THE starting date for the 2023 Group Three Rugby League season will be determined at Sunday's annual meeting to be held at the Wingham Services Club, along with the number of sides to contest the finals series.
Continued wet weather and resulting closed fields delayed the kickoff of this year's premiership. This also saw the number of sides in the finals reduced to four instead of five to cut the finals series from four weeks to three to allow postponed games to be played. Further heavy rain saw the opening weekend of the finals pushed back a week.
"We'll be looking at when we kickoff along with the structure of the competition as well as the format of the finals series,'' group chief executive Mal Drury said.
It is expected the finals will revert to five teams.
A proposed draw for 2023 will be presented to the annual meeting.
Mr Drury expects there will also be discussion on whether to continue with a Saturday grand final. Clubs voted to play a Saturday grand final for the first time this year.
"I thought playing on the Saturday was successful,'' Mr Drury said.
"We got a good crowd there and if it hadn't rained, we would have got more.''
The grand final gate was $18,900.
As reported previously, there will be one major change to the group's management, with Wayne Bridge stepping down after 15 years in the role. At this stage there is only one nominee for the position, Warren Blissett from Forster-Tuncurry.
Meanwhile, the Group Three Hall of Fame induction will be held at the Wingham Services Club on Friday, December 9.
There will be six inductees, Marshall Loadsman, Allan Skinner, Darrin Dark, Max Coggan, John Parish and Norm Taylor.
