The Western Suburbs Magpies face the possibility of an earlier-than-expected end, as the foundation club lacks a guarantee of funds to participate in this year’s New South Wales Cup.
This situation poses a setback for rugby league in the area while simultaneously benefiting the AFL’s efforts to establish a presence within rival grounds.
On March 24, Greater Western Sydney will compete in their first match for premiership points against local opponents, the Sydney Swans.
Following the announcement that Wests Tigers will only field a single team in the NSW Cup in 2013, sidelining the Magpies, officials from Wests indicated that they had not secured the essential annual funding of $300,000 from major supporters Wests Ashfield needed to operate a Cup team this year.
New Magpies coach Trevor Schodel and the club’s officials mentioned that Wests Ashfield expressed dissatisfaction regarding a planned protest on February 5, intended to bring attention to the potential fate of the Magpies’ Cup participation and the state of rugby league in Campbelltown.
Furthermore, there were suggestions that Wests Ashfield would only support the Cup team in 2012 contingent upon the resignation of Magpies chairman Paul Dillion.
When questioned about these suggestions, Dillion opted for a “no comment,” while sources from Wests Ashfield dismissed those allegations.
Nonetheless, the Magpies have yet to obtain the necessary funds to compete in the Cup, which is set to commence in two months.
“There are no 100 percent guarantees we will get our funding this year,” Schodel stated.
“I’m genuinely worried for the players. Initially, we had six players in our first training session, but now we have 34 players training hard. It would be deeply disappointing if Wests Ashfield follows Wests Tigers’ lead and cuts our funding. It’s now January, and our first game is on March 3.
“It’s heartbreaking to witness a traditional club being treated in such a manner. I wouldn’t want to be the last person to coach Wests.”
Graeme Szynal, who is organizing the Save Our Sides protest rally scheduled for next month, articulated that all the Magpies and the Campbelltown league community desire is a fairer arrangement from Wests Tigers, the club they helped establish in 1999 through their merger with Balmain.
“We still want our juniors to evolve into Wests Tigers players, but they shouldn’t have to represent Balmain or commute to Concord for training to achieve that,” Szynal commented.
Wests Ashfield deputy chairman Russell Smith refrained from speaking on the topic of funding.
by Buford Balony
