THE reduction of next year's Group Nine season to 16 rounds has divided opinion between clubs after the change was rubber stamped at Sunday's annual general meeting.
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Temora and Gundagai pressed for the season to be cut from 18 games, which ensures every team plays each other twice, to 14, with all three Wagga teams pressing for the full home-and-away schedule to remain.
The other five clubs voted for 16, with a split round bye to also be re-introduced.
Tigers president David Tout said mental fatigue within the player and supporter ranks was a major reason why they pushed strongly for a shorter fixture.
He said crowds can drop off late in the year when team's finals fates are known, while player numbers a training also suffer.
"Our point of view is the season was too long at 18 (rounds)," Tout said.
"The middle of the season in the middle of winter, it's so hard because no one wants to train. By the back end everyone knows what the top five is going to be and they're looking towards finals.
"It just drags on too long and short and sharp is best for the crowds, the committee and the player.
"That's just our opinion, we may be wrong. If it drags on too long they (players) start making excuses to not come to training, they know where they're going to be at (by the end of the regular season)."
Tout suggested the top teams from the previous season all play each other twice, with the bottom sides to do likewise, in an effort to shore up concerns a club's finals hopes may be dashed by copping a tougher draw than their rivals.
New Wagga Kangaroos president Peter Hurst is in the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' camp after the 18-round, five team finals series format proved a big success this year.
The return to the top five system has been credited as a major reason behind Group Nine's bottom line improving markedly from a $13,440 loss in 2018 to to a $40,974 profit.
"I thought 14 (rounds) would be too much of an abbreviated season," Hurst said.
"Sixteen's OK, (but) I just like the format where you play each other twice and it was and equal and fair comp.
"You take the luck of the draw out, if you play all the top four teams twice it can really impact someone's season.
"But Pete (McDermott, Group Nine chairman) quite adamantly made it clear to be careful what you wish for (with a reduction in rounds).
"It's one of those things where everyone has an opportunity to put their case forward and that's what we came up with. You can't ask for too much more than that.