ARE two tiers better than one?
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That question will hopefully be answered this season as the AFL Central West opts for two senior men's tiers for the first time in four seasons.
Bathurst Bushrangers president Alex Sparks is optimistic the move will help to strengthen the league, even though it means just four teams - one from his club, the Bathurst Giants, Orange Tigers and Dubbo Demons - will contest the top-tier premiership.
Sparks feels by having a second-tier it will help clubs which have struggled for player depth in recent seasons to bolster their rosters. It will also give players not quite up to the standard of first grade a league in which they can be competitive.
"That's what that second tier, reserve grade is for. You don't want certain players playing up in first grade if they can't handle it, they're not going to stay in the game if they do that," he said.
"So yes, we'd love to have more teams in the top grade, but you've got to start somewhere.
"Cowra and Parkes should be quite strong because they are playing in that reserve grade. I spoke to those clubs not that long ago and they're ready to go."
In was in 2016 that the AFLCW decided to merge the first and reserve grade competitions in a bid to make the league more competitive. It saw eight teams vying for the first grade flag - two from Bathurst Bushrangers, Bathurst Giants, Orange, Cowra, Parkes, Young and Dubbo.
It was a bold move, but it was one which worked. The Bushrangers very nearly qualified its two teams - the Rebels and Outlaws - for the decider, Cowra and Dubbo proved more competitive and up until the last month of the regular season, five teams were in the hunt for finals.
But in the seasons which followed numbers at some clubs dwindled to the point where teams withdrew from the league and the gap between the top and bottom sides widened.
It is hoped the 2020 season - albeit shorter due to the coronavirus - will help remedy some of those issues.
For the Bushrangers it means an increase to three senior men's sides - one in the top tier and two in the second.
While not all of the club's recruits from CSU will be able to compete as originally intended, Sparks said things are looking positive as the opening bounce of the 2020 season on July 18 draws closer.
"The one area that hurt us was around the uni, a lot of the uni kids are staying at home with classes being online. We've got a couple coming back, but with campus not fully functioning, there's not a whole lot of them to come back for," he said.
"But we've still got really, really strong numbers, we've got really strong momentum, they're loving it."
The draw for the two senior men's competitions, the under 17s and the women's premierships are expected to be released on Friday.
