Bendemeer will field both first and reserve grade sides in Group 4 in 2018.
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The club has been proactive since Group 4 announced the restructuring of its First Division and Second Division competitions which has resulted in Bendemeer entering two senior sides, a ladies league tag team along with the junior sides into Group 4 competitions.
Bendemeer’s senior squad hasn’t been finalised yet – the season is still roughly five months away – but president Paul Craig said there was enough interest to put two sides forward.
“We’re confident we can bring players in. We did it last year and we’ll do it again,” Craig said.
“Our committee has done so much hard work to get to this position.
“It’s not just about players wanting to have a run but we need to give them a club they want to play for.”
While Craig said the Bendemeer’s progression to being able to field two senior league sides has been swift, it had always been in the back of his mind and with the restructure, it just made sense to have two teams.
“The options they gave us were stepping up to first grade or fielding a reserve grade side. I didn’t see the merit in doing just one of those,” Craig said.
“I think with a first grade team, you need the depth of a second team and playing reserve grade you need aspirations – a side you can aim for.”
Craig wasn’t worried about stepping into first grade and said the Mountain Men weren’t going to be easy-beats.
“It’s certainly going to be a tougher competition but we’re not there to make up the numbers,” he said.
“We’ll put up a fight every week and I think we’ll do quite alright.
“We’ve mainly just got a lot of young fellas and a few blokes from last year [making up the numbers]. We held on to Adam Ruttley, he’s probably the main one [player kept] and Anthony Hammond [2018 Bendemeer first grade coach] has brought in a few guys.”
Sunday saw Group 4 hold a meeting to finalise team nominations for the 2018 season. First grade will be a nine-team competition while there will be 10 teams in reserve grade.
A change from the original structure put out by Group 4 will see Wee Waa and South West Robins field sides in reserve grade instead of first grade.
The ladies league tag cup competition will mirror the first grade men’s competition while there is currently five teams in the league tag shield competition.
To bolster the shield, Group 4 is calling on teams to come forward who will then be matched with Narrabri, Gunnedah, Collegian, North Tamworth and Bendemeer to play their home and away season alongside.
Group 4 chairman Ray McCoy said this was being done so clubs could stick together.
“With an uneven number that is nigh impossible,” McCoy said of club teams playing their home and away season alongside each other.
“At the moment, the thought process is to invite five new teams into that competition and align those teams with a club.”
There are also seven under 18s sides locked in for 2018 while Bendemeer and Werris Creek could also enter teams.
McCoy said the meeting on Sunday was another “incredible” one.
“Everyone had their hearts on the table. It was good to sit in a room with 20-odd people with so much passion,” McCoy said.
Craig agreed.
“I love going to the meetings and I can see Group 4 becoming a lot better than it has been,” he said.
“Ray wants to get supporters back out there and he wants rugby league to be the best game in region and I think we're going in that direction.”