Merrylands, Balmain (possibly could end up in Div 5 if one of the sides fall over), St Ives, Mac Uni, Harbour, Georges River, North Cronulla, Oatley, Buraneer, Maccabi, Colleagues. 13 teams play everyone once, 2 byes. Split finals series.
 

Pfitzy

Phil Waugh (73)
If Div 4 stays as 1 + Colts you can probably get Barker and Redfield into it to make 8 clubs.

Agree that we need to try and get away from 6-club competitions, but also that 8 might not be possible for Div 2. Seven clubs is a compromise, so maybe Hills go up and make Div 2 a 7 team comp with Colleagues as their Colts.
 

Odyssey_Park the 2nd

Billy Sheehan (19)
If Div 4 stays as 1 + Colts you can probably get Barker and Redfield into it to make 8 clubs.
No disrespect to the other teams in the comp but Redfield would be way to strong and dominate that comp based off this year. At full strength they’d compete in Div 2 they just don’t have the depth.
Agree that we need to try and get away from 6-club competitions, but also that 8 might not be possible for Div 2. Seven clubs is a compromise, so maybe Hills go up and make Div 2 a 7 team comp with Colleagues as their Colts.
I was looking at best case/dream scenario. Subbies would love as many 8 team comps but I agree with you the likelihood is that we will see the 6 team comps increase to 7 with a bye this year.
 

footy_footy

Jimmy Flynn (14)
Subbies goal will be to get as many divisions to the desired 8 team format. I doubt we will see any 6 team comps.
Div 1- no movement. All clubs stay the same with Newport given an additional year to prove themselves in Div 1. 8 teams
Whilst I think Newport would be better for another year in Div 1, it's a bit rough on Petersham (Div 2 CC) and/or UNSW (arguably the better performing Div 2 club). Why would Newport get the benefit of promotion following their success in 2024 but not Petersham/UNSW from 2025 - doesn't make sense to me. As was well established a few years back, the promotion/relegation system is a bit of a lottery, with the Board essentially having discretion to pick and choose as they see fit. Could Div 1 become 10 clubs again? It was rejected a few years back although in a different context.

If you moved UNSW/Petersham up could Div 2 become 3 grades and colts to make it more achievable for aspiring clubs? That would leave the likes of Briars, Forest, St Pat's with an additional grade which isn't ideal though. Don't envy the Board but there is going to need to be a shake up somewhere across the divisions.
 

Odyssey_Park the 2nd

Billy Sheehan (19)
Whilst I think Newport would be better for another year in Div 1, it's a bit rough on Petersham (Div 2 CC) and/or UNSW (arguably the better performing Div 2 club). Why would Newport get the benefit of promotion following their success in 2024 but not Petersham/UNSW from 2025 - doesn't make sense to me. As was well established a few years back, the promotion/relegation system is a bit of a lottery, with the Board essentially having discretion to pick and choose as they see fit. Could Div 1 become 10 clubs again? It was rejected a few years back although in a different context.

If you moved UNSW/Petersham up could Div 2 become 3 grades and colts to make it more achievable for aspiring clubs? That would leave the likes of Briars, Forest, St Pat's with an additional grade which isn't ideal though. Don't envy the Board but there is going to need to be a shake up somewhere across the divisions.
If UNSW had finished first in Division 2, I’d have said promote them based on their numbers and success across the grades over the last few years. Petersham don’t have the depth at the moment in the lower grades.
Plus promoting 2 teams means a 10 team comp that as in 2022 it just doesn’t work in 14 rounds.

I think an option would be to drop both Lindfield and Newport and have a 6 team Div 1, and then 8 teams in Div 2. But then if Drummoyne have another bad year that comp doesn’t become viable very quickly.
 

Pfitzy

Phil Waugh (73)
Whilst I think Newport would be better for another year in Div 1, it's a bit rough on Petersham (Div 2 CC) and/or UNSW (arguably the better performing Div 2 club). Why would Newport get the benefit of promotion following their success in 2024 but not Petersham/UNSW from 2025 - doesn't make sense to me.

Newport's 2024 Barraclough side won the comp with a big gap to the rest (10 wins with Briars next best on 6 wins). Their Stockdale and Robertson teams were handy as well.

Division 2 Club Championship 2024
Newport 2465
St Patrick's 2023
UNSW 1722
Petersham 1347
Briars 1065
Hills 763
Beecroft 724
Epping -270

Petersham and UNSW are pretty close according to the 2025 Club Championship, but do either or both have the firepower to step up? On the face of it you'd have to promote both if you were going to promote either, and then you've basically destroyed 2nd Division unless Newport come back down and someone else goes back up.

And then, if Newport recover and destroy everyone in 2nd Division, you're back to where you started.
 
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Pfitzy

Phil Waugh (73)
If you moved UNSW/Petersham up could Div 2 become 3 grades and colts to make it more achievable for aspiring clubs?

I think we should really accept that 3 Grades + Colts is where most clubs are going to hit their ceiling, and reform the entire competition around that. Players, coaches, managers, and volunteers in general aren't thick on the ground.

I get that clubs are going to say "don't punish us for our success" but we have to accept that nobody below a certain level is busting their arse to put 6 teams on the park, no matter what cultural changes are suggested.
 

Odyssey_Park the 2nd

Billy Sheehan (19)
Petersham and UNSW are pretty close according to the 2025 Club Championship, but do either or both have the firepower to step up?
This is the million dollar question. There isn’t a regular flow of teams into the higher divisions anymore. Hunters, Waverley and Mountains have done it and are at the top of there cycles but what happens like all clubs when we see a decline in these clubs cycles?
 
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