Monaro clubs have closed the door on joining a proposed “one-team” competition but Southern Inland’s make-up could still look very different in 2016.
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Cootamundra officials haven’t given up hope of starting a new competition and Southern Inland manager Mick McTaggart remains open to a shift in the rugby union landscape.
Yass, Crookwell and Boorowa all indicated their desire to remain in meeting with Brumbies Rugby on Wednesday night but Tri-Colours spokesman Jeff White hasn’t been deterred.
White is pressing forward with the plan and believes it could all unfold in the next few weeks.
Surprised by the response from the Monaro clubs following two previous meetings, White expects a slight change of tact.
“It was different to what we thought it was going to be,” White said.
“We probably didn’t get the result we were looking for but in saying that we will regroup, rethink and there is still possibilities of a one-team competition happening around here.
“We might have to restructure, look other fences and at other places and see what happens.”
The want to accommodate Hay and Deniliquin was one of the deciding factors against the proposal but White remains adamant the necessary travel works against the Tri-Colours’s modelC.
The potential for former Southern Inland teams, Grenfell, West Wyalong and Condobolin, to return the region remains available and either way McTaggart believes having a “premier” and “one-eam” competition could work with Cootamundra, Temora, Young, Junee, Harden, Hay and Deniliquin providing the foundations of a new competition.
“We have no problems with Cootamundra doing what they have done but we have always been aware that we want to make sure Hay and Deniliquin are included somewhere in our comp,” McTaggart said.
As normal, SIRU will ask teams to indicate their team numbers at the next month’s annual general meeting before plans for the next season get under way.
