SOMETIMES it’s about who you know, not what you know.
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Rugby league fans around the Mid North Coast will hope Port Macquarie Sharks president Jamie Dowse can be the ace in the pack as the region strives for inclusion into the NSWRL competition.
With expansion on the agenda, a 2020 entry does not seem so far-fetched after encouraging preliminary discussions between Dowse, the NSWRL and a handful of NRL club representatives.
Under the concept, a 30-man playing squad would be drawn from a region covering Grafton to Forster which could then create a pathway to the NRL.
As a result, the Group 2 and Group 3 competitions over time would be strengthened with players returning to their clubs if they were not selected of a weekend.
It is believed entry criteria into the competition is dependent on a handful of factors.
The most important is a full development pathway of under 16s, 18s and 20s programs and an affiliation with an NRL club.
Clubs must also meet a Gold Shield entry criteria which is through an online submission process.
I’d like to get a working group together of business people and some club members, to have a look at the participation agreement (the NSWRL) sent us.
- Jamie Dowse
Dowse has already tested the water with numerous high profile National Rugby League clubs about creating a partnership with a Mid North Coast consortium.
“I’ve spoken to a few business people that are influential in town and I’ve spoken to a few guys that are in an NRL system and working for the Country Rugby League,” Dowse said.
“They’re happy to come on board, so it’s gathering momentum, but it’s slowly, slowly.”
A partnership with a club such as the Sydney Roosters could be furthered with Wyong indicating they are likely to pull out of supporting the tri-colours.
The Sharks president said the NSWRL needed to submit their budget to the NRL Commission by June 30, so inclusion next year was “probably out of the question”.
“The feedback I’ve had from general people, clubs and players is that they’re all for it,” Dowse said.
“There’s no one against it that I’ve spoken to, so we’ll move forward and look towards 2020.”
You’ve got to watch your steps and tread carefully.
- Jamie Dowse
For inclusion into the NSW Rugby League competition, the governing body will be guided by the readiness of each interested party and the approval of the Country Rugby League.
The next step for Dowse is to create a board of representatives to start discussing how to make the proposal difficult to knock back.
“I’d like to get a working group together of business people and some club members, to have a look at the participation agreement (the NSWRL) sent us,” he said.
“You’ve got to watch your steps and tread carefully.
“It just needs someone to drive it; whether that’s me or someone else.”
Anyone interested in being on the board of representatives, should email jamiedowse@outlook.com.
