Despite the exit of the Goulburn Stockmen from the Group 6 rugby league competition three new clubs have signed up for the 2008 season.
The recently launched Bowral Bunnies will be joined by fellow Highlanders, the Robertson Spuds, in the DNC Cup and under-18s competition.
The newly formed Appin Dogs will fill the gap left by the Stockmen in first-grade.
The head coach of the 2007 Campbelltown Collegians Matt Stockwell is the backbone of the new club and has been elected its president.
Stockwell said the Collegians had a tumultuous time in the outer western Sydney competitions, which he blamed on the Wests Tigers.
The Collegians took out the West A-grade competition in 2006 but due to the competition collapsing this year they played in the Parramatta A-grade competition.
The Collegians made the semi-fnals and Stockwell said he plans to bring the nucleus of that team to the Appin Dogs.
Stockwell decided to launch the new club during the year.
“I saw some kids, probably 20-25, playing footy in a park across from Appin pub and thought it would be great to get a junior club going in Appin,” he said.
Stockwell said this idea evolved into a senior team to compliment the juniors.
“We aim to have four junior teams, including an under-16s team. We will field a first grade team and look to expand with a reserve and under-18s team in the following years.”
Stockwell said the club was still interviewing coaching candidates and his company Dogg Commodity Trading will be its major sponsor.
“There are plenty of 17-24 year-old talented players around and this would give them the chance to play for Appin,” he said.
Stockwell said the club would have teething issues in its first season.
“We need a season to show everyone we are fair dinkum.”
In other Group 6 news, Bowral Bunnies’ president Peter Robertson said the club’s registration’s drive at the East Bowral community centre on Election Day was a success.
“We are getting blokes coming out of retirement plus some fresh faces,” he said.
The Bunnies have been running training sessions on Tuesday nights, at Loseby Park and Robertson said the Bunnies biggest problem may be having to turn players away.
Financial viability will be the biggest hurdle for the new clubs.
Other clubs have huge debts due to financial mismanagement and running a Group 6 club involves more than just good intentions.
Bowral dissolved in 2002 after it was unable to meet Group 6’s criteria for two teams.
The CRL decided to put the resurgent Robertson Spuds in Group 6 as opposed to the Illawarra based Group 7.
The Spuds will field an under-18s and DNC Cup team.
Group 6 secretary John Dayball said the DNC Cup would have seven teams and the under-18s as many as 16 teams.
Players interested in joining the Appin Dogs can contact Stockwell on 0415 102 886.
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