Next year’s Group 19 competition is set to expand with a second division competition to be introduced.
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The Group conducted their Annual General Meeting on Sunday and voted to add a six-team second division alongside the current A grade.
Tenterfield, Bundarra, Bingara, Ashford, Guyra and Uralla will make up the second division with Armidale, Narwan, Inverell, Glen Innes, MacIntyre, Moree Boars and Boomerangs, Tingha and Warialda to make up the A grade competition.
Newly elected Group 19 president Terry Carson said the concept was well supported among the meeting’s attendees.
“Tenterfield are still up in the air with their players, Minnsy [Tigers president Brendan Minns] wants to come but he just has to convince the players now basically,” he said.
“The committee are happy but the players are still on the borderline.”
Carson said clubs outside the Group 19 border have signalled interest but will have to apply to their Group and be granted permission to play outside their zone.
Uralla Tigers, Bundarra Bears and Bingara Bullets will return after playing in the Group 4 second division competition which was abolished for next year.
“We are looking forward to it, I spoke to all our boys, our coach and the committee and we are all on the same page,” Tigers president Josh Clark told Fairfax Media two weeks ago.
“I have always played Group 19 so it wouldn't be a huge drama for me to go back.
“If we were to stay in Group 4 this year we would have been going to Narrabri, Wee Waa, Gunnedah, Boggabri so it's heaps less travel for us staying here.
“It's [Tenterfield] not too far and the next is Warialda which isn't very far at all.”