IT has been one of rugby league’s most cherished breeding grounds for the past 50 years, but St Gregory’s College Campbelltown has cast enormous doubt over its ongoing commitment to the code after withdrawing from the 65th NSWRL Allschools knockout in St Marys.
It has deepened concerns about the stability of league’s foothold in Sydney’s west, where both rugby union and AFL are looking to muscle in. A league source close to the school said the change in direction was likely to continue, given the new boarding headmaster hails from famed ACT rugby nursery Marist College.
Rugby union has organised schoolboy competitions on Saturdays league doesn’t. Because we play midweek, that can also affect their curriculum. The organiser of the Allschools knockout remained unaware of St Gregory’s reason for not entering teams in any of the four age groups, which ranged from under-13s to under-16s.
Bulldogs recruitment guru Peter Mulholland, who taught and coached at St Gregory’s for 20 years, was among the most concerned.
‘‘ Their decision to pull out came as a shock, to say the least,’’ Mulholland said. ‘‘ We’re obviously concerned because it’s been a wonderful school for rugby league.
Wests Tigers recruitment manager Warren McDonnell did admit the relatively recent advent of dedicated sports high schools would erode the status of the game’s traditional Catholic strongholds.
