The Western Suburbs Magpies rugby league club is happy to update our Members and Supporters on recent developments in the structure of the Group 6 and Wests Tigers Macarthur competitions.
After a year of discussions among a steering committee comprising representatives of the NSWRL, Wests Tigers Macarthur, Group 6 and Wests Group Macarthur, the decision was made to form a combined conference with the goal of improving the competitive balance of both rugby league districts.
The combined competition, known as the NSW Rugby League Macarthur Conference, will commence in 2022.
The new competition structure will see a combined conference system from under thirteens to first grade, with the open age groups to be comprised of existing regional clubs.
Importantly, this includes the appearance of the East Campbelltown Eagles in the Macarthur Conference, who appeared most recently in the Sydney Shield Competition and they have been a feeder club in 2021 to our Western Suburbs Magpies Ron Massey Cup side.
This exciting news for the south west is greatly encouraged by Wests Tigers, who have recently made a substantial commitment to strengthening their Pathways policy, with the appointments of former International Brett Kimmorley and Matt Betsey, who gained a wealth of development knowledge during his time at Cricket Australia.
Wests Magpies Chair, Rick Wayde, welcomed the new structure and congratulates all concerned for the initiative, stating, “Having a combined effort and sense of purpose, in creating a visible pathway for young athletes is so important. Wests Magpies support Wests Tigers in providing every opportunity for each Player to learn and enjoy the game”.
Similarly, Wests General Manager, Leo Epifania, commented, “Developing young talent and providing the Junior Coaches with valuable assistance from experienced people are major steps along this exciting pathway”.
Wests enthusiastically support the strengthening of the pathways from Sydney’s south-western regions into the Wests Tigers NRL team via the Western Suburbs Magpies. Local juniors invariably provide the heart and soul of the district club.
