Perhaps no rugby league side this off-season has been the subject of as much discussion as the Binalong Brahmans.
With an ageing squad and no junior base, the word on the proverbial street has been that the club would struggle to field a side in 2025.
Brahmans President Ben Spencer said that despite the fact that the club is looking in good shape for next year, he has simply let the rumours run instead of trying to shut them down.
“I don’t mind it,” he chuckled.
The President said that all the talk around the squad is looking positive ahead of the 2025 campaign, with most players expected to go around again and build on a successful performance in 2024, however, with the point system impacting upon the small town club due to its lack of a junior base, Spencer has expressed his concern about the club’s future to league officials.
“At this stage it’s looking really well, we don’t sign and pay players, so it’s hard to say who we’ve got and who we don’t, but we have the same coaching staff for both boys and girls, and all the talk is pretty good at the moment,” he said.
“I have raised my concerns with the points system, even this year with the George Tooke Shield committee, as I see it it is going to be a struggle, not just for our club, but my main concern is our club, that’s for sure, but I see it as an issue for the competition itself.
“Looking at the teams that are there now they have had the same coach for the last three or four years and those coaches won’t be here forever, so what are they going to do after that?
“They are going to have to do exactly the same thing and that new coach brings in a new bunch of players and they haven’t had to do that through the points system yet, so you tell me how they are going to do it, I’d love to know.
“Not all clubs in competitions have a massive junior base and they need to base a different points system around that otherwise it is not going to happen.”
As for their coaches for 2025, Spencer said they are all but secured, with an official announcement to come shortly.
“We will make an announcement in the next week or so as we have our Christmas party in December,” he said.
“It’s all over the line but we want to do it the proper way, not too early and not too late before our Christmas party, which is our Christmas party sign-on for new players as well as old players and use that as our stepping stone into next year.
“No-one has signed on at this stage and there’s no contracts that hold them binded to any club.
“We are looking like recruiting and keeping the same playing group that went around in 2024.”
-Tallon Smith