COMMONSENSE wins the day.
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The momentous move was made at the Group Nine annual general meeting on Sunday, heralding a possible new era for rugby league in the Riverina.
Although nothing is set in concrete, the delegates from the 11 clubs are enamoured with a desire to avoid another ridiculous clash of dates with the Riverina Football League grand final.
This utterly stupid situation cost both sports valuable dollars at the gate on September 23 and Group Nine has had the foresight to try to do something about it.
Forward thinking has not always been the strong suit of Group Nine, but this brave decision may mark the start of a change in the way things are done.
Certainly, taking the first steps to implement a Saturday night grand final at Equex Centre in September next year has put Group Nine streets ahead of AFL Riverina.
Rather than try to find a compromise to the grand final deadlock debacle, AFL Riverina has apparently been content to keep the status quo.
This is hardly surprising as AFL Riverina follows the same rules as the AFL, which is never guilty of finding a level playing field for all.
The AFL works on the slash and burn method destroy whatever stands in its way.
In the case of rugby league, the AFL is doing a great job.
Look at the way the two sports are managed in the Riverina.
AFL Riverina seems to have endless funds to pursue its plan for football domination, while Group Nine works on a budget that would make sphairee embarrassed.
AFL Riverina in naturally bankrolled by the all-powerful AFL and Group Nine gets it funds from selling ute loads of firewood on the roadside.
The last bit is totally wrong, but it does put things in the true and proper perspective.
The AFL is doing all it can to squash the life out of rugby league in the Riverina and buckets of money is a great start.
Working on a shoestring budget puts Group Nine (rugby league) so far behind it is not funny.
Nevertheless, rugby league is still holding its own with Australian football, but this doesn't mean either or both sports are in boom territory.
Anyway, AFL Riverina isn't helping the situation by stonewalling such ideas as playing the Riverina Football League grand final on a different day to the Group Nine grand final.
I think this just shows how determined AFL Riverina is to wipe rugby league off the face of the region.
The AFL definitely has that plan in western Sydney, but so far is fighting a losing battle.
For all the talk and hype, Greater Western Sydney was hardly a rampaging or towering triumph on or off the field this year.
Even the fact Wagga City Council jumped on board with a $300,000 deal was not enough to have the Giants make mince meat of rugby league in places like Penrith, Parramatta or Campbelltown.
Still, Wagga did get something out of the wreck of the good ship GWS.
Next year the Giants will play a NAB Cup game against Brisbane at Robertson Oval in March.
Despite all the hysteria, I doubt the deal between council and GWS had anything do with the city landing the prized promotion.
Call me cynical, but I believe this is all the work of the AFL and not an act of good faith by GWS.
Somehow I can't imagine GWS has the pull to just tell the AFL they want to play a NAB Cup game in Wagga and that is that.
I'm sure the Brisbane Lions would be furious if GWS was pulling the strings and arranging games on its behalf.
This is absolutely naive in the extreme.
For my money, the AFL has handed an NAB Cup to Wagga purely to help send rugby league to the wall.
And the NRL or Australian Rugby League Commission is happy to let it happen.
While the AFL pours cash into the Riverina at a tsunami-like rate, the NRL/ARLC just sits back and talks about TV deals, sacking referee bosses and making up new logos.
What a joke.
The AFL might be a sporting ogre, but at least it has a heart ... somewhere.
The other side is about as compassionate to the bush as a spider is to a fly.
The way things are heading, the NRL/ARLC will soon move its headquarters offshore to be closer to its grass-roots area.
Forget about the bush, forget about the Riverina, forget about Wagga - the NRL/ARLC seems more intent on ensuring the Pacific island states continue turning out big, strong athletes to prop up the competing clubs.
As much as there is nothing at all wrong with Fijians, Samoans, Kiwis etc flooding into the NRL premiership, it is disappointing they seem to be getting a free ride at the expense of players in the country.
Struggling rugby league clubs in the bush have to paddle their own canoes without the backing of the NRL/ARLC, which are falling over themselves to ensure the supply of players does not run dry.
Give it time and the AFL will come up with a strategy to combat the flow of athletes from the south seas to rugby league clubs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Imagine what will happen when the these athletes are playing for Hawthorn, Geelong, GWS etc rather than the Roosters, Rabbitohs and Panthers.
The face of rugby league will be changed forever.
Maybe the NRL/ARLC will sit up and take notice might even realise it needs to do something in its own backyard.
Or else it might just let things meander along like it normally does.
The AFL is so pro-active it is silly. It runs rings around its so-called fierce rival.
Between now and March, the NRL/ARLC needs to get working on defending its former heartland.
By this I don't mean just sending Laurie Daley down to Junee/Wagga for a few token appearances.
The NRL/ARLC has to fight the good fight or simply run up the white flag.
