By Tallon Smith

Just weeks after announcing the withdrawal of their First Grade team from the Peter McDonald Premiership in 2023, the Cowra Magpies have put an end to the uncertainty surrounding the club’s future by entering their top side into the new combined Peter McDonald Premiership Reserve Grade competition alongside fellow Group 10 battlers Blayney.

Following their decision to pull out of First Grade, which was reported by Battlers For Bush Footy in early March, the club’s future became the subject of intense speculation, with rumours rife that the club would drop to the Central West’s Division 2 competition, the Woodbridge Cup.

Cowra Magpies President Marc McLeish said that “over 20 players” have put their hands up to play now the club has dropped to Reserves.

“We went from 3 to 23 registrations in a matter of days since making the call,” he said.

McLeish said that the biggest issue for the club from his perspective is the increased competitiveness and spending required to compete in the new competition.

“Most blokes are not interested in what it takes to play Division 1 football out here the way it is now,” he said.

“The competition has moved beyond the bloke who wants to play footy for fun, it’s just not fun anymore.”

McLeish said that making the call to only field reserves has “certainly taken the pressure off of some people.”

“The fact of the matter is a town the size of Cowra can’t sustain 40 [rugby league] footballers,” he said in reference to the 9,000 population town which supports the Magpies, Rugby Union’s Cowra Eagles, a soccer team and a local amateur Division 2 Australian rules side.

In reference to a potential move to the Woodbridge Cup, McLeish said that “the talk of second tier competitions is still very open.”

“Conversations are ongoing as to where we fit next year,” he said.

McLeish also expressed his concern with the levels of spending and money within the game.

“We’ve got clubs spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on players during a drought while we’re begging for hay bales,” he said.

Peter McDonald Premiership Structure 2023

The new Peter McDonald Premiership (Group 10/11 combined) has itself been the subject of thorough examination after a successful pilot season in 2022, with the decision to expand the Group 10/11 merger across all grades the subject of much debate.

Last season, just the First Grade and Under 18s competitions were combined, with the League Tag and Reserve Grade competitions remaining separate Group 10 and 11 titles, with a Premiers Challenge at the conclusion of the season between the respective winners. However, in 2023, all grades will feature crossover games and become a part of the Peter McDonald Premiership structure.

This decision was mainly made regarding the wishes of clubs to have a full, consistent matchday against another club, making both home and away games easier to manage than under the old model.

The advent of the Peter McDonald Premiership will still see Group 10 and 11 titles awarded to the top team in each conference before the finals, essentially keeping those historic competitions alive in the regular season.

In a ‘Round Zero’ match to kick off the season as a curtain raiser to the Sea Eagles-Knights Round 5 NRL game in Mudgee last weekend, the Mudgee Dragons outclassed 2022 Premiers the Forbes Magpies 26-18 in a tight contest.

The season proper kicks off this coming weekend with Cowra taking on Parkes Spacemen and Blayney facing the Orange Hawks in the new Reserve Grade competition.

Meanwhile, the Woodbridge Cup competition draw was also released this week, with all twelve clubs fielding a senior men’s and ladies League Tag team in 2023. The season kicks off with a full slate of games next weekend, highlighted by Molong’s trip to face defending Premiers Manildra and Eugowra’s triumphant rise from devastating floods to take on Canowindra, while last year’s runners up Oberon Tigers face CSU Bathurst.