Organisers of an Aboriginal rugby league carnival in Newcastle are fuming after being forced to cancel the tournament due to a wrangle about insurance for referees.
Newcastle All Blacks Rugby League Club had the hosting rights for the knockout, which was to be held at Newcastle's No.1 and No.2 Sportsgrounds on the October long weekend but was abandoned yesterday after the withdrawal of referees.
The competition was organised by the Aboriginal Nations Super League and was not sanctioned by the NSW Country Rugby League. The CRL said Newcastle referees would not be covered by insurance because the event was not sanctioned.
But ANSL chief executive Michael Anderson said last night that referees would have been provided with insurance.
"Nobody's ever come to us, because it was implied that when we invited them that they're going to be covered by insurance and the insurance was there," Anderson said.
The CRL and Australian Rugby League have endorsed the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout hosted by the Wollumbin Warriors at Tweed Heads on October 3.
Anderson said he spoke last night with fellow organisers and decided the Newcastle competition could not go ahead due to the lack of referees and loss of sponsorship to the Tweed Heads event.
"We've decided we're not going to run the knockout," Anderson said.
"We've now got a person who's going to fund us to take legal action against the Australian Rugby League because the Newcastle All Blacks stand to lose a lot of money and because a lot of the clubs that are coming and 18 have signed up have already paid or made bookings with motels and sent deposits through."
Newcastle referees spokesman Vince Lawson said the referees withdrew their services last week when told they would not be insured.
"On Sunday afternoon I advised [All Blacks president] Eddie Smith that unfortunately, because there's no insurance for my guys, I wouldn't be appointing any referees to them," he said.
"But I'm not stopping the referees from going there if they wish to referee."
Anderson said yesterday that the CRL had told the Newcastle Referees Association that anyone who officiated in the knockout would be banned from 2009 matches. But Lawson denied the allegation.
"When I originally went out to the association members here I said to them, 'We won't be officiating in it, but if you wish to officiate in it, fill your boots, but be aware of the fact that you will not be covered by insurance," he said. "There were no threats of standing them down next year."
He said all referees chose to pull out once they knew they would not be insured.
"No one has come back to me and said they're still going to do it," he said.
He said the Newcastle Referees Association was told at the start of the year the knockout would be the only sanctioned Aboriginal tournament.
CRL regional manager Jamie O'Connor also denied threats were made to referees.
"If they [Newcastle referees] want to have a run and officiate, that's fine. We just want to make it known and educate them the best we can that you're not going to be covered under CRL's insurance," O'Connor said.
Teams which had planned to take part in the Newcastle knockout will be encouraged to play in a Dubbo tournament run by former NSW fullback David Peachey on the October long weekend.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter