Either that or they could not be bothered with both – and I can’t decide what’s worse.

As one of the 77 ticket holders for the cancelled Men Of League fund-raising dinner, I am deeply frustrated.

Remember the dreaded “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” speech?

Here’s an updated version.

What condition must our rugby league community be in when we can’t even muster 100 people to come along to a charity dinner.

That’s right – raising money to help the less fortunate.

This wasn’t some greedy money-making scam or a ploy for free promotion.

It was an event with heart and purpose, good enough for the Bulldogs and Raiders to send in their big guns to support.

It’s a disgrace to our proud sporting reputation that an average primary school trivia night can cause a sell-out, but an event of this level is abandoned due to lack of numbers.

It seems a feeble and pathetic excuse for a city of around 60,000 people with a rugby league fan base as big as ours.

Yes, in case you haven’t realised, I’m infuriated.

At the very least, tonight’s event would have to be the most interesting option on a list of ways to fill a Friday night in Wagga.

The $50 ticket bought you a two-course dinner, drinks and the general warmth generated by donating to a worthy cause.

Not to mention the chance to pick the brains of Michael Ennis, Terry Campese, Shaun Berrigan or Ben Barba for the evening.

That’s about the cost of shouting a friend to the movies, buying the meat and salads for a barbecue or indulging yourself with dinner and a few drinks at the pub after work.

Because with all honesty, that’s about the extent of Friday night options.

I ask you this – if the NRL can line up it’s biggest names from the Bulldogs and Raiders to attend, what was the rest of Wagga doing that was so important?

It actually breaks my heart to think of how embarrassing it would have been to tell the special guests the event was called off because of a “lack of interest”.

Imagine the look on Des Hasler’s face.

If not even 100 people want to go to dinner with him, why would 6000 people bother to pack the Equex Centre tomorrow?

David Furner and the Raiders boys must think we’re a joke.

They attended a similar fund-raising dinner in Albury last week and mingled with 350 people who paid double the price – in die-hard AFL territory.

Now that’s just humiliating.

Here I am gushing about how fabulous this trial game has been to reward dedicated rugby league supporters in Wagga, when actually nobody cares.

Or so it seems.

I’m sure for all the hard work Tom Looney and the rest of the Men Of League committee do, the cancellation has sparked a sense of defeat.

If this is what we can expect from our rugby league supporters, then what has Wagga Rugby League been busting it’s gut for?

Forgive my ignorance, I don’t mean to aim this rant at rugby league supporters alone.

After all this was more than a league event – it was a fundraising charity dinner.

So I guess any one with a sense of compassion or social responsibility is to blame.

It’s a hideous blemish we cannot hide from.

Sitting behind this desk, all I ever hear about is the dreaded struggle between AFL and NRL in this region.

And ever so slightly, that translates into a battle for rugby league supremacy between Albury and Wagga.

The border is desperate to prove it still has relevance to the game, while Wagga wants to rule the roost.

Maybe that’s why so many people found it utterly crucial to attend Albury’s Men Of League dinner last week.

Maybe it was arrogance that drove the crowds away from Wagga’s event?

Either way, the lesson is clear.

We don’t have this under control.

We’ve lost an entire Group Nine club, Wagga Leagues Club, Eric Weissel Oval and Staunton Oval.

I can only imagine what more we’ll lose if this is the kind of precedent we’re setting.

Is Wagga the capital of Group Nine? No doubt it is – there are three teams in this city.

Is tomorrow’s trial game at Equex the honking jewel in WRL’s crown? You bet.

Has Albury trumped us on this one? Absolutely.

I’d end with “Come on guys, lets do better next time” – if I believed there would be one.