Bathurst Bulldogs juniors enjoy home Walla Rugby Gala Day action at Ashwood Park

There was not much more the Bathurst Bulldogs could have asked for from the weekend's Central West Junior Rugby Union gala day at Ashwood Park.

With numbers restrictions at the venue due to COVID-19 the Bathurst organisers did what they could to put on a great day of rugby union for all involved, especially for those players enjoying their first taste of the game.

The club were excited to see their under 6s get onto the field and lap up a brand new experience.

Bathurst Bulldogs junior president Mike Curtin said feedback from parents about the way the gala day was run was positive.

"We pioneered using a QR code for people to sign in. We were restricted to one parent per player which is a hard thing when we've got some kids playing their first ever game of rugby but it went really well because we put the under 6s close to the edge of the ground, so people we couldn't enter could still watch from the car," he said.

"It was a nice day and the kids had a great time. The new format was a real winner and there's now talk about adopting it permanently."

The new system changed up the match structure for players, giving organisers the chance to cut only a few minutes of game time but have people spending less time at the ground.

"We went from three games of half an hour, with two 13 minutes halves, to having two 40 minutes games with 18 minute halves," Curtin said.

"That meant throughout the day the kids get six minutes of rugby but parents are at the ground for a shorter period of time. They don't have to wait around for the third game, and we've found in the past that third game has produced the most injuries because the kids are tired.

"The two game system meant there was more continuity to the games. And with parents spending less time at the ground that's what the Department of Health were really after."

The gala day was the first run under Central West Junior Rugby Union's two-conference system.

The setup limits the variety of opponents but in a major plus for families it reduces the travel times for participants across the season.

Curtin said that's already shaping up to be a well received decision across the park this year.

"Because we're playing in zones to keep our numbers below 500 the furthest we're going to have to go is to Cowra," he said.

"That draws in parents who in the past might have ruled rugby out because we've had to travel to places like Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo and Wellington.

"Being more a local competition is a big bonus. We're happy with the way it all went and Central West Rugby Union are also really happy with the way the day went."

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs 12s will play the Parkes Boars in their next round of the junior competition this Saturday.

Bulldogs will be keen to bounce back after going down to Wellington Redbacks.