Cowra Magpies in discussions to leave Group 10 and Peter McDonald Premiership

That's the mindset of Cowra Magpies president Marc McLeish as he confirmed the rugby league club was in discussions about departing Group 10 and the Peter McDonald Premiership ahead of the 2024 season.

The Magpies failed to field a first grade side during 2023 which not only caused chaos with the draw, but made the club itself feel like outsiders.

"We found that when we went away to play other teams and there's no first grade game, or in the crossover games when the first grade game was a different club to us, it just never felt right," McLeish said.

"It didn't feel comfortable, it doesn't feel like you're part of it. That's not anyone's fault, that's just the way it is."

While the club's league tag and under 18s sides failed to make the finals this past season, success was felt by its reserve grade team.

The Magpies finished the regular season on top of the Group 10 ladder, but were defeated in the grand final by Dubbo CYMS.

Although nothing has been locked in just yet, McLeish said the committee was "resigned to the fact" they were a three team club now.

"It's just a matter of where we fit into the rugby league landscape going forward," the president added.

"It's more than just about footy, it's about local economies and what we have access to offer players and where we source our players from."

McLeish believed that should the status quo remain, the Magpies' viability could soon disappear.

He pointed to the semi-professional nature of bush footy as a reason why it had become tougher for small towns like Cowra to stay afloat.

"It's not about winning and losing to be honest, it's just trying to hold it all together and be sustainable," he said.

"At the moment, the general consensus is if we stay in the PMP then we're not sustainable."

This isn't new territory for the Magpies either.

Towards the end of the 2010s, a similar discussion about the club's future was had in the form of a community meeting where key stakeholders were called.

"We had that discussion about where we sat, what our goals were and how much money we were spending which was a key point," McLeish said.

"The amount of money being spent in bush footy at the moment is downright irresponsible. It's disgraceful.

"With all the desperate groups that actually do good in the world needing money all over the place and there's $150,000, $200,000, $300,000 being spent on bush footy teams to win a $10,000 competition, it's just dumb."

McLeish admitted they too, were previously part of the rat race.

That was until the meeting half a decade ago when the club "made a conscious decision" to pull back on how much money they were spending.

"If that meant results were to suffer, then so be it," he added.

That's exactly what has happened.

The ability to attract those big name signings lessened and the wins started to disappear.

"The feeling around town is we have to do what we have to do," McLeish said in reference to possibly finding a new home for the club.

"If we're still in Group 10 or the PMP come up with a plan that would suit us, then by all means we're happy to buy in. At the moment, we're functioning but it doesn't feel ideal."

In order to leave one competition, another must first be in the pipeline.

The two logical choices would either be the Woodbridge Cup or the George Tooke Shield.

McLeish confirmed that although no formal discussions had been had just yet, Cowra's preference if they were to leave Group 10 would be the Woodbridge competition.

"To go back to a three grade competition means we are playing that last game of the day," he said.

"The standard out there is getting better and better for various reasons. It's certainly not a case that we'd go back to a second division competition and dominate it. Not by any stretch."

"It's not necessarily what we want to do, but sometimes you just have to be realistic and accept what you are at the moment."

The main reason for to preference Woodbridge over George Tooke boiled down to the Magpies' junior base.

With the inclusion of Cowra, Woodbridge would likely see at least a six-team Youth League competition in 2024. George Tooke does not have an under 18s competition at all.

"If we were to sacrifice our junior grades then that's just pointless. It defeats everything we try to achieve as a club," McLeish said.

"While we like to be competitive in the senior realm, developing and creating pathways for our junior kids ... there's an importance there for us to create opportunities for our kids."

The way McLeish sees bush footy evolving, he doesn't think anything is set in stone over a five to ten year period.

He does however expect to see "wholesale changes" made to the sport in the coming years.

"There's pretty much an unrest around the whole state," McLeish said.

"At some stage, this bubble is going to burst and country rugby league will suffer as a result. It's just ridiculous what's out there."

In saying that, the Magpies president believes any change - or non-change - the club makes now needs to be for the betterment of Cowra's overall sustainability and not just the immediate future.

"It would be irresponsible of me and my committee not to be exploring options in the current climate. We've got to play the long game," he said.

"Clubs are folding all over the state and a lot of that is because they've tried to hold on to what they would consider tradition or it being the right thing to do.

"We're a club with a 100 year history but we've only been in Group 10 since 1955. While that's a long time, it's not the be all and end all of our existence."

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