Local Footy: Bushpigs face extinction

by Rocket Gillett 

 

The Wagga Uni Bushpigs broke a 38 game losing streak when they beat The Rock-Yerong Creek by five points in their Farrer Football League fixture last Saturday. It was their first win since 12 August 2006 when they beat Temora.

 

It was a huge day for the Pigs as they won the reserves as well as the three grades of netball. Needless to say there were major celebrations at the club’s major sponsors, the Victoria Hotel on Saturday night and at the pre-arranged “Sunday Session”.

It was the seniors first ever win at The Rock. (Previously, matches were played at Yerong Creek so a bush dance could be held afterwards in a shearing shed nearby) 

However, wins which have been very hard to find for the Bushpigs may become even harder if a proposal for a merging of the Farrer and Riverina leagues into one competition goes ahead. It would in fact spell the end for the university club.

 

Actually three other clubs would also be highly vulnerable to extinction, namely North Wagga, Temora, and Marrar, while the Northern Jets which was only formed as a result of the amalgamation of the Ardlethan and Ariah Park- Mirrool clubs in 2004 may also struggle to survive in a one competition model.

 

North Wagga, which now play in the RFL, have not won a game since they beat the Bushpigs by just 4 points on 5 August 2006 when they played in the Farrer league; the Saints went into recess the following year and were surprisingly admitted into the RFL on reformation in 2008.

 

The one competition would most likely be dominated by the RFL powerhouses Ganmain Grong Grong Matong, Wagga Tigers and Wagga-based Turvey Park. Together with the other clubs based in the major centres of Wagga, Narranderra, Leeton and Griffith – they would snuff out the smaller clubs leaving it with a viable competition of 12 clubs.

 

However, this would be at an enormous social cost to the smaller communities as well as a blow to the standing of the game in the Riverina which faces an on-going major battle with rugby league for supremacy in the region.

 

All this has come about because of the abject failure of the consultant hired by Southern NSW AFL last year to recommend major structural changes to the competitions in the region.

 

Instead of attending to the pressing need to bolster the Farrer League from its current six team competition Ron Montgomery recommended two divisions be created in the Hume League. Montgomery had the chance to re-direct the likes of Holbrook, Lockhart, Henty and Culcairn back to the Farrer League, where they have historically played most of their football. But he didn’t and the consequences are likely to be catastrophic – it was unbelievably stupid stuff.

 

Subsequently two leading Farrer league clubs, Collingillie-Ashmont-Kapooka and The Rock Yerong Creek sought to change competitions, and even had their appeals approved, before sanity prevailed and they remained in their current completion awaiting a final decision on the structure of the competition this year.

 

Now the administrators are from all reports only considering making changes to the Riverina and Farrer leagues and an announcement will be made on 12 June.

 

They need to “grasp the nettle” and restructure all the competitions in the region on a basis that provides for “apples against apples”. At the moment it’s all going pear-shaped.

 

Meanwhile the Bushpigs are still celebrating and will be able to continue to do so this weekend as there is a general bye (they have the funds following a successful plunge on #10 in Race 8 at Gosford named Beerwinenspirits!) The next match is not until June 13 when they take on old rivals, Marrar.

 

I am looking forward to seeing them in action later this season when the past players known as the Old Bores congregate at Bushpig Park on 8 August to witness the clash against the Northern Jets.

 

C.T.F.P.