January 15, 2013
There’ll be no Murgon Mustangs A Grade rugby league team fielded in the 2013 competition after a disappointing roll-up at a “make-or-break” meeting this evening at the Murgon Showgrounds.
Club stalwart Col Pidgeon – who was attempting to co-ordinate an A grade team – said only six or seven players turned up.
“So we pulled the pin. There’ll be no A Grade team. There’s no second chances,” he said.
“The club is sick of wasting money on A Grade if the players are not showing any commitment or willingness. We can’t allow A Grade to drag down the rest of the club.
“This last year was an absolute disgrace, the way the boys talked to the coach and carried on.”
The shape of the 2013 South Burnett rugby league competition is yet to be decided, with suggestions that North Burnett teams could also be involved
(southburnett.com.au understands a decision about this could be made as early as next Sunday).
However the possibility of this extra travel also weighed on the Mustangs’ decision.
“If there’s travel, there’s the cost of the buses, and then there’s the cost of the A Grade insurance. We could be looking at $7000 alone just to field an A Grade team. And if the players aren’t going to support the club …” Col said.
He admitted he was disappointed, particularly as some of the players had “told him to his face” they would be at tonight’s meeting but failed to show up.
“It’s very disappointing for the club itself and for the boys that did turn up, and for the supporters and the sponsors,” he said.
“But they just haven’t got the commitment any more.”
He suggested some may be hoping to pick up occasional games with other clubs, without having to pay any fees.
Col also has no idea yet if the Mustangs will have the numbers to field an U18s team in the Bundaberg competition as it did in 2012, or even if the structure of this competition would remain the same for 2013.
“If it’s not subsidised, I can’t see the club affording to travel very much,” he said.
“You have to run things like a business these days. You can’t run a team that can’t make a profit.”
He said he couldn’t see the Mustangs fielding an A Grade team for the foreseeable future or until the Murgon economy picked up.
“It’s not going to change unless Murgon gets some industry back,” he said. “The younger fellows have to leave town to work.”
Col said he had been with the Mustangs since 1998 and his wife Alicia had been involved even longer, since 1994.
“But it looks like we’re just going to retire from footy,” he said.
NB. Murgon JRL’s sign-on day will be held on January 20 from 1:00pm-5:00pm at Murgon Showgrounds
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UPDATE February 5: “Due to popular demand” it appears the Mustangs may yet field an A Grade team in the 2013 competition. Watch this space…
