In recent years players from the second tier competition (composed mainly of players from Groups outside the traditional powerhouses of Newcastle, Illawarra, Canberra and the Central Coast) gave those players the incentive to play for their Groups or Regions with a chance to make the second country team.

Many of these players have forfeited match payments they could have received playing for their clubs and risked injury along the way, often playing two games in a weekend up to four times, to have a chance of gaining a country jumper. Without that carrot I can’t imagine many players putting their hands up for Group or Regional selection – and why should they?

The move to shift the goalposts for these players was apparently made at the Country Rugby League AGM, although several people who attended that meeting have no recollection of it being discussed or passed.

It is  a smack in the face for the smaller groups and divisions, who have battled along and kept the game healthy in their areas.

I doubt that this would have ever happened under the careful watch of former CRL president, the late Jock Colley, and it will be interesting to see the backlash from the diehard country groups.