Koetz wanted to set the record straight on Friday after Riverina cricket legend Warren Smith became the latest to lash out at the changes to the time-honoured O'Farrell Cup this week.

Smith went on the front foot, declaring a number of the game's greats would be 'turning in their graves' at the move away from a challenge system and that this year's round robin format 'degraded' the O'Farrell Cup.

While Koetz conceded that the majority of former players from past generations, including his own father, would probably not like the change, he explained that the sport had to move with the times.

Koetz, who is also chairman of Riverina zone, admitted that representative cricket is 'dying' and explained that the changes were made to keep the O'Farrell Cup alive.

"It's important to keep tradition going, the format has been tinkered with all the way through and what we're doing it trying to reinvigorate it because rep cricket is dying," Koetz said.

Koetz said there were a number of reasons behind the change but took exception to the accusation that the current organisers were not respecting the history of the O'Farrell Cup.

"We're happy to look at what we need to next year...but the idea of a challenge system has been pretty much put to bed because of the commitment to players and the cost of running it," he said.

"We don't want to put the Cup away in the cupboard. We understand the tradition and the history, we want to try to use it and keep it alive."

Koetz said the change was partly driven by players, who no longer hold the passion for representative cricket like previous generations.

"When I was 18 or 19, I played every bit of rep cricket I could if you got picked. Now it's a battle to get guys playing Saturday cricket, let alone rep cricket on a Sunday," he said.

"People have a lot more things on. The times have changed. My dad played O'Farrell Cup and organised the O'Farrell Cup for years, he probably wouldn't like the changes either but it is what it is.

"We play O'Farrell Cup and Stribley Shield on Sunday and we'll have a real battle to field two teams for rep cricket.

"The O'Farrell Cup has continually been modernised and updated all the time. There was unlimited time, bowlers could bowl unlimited overs. The rules have always been tinkered with."

Koetz said the cost on associations that held the O'Farrell Cup for extended periods of time had also become prohibitive.

"The last time Wagga held it for a season it cost close to $10,000 that we hadn't budgeted for and that punched a fair hole in our finances," he said.

"We got the same response from Albury last season. After you pay for curators, umpires, balls, provide lunch, each challenge can cost $800 to $1000. Then the bigger associations like Wagga and Albury, all things being equal, hold the Cup and have challenges for five or six consecutive weeks, sometimes two seasons, it adds up.

"Then you also struggle to get the commitment of players for those extended periods as well."

Koetz conceded the communication surrounding this year's format could have been better and they will look to discuss next year's format with associations.

He was disappointed in Griffith however, who had two months to provide feedback and did not but then withdrew about a week before this year's O'Farrell Cup was due to start.

Koetz strongly believes the 'World Cup' type format is the way to go moving forward.

"We want a World Cup style format with a couple of different pools," he said.

"That way each association is guaranteed three games of rep cricket, then you have a semi-final and a final.

"Whoever wins the final holds the O'Farrell Cup over winter."

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