M
melon
Guest
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I read about this in the telegraph a few times and was extremely interested. It'll certainly something to keep and eye on.
It's a shame it had to come about this way though.
<h3>Aboriginal Super League may go ahead
From NRL.comThursday, March 1, 2007 - 7:05 PM
A breakaway rugby league competition for Aboriginals in Country NSW looks set to go ahead after conditional approval was given in Tamworth.
A summit meeting between the NSW Country Rugby League (CRL) and Aboriginal Nations Super League (ANSL) organisers failed to reconcile the reasons why indigenous clubs were thrown out of Group Two, Four and 19 competitions in northern NSW.
After refusing to reinstate the Aboriginal clubs the ANSL requested permission from the CRL to progress with their own nine-team competition and have been given seven days to come up with proof of sound management, insurance and public liability details before being sanctioned by the CRL.
ANSL chief executive Michael Anderson said he was optimistic his league would go ahead.
"I'm very optimistic our competition will kick off on the date we set of March 24," said Anderson.
"My feeling is that the Groups don't see any immediate problems with sanctioning the competition. We will come back to another meeting next week to nut out some finer points.
"I think we will proceed and we will proceed with an affiliation.
"Next Thursday for us is D-Day ... I think we just iron out those creases next week and hope that everything is hoki-dori, but that's being the supreme optimist."
Anderson said the emergence of the ANSL was the bush's own version of the Super League war which ripped apart the national competition a decade ago.
"That's exactly what's happening and I think that is really healthy," said Anderson.
"(But) we are doing it with pennies, not millions of dollars.
"We are all working in the right direction now."
He said ANSL would not poach players from existing Group clubs this year, but once players are off contract then it was "open slater".
While most players in the bush pay to play league, the elite are paid up to $300 per game from the clubs.
"We are not going to poach any of the Aboriginal players contracted to the clubs," said Anderson.
"Next year when they come off contract it is open slather.
"As we grow and clubs develop we will be able to compete for paid players with the CRL.
"If they want Aboriginal players they're going to have to pay for them.
"There will be a bidding war for the players.
"We are just creating more competition and it will serve the game well rather than take away from it."
Anderson said the ANSL could also open the eyes of professional Sydney clubs who don't realise the talented players yet to be discovered in the bush.
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I read about this in the telegraph a few times and was extremely interested. It'll certainly something to keep and eye on.
It's a shame it had to come about this way though.