A disastrous season reached new lows for the Macleay Valley Mustangs on Sunday when only five first grade players were available for their match with the Forster-Tuncurry Hawks.
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As a result, the Mustangs were forced to forfeit the contest and were handed a $1000 fine from Group Three Rugby League.
The fine is delivered to the Mustangs for having a game-day forfeit as the referees need to be paid while the home team requires reimbursement for a shortened match day.
Macleay Valley are winless in first grade this season and withdrew their reserve grade team after seven rounds as their player numbers dwindled.
Uncertainty now surrounds their survival in the first grade competition.
“There are a few factors as to why we aren’t playing with a couple more players each week,” Mustangs president Tim Moorehead told the Argus.
“We need to look at all our options, including dropping the side for the rest of the season, it isn’t what we want to do but it may have to happen.
“We don’t know who is going to be available, we aren’t sure who is going to turn up and who won’t.”
The Mustangs could have fielded a side by backing up Under-18.5s players, but Moorehead put player welfare above the club’s priorities.
"We don’t want to interfere with the Under-18.5s side, it’s a close competition and they are in the mix to achieve something special this season,” Moorehead said.
If the Mustangs are to lose their first grade team for the final four rounds of the season, there is the potential for their Ladies League Tag and Under-18.5s sides to be penalised. However, Group 3 chief executive Barrie Smith believes sympathy would be shown to the Mustangs.
“We would look favourably at the Mustangs’ lower grades, I don’t think they would be eliminated this late in the year,” Smith said.
“The reality is we want the Mustangs in the competition and their administration is working really hard but they just aren’t getting the support from the players at the moment.”
The Mustangs face Wingham at home this Saturday before back-to-back road games against the Breakers and Blues and then they host the Pirates for the final game of the season.
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