Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Apex Oval will play host to the Peter McDonald Premiership grand final.
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This is the second time in two years the Dubbo ground has snagged the rights to the combined Group 11-Group 10 competition's big day and quite frankly, that's one year too many.
During the league's inaugural 2022 season, it was Dubbo CYMS who finished atop the overall ladder and thereby earned the rights to host the game. Fair enough as the club also featured in the reserve grade and league tag deciders.
No matter which way you sliced it, there were going to be a few clubs upset if a predetermined ground (and Group) was selected for the historic occasion, so awarding it to the highest placed first grade side made sense on that occasion.
But why the 2023 grand final is being hosted in Dubbo once again beggars belief.
![Forbes Magpies won the inaugural Peter McDonald Premiership game and the 2023 edition will be contested by Dubbo CYMS and the Mudgee Dragons. File pictures Forbes Magpies won the inaugural Peter McDonald Premiership game and the 2023 edition will be contested by Dubbo CYMS and the Mudgee Dragons. File pictures](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/1bbf0a30-469e-4d4b-a405-92d2c959e36a.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Fishies will take on Group 10 minor premiers Mudgee Dragons on Sunday and it should be Glen Willow, not Apex, where teams and spectators flock to. This is despite the fact CYMS finished with a higher points differential than the red and whites, after they both ended the season equal on points.
Before I get ahead of myself, let's put to bed some of the arguments that Dubbo and G11 loyalists will use to tell me why I'm wrong.
"Win more games if you want to host the game."
This would be a fair argument if the highest ranked club always got to host the grand final at their own home ground. What am I talking about you may ask?
NSWRL regional manager for Western Tim Del Guzzo confirmed to ACM that all Group 10 clubs are eligible to host a prospective grand final.
But for Group 11, "only grounds that meet a pre-determined minimum standard are eligible."
While it's believed Parkes' Jock Colley Field would have been given a shot to host the grand final had the Spacemen won hosting rights, other clubs like Wellington and Nyngan may have had to defer the game to Apex Oval.
So if clubs are already losing that "earned" home ground advantage, why should it matter if the grand final rotates between the Groups on a yearly basis?
This is far from the only counterargument.
As it stands, teams play two games against each club in their respective Group and also take on four of the six teams from the opposite Group.
Of the many problems associated with this is the simple fact we don't have an even draw.
There's no realistic way to fix this either as you would never be able to make a 22-game season work.
![M marks the spot. The direct centre of the Peter McDonald Premiership in Eurimbla...maybe they should host the grand final? Picture Geomidpoint M marks the spot. The direct centre of the Peter McDonald Premiership in Eurimbla...maybe they should host the grand final? Picture Geomidpoint](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/2bcd772d-9b58-4555-a9fd-9312a3d6d6ca.PNG/r0_0_1065_674_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Well, Apex Oval is the best ground in the west."
Best ground in Group 11, that's fair, but Mudgee's home turf is the field which every objective player wants to run out on. That's not even taking into account the rock hard nature Apex currently finds itself in.
Now that we've done away with the keyboard warrior comments, let's look at this from a logistical standpoint.
Any competition - be it league, union, soccer etc - that's worth its salt wants to see all clubs thrive, not just a select few.
With the possibility that grand final hosting rights remain in one particular area for years on end, it shunts the growth of half the competition.
NSWRL regional manager for Western Tim Del Guzzo confirmed to ACM that the gate takings - of which ticket prices are not yet confirmed - are "split evenly" between G10 and G11. But it is understood aspects of the day, such as canteen or raffles, would be divided up to those G11 clubs helping out.
Obviously those clubs lending a hand should benefit from their hard work because as we all should know, volunteers are the lifeblood of community sport.
But it just strikes me as odd that a select few should benefit from their strongest member, when this should be viewed as one whole competition, not two separate leagues.
So you've heard my complaints, now here's the solution.
If the 2024 grand final once again came down to a match between a G10 and G11 team, the game should be played at Glen Willow. Then if the same scenario happened in 2025, the game would revert back to Apex Oval. Simple stuff.
If the decider were between two G10 teams, the game would still take place at Glen Willow with the only exception being if Mudgee's first grade team were to make the grand final as the lower seed, so as not to reward them with an unearned home decider.
If that were to happen, the higher seeded team would have the option to host the game in their town, or at Glen Willow.
The same logic would apply if two G11 teams made the grand final and Dubbo CYMS were the lower ranked of the two.
All of this might sound like sour grapes to some (and maybe it is coming from an Orange-based reporter), but surely with such a new competition, you don't want to isolate fans year after year.
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And if you're really set on the best team earning hosting rights, simply make the previous year's first grade winning side the host of the next grand final.
Overall, there are plenty of better solutions than what we have this year.
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