GROUP Three Rugby League wants some clarification from the Country Rugby League before a meeting on Tuesday December 9 goes ahead, to again discuss Macleay’s participation in the competition.
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The meeting is set to be held at Rydges in Port Macquarie.
In an e-mail from Group Three secretary Barrie Smith to Country Rugby League general manager Terry Quinn, obtained by the Times, Mr Smith said there is considerable resistance by Group Three’s member clubs to attend the meeting and ‘revisit the resolution that has been made.’
The group wants to know what power in its constitution the CRL has in calling the meeting, what the meeting’s agenda is and what part of the constitution of the CRL or Group Three the matters are to be dealt with.
“This has already been dealt with twice, first by the management committee and then by the general committee,’’ Mr Smith told the Times this week.
Macleay, the Group Three premiers, were excluded from the competition following a vote by the group’s general committee at the annual meeting held at the Wingham Services Club on November 16. The vote was 15-5 against Macleay’s continued participation and this was by secret ballot.
Group Three’s management committee was unanimous in the decision to exclude the Mustangs in October after the club lost all criteria points in 2014 following various breaches.
Macleay has since elected a new committee led by 2014 coach Willy Lockwood. The club was given permission to speak at the group’s annual meeting to put forward a case to stay in the competition before the vote was taken.
However, Mr Quinn spoke with Group Three president Wayne Bridge at CRL promotion held at Wagga the week after the annual meeting. Mr Quinn instructed Mr Bridge to reconvene a meeting of the general committee to revisit the matter.
Mr Quinn and CRL chairman John Anderson will be in attendance on December 9. Mr Quinn came out in support of the Mustangs in a report in the city media last weekend.
However, Mr Smith claims the meeting is ‘in limbo,’ until the CRL clarifies the group’s concerns. He hasn’t spoken directly to any CRL official since the group’s annual meeting.
The CRL annual conference will be held in Sydney on Friday. Mr Bridge will attend as Group Three’s delegate.
Mr Smith doubts the Macleay saga will be discussed at the conference.
Should the December 9 meeting go ahead Mr Smith is unsure if the clubs will have to vote on the matter again, and if that is the case, what the scenario would be should Macleay again fail to gain admission.
“We want some answers,’’ Mr Smith said.
GROUP Three Rugby League is concerned that a meeting to be held on Tuesday December 9 to discuss Macleay Valley’s continued participation in the competition will be held at Rydges in Port Macquarie.
Officials believe this could contravene the sponsorship agreement with the Wingham Services Club, major backer of Group Three for 10 years.
“Country Rugby League is advised the head office of Group Three Rugby League is at Wingham Services Club and any meeting, general, special or otherwise with respect to Group Three business is to be conducted at Wingham Services Club as part of the sponsorship agreement,’’ group secretary Barrie Smith said in an e-mail to CRL chief executive Terry Quinn this week.
“Group Three Rugby League therefore request that the venue be changed to Wingham Services Club as we believe that a meeting such as this, with the extent of local media coverage, will filter back to our major sponsor and this breach of our agreement may impact heavily on any future agreements with them.’’
Mr Smith said later he believes holding the meeting at Port Rydges will enable CRL representatives to fly in and out of Port Macquarie Airport.