The trend of local rugby over the last decade reveals a gradual decline in playing numbers and seemingly will continue to do so while ever there is no junior competition such as an under 19 premiership to replenish senior ranks.

Only the weekend before last, the Mudcrabs defeated the Old Bar Clams, six tries to nil and 32-0 at Richard Crook Field yet, away from home again at Tuncurry and seriously under-strength, the “Muddies” pitched to a 16 tries to three loss to the Dolphins.

The Clams ran into the undefeated competition leaders, Wallamba Bulls and unsurprisingly went down, 88-0. The departure of this year’s coach’s from the once proud bush club, formerly managed and coached by Richard Crook and Darren Drury to dual premierships, has given the Clams a future.

Similarly, the Gloucester Cockies’ involvement hardly appeared secure when beaten, 90-0, by the Bulls earlier in May although two significant players’ major injuries left them with 13 players standing.

On Saturday, they lost, 33-7, to the Manning River Ratz in a much closer affair than the score suggests, a valuable success for the Ratz in their pursuit of a semi-final position, the win capped by a late, length of the field intercept try to make it appear more comfortable than in reality.

Fortunately for the Myall Mudcrabs, the Dolphins freed four reserve players in Tristan Yule, Lyle Gilmore and Luke Godbolt, led by the club’s distinguished veteran, Tom Harris, to play for the Mudcrabs, testing the tackling qualities of the Dolphins’ replacements with Harris outstanding.

The Dolphins’ Matt Nuku’s return from injury saw him adroitly pulling the strings again at five-eighth and M.N.C. representative, Naibuka Naqito, was back from Bali to dominate the lineouts and make midfield bursts. Centre Mark Hagarty’s sizzling speed yielded four tries.

With tight-head Ben Manning (shoulder) missing for another fortnight, Gavin Maberly-Smith and Lee Crozier were the corner stones of hooker Scott Walmsley’s scrum, the front-rowers often unseen and unrecognised toilers in the forward hurly-burly.

Gloucester’s impressive young agricultural college second rower, Lachie Callis, is expected to be available throughout the winter although hard-scrummaging prop, Mitch Meredith, will be out of action for up to a month with a shoulder joint strain.

The Ratz were without No 8 Sam Hartnett (back), lock David Rees (knee) and centre Ben Northam (knee), considerably weakening the club so every win is important nearing the half-way mark in the minor premiership.