Club rugby's cricket score woes

I sadly report, as I'm sure many of you are more than well aware, Penrith has now withdrawn from the Colts' competition this season. Promotion/relegation will not work. The standard of the sub-district teams, whilst of a high standard, have no chance of competing with the semi-professional outfits that are playing in the Shute Shield. It is certainly true, that this season has been the best Shute Shield in the professional era. It seems to me that all the non-Queensland Super franchises are sending most of their players into the Shute Shield to play. The Shute Shield is fast becoming what the NSWRL was to league in terms of depth and strength. I can't give an answer to why the depth is starting to fall away in lower grade and colts. I wish that I knew. Because with 5 Super clubs drawing essentially from two premier competitions of 12 and 10 teams respectively, Australian rugby needs all the strength that it can get. What it does need though is to ensure that the strong clubs don't poach all of the weak club's talent and that all is done to try to win the battle of the west at the junior level.

in some good news Two Blues Fourth Grade are being readmitted into the comp:) I think Parra's only won one game this year- in Fourth Grade.

Great Idea Sheek! Bring back Hornsby in one of Australia's fastest growng area's

Jack, I wouldn't have promotion/relegation - too messy. The district clubs would be genuine district clubs, names associated with a large area & population, not necessarily history & tradition. Keep district & suburban separate. All suburban clubs would be subordinate to their district club & designed to act as feeders to the district club. This also keeps the district aspirational (professional) & suburban social (amateur) clubs separate. Of course it won't happen. I'm asking way too much..... !

Sheek - as always, a great idea in Theory (as most of these ideas are). It would be hard to gain "new" clubs or replace defunct ones unless there was a policy of relegation / promotion on offer. This season you would naturally see Parramatta and Penrith drop down to Division 2 (NSW Suburban) and, on current form, you may have Old Ignatians and Knox Old Boys - but I wouldn't rule out Beecroft or Drummoyne at this stage. That would definitely make it interesting ....

The mistake was mine, Yikes. I meant to say colts in the fourth paragraph but inexplicably left the word out. It's the type of mistake I would have picked up in my newspaper subbing days i.e. if the mistake had been made by some other writer, but subbing your own copy is always tricky. Cheers.

I hate to say this (again), but we might have to shrink the Shute Shield to say 8-10 clubs x 3-4 grades. There would be no dedicated colts grade, but each of the district clubs would have to be conscious of carrying plenty of young players to develop for the future. The old amateur social days are gone. There are plenty of clubs to satisfy the old amateur, social days in Subbies. And if we're serious about providing a decent pathway for future youth, then the best way to achieve this is through a district club system. I mean a GENUINE district club based system. I'm not going to name specific clubs, but a district club system would have clubs based in the following geographical & demographic areas - north-west (1-2), upper north shore (1-2), lower north shore (one), northern beaches (1-2), south-east beaches (1-2), inner west (one), greater west (1-2), south-west (one), southern shires (one). That's an option of 9-14 district clubs that would have to be reduced to between 8-10. Some traditional clubs might have to take the bullet for the greater good of the game, & drop themselves down to Subbies.

Good post AD. Club rugby in Sydney below Premier Grade is a joke!!!! I don't care what you think Yikes about "this is the most even season for many, many a season"; it will not change unless you can get clarity in regards to player payments and movements from Club to Club like we have seen this year. How come certain clubs "attract" players who used to play elsewhere? I don't think it's just the coaching but other financial incentives. You must be a hobbled old accountant with nothing left on your mind but figures :) If needed, they should bring back the relegation system, so if teams can't complete on an even pitch, send them back to Subbies (make them Div 2) until they can perform through all grades/colts. It worked in the 70s and 80s, so why not a "back to the future" policy. Also, I think we need to revisit the whole 'Colts' format and look at it as an U21s and U19 competition - which would assist with the retention of players who do not physically mature enough to play against "men" in Grade.

Some creative editing perhaps from the Roar editors? The results are all wrong - the 4th paragraph refers to COLTS not grade, which is not clear. Not that it's any less worrying. But Penrith, Parra and Randwick all have very weak colts this year. This is hardly a newsflash. However, the point needs to be made that in Grade club rugby in Sydney this is the most even season for many, many a season. Just about any team can beat any other team, including Sydney University for once. It is awesome. In previous years there would be plenty of large scores, but this year hardly any - mostly against Parramatta and they seem to now have their act together a bit.

It is a sign of the times also the modern player is often there for a season and then tries something else for a year. They may come back if their mates are playing but if not they will most probably move on. I also think that Gen Y will throw the towel in if it gets too hard, they will train hard if the team is winning but often won't front up if they aren't. This is not restricted to RU it affects most sports today. It is a generational thing and we have to live through it. After all it is us baby boomer's who have created them and given them everything without any expectation that they would work for it. The youngsters think give me success now and I don't want to work for it. Not surprising is it? There will be another generation who will believe that commitment and hard work are the only way to go.