CENTRAL West will head to Wollongong this weekend for its scheduled trial games with Illawarra, Central Coast and Balmain, despite luring less than 20 players to Sunday’s selection trials at Endeavour Oval.
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Sunday’s underwhelming turnout for the Blue Bulls trial set off serious alarm bells in the Central West Rugby Union camp, compounded by the fact its colts trials two weeks prior hosted just 14 potential baby bulls.
Considering Central West pulled off a rare Caldwell Cup (opens) and Rowlands Cup (colts) double at last year’s NSW Country Championships, 2015 was viewed by many as a year in which both sides would be catapulted to even loftier heights, which is now being questioned after both sets of trials attracted so few players.
However, even after the dismal showing on Sunday, Central West Rugby Union chief executive officer Peter Veenstra said there is no doubt Central West will remain a force at the country championships - to be held in May this year - and said both sides’ coaches had assured him their respective squads will be full for the weekend, and of high quality.
“We were low on numbers at both, but there was other things on,” Veenstra said.
“I’ve been reassured that both squads will be travelling, and playing, and will have full squads there.
“We have had encouraging signs, for instance the colts side had 18 players at last weekend’s Orange City 10s, and they weren’t half bad.
“I know (opens coaches Mick Gray and Steve Hamson) had an idea about a lot of players who wouldn’t be there on Sunday.”
There wasn’t any doubting the quality of players at the Blue Bulls trial on Sunday, another factor giving Veenstra optimism.
NSW Country Cockatoos representative Dan Ryan turned out, as did Country Colts five-eighth Adam Perri, while Orange City duo Darcy Garlick and Duncan Young both put their cases forward too.
“There are a lot of good players I know (the coaches are) looking at who weren’t there,” Veenstra said.
“But as I said, both squads will be filled and I think they will definitely be strong too. It will be tough to go back-to-back in both divisions, though.”
The opens squad was marked down to be released yesterday, but has been delayed after Sunday’s trial.
Both squads for this weekend’s trial matches in Wollongong are now set to be named on Wednesday.
