Junior rugby league: Glen Innes players told they can't start their season

His mum Eliza said by 6.10am, he was "practicing outside with his beanie on."

His Glen Innes minor league teammate, seven-year-old Lewis Masterson was up around the same time.

"Pretty much the same thing, he had the headgear on, not the beanie," Lewis' mother Kate Graham said.

But Angus, Lewis and their under 7 and under 8 teammates were told they weren't able to take the field because of the new single age group rule.

The Glen Innes teams didn't have enough players available to field both teams so they opted to only field an under 8s team with all available players.

But come game day, they were stopped from taking the field at all.

"How do you respond to an under 8s boy that had his boots on since 6am ready to play footy and he can't because of political rubbish?" Smith said.

"I have been asked every night this week when I tuck him into bed 'can I play footy this weekend mum?'

"And my response is still 'I hope so'.

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"My main point is what happened last weekend was atrocious, and I want to know now, like yesterday, that an under 8s game is being played on Saturday my little boy will be playing it."

Smith said Lewis' questions were the same. It was meant to be his first game of rugby league.

"He tried to convince me all last year and I wouldn't let him," she said.

"He had arranged all his grandparents to come and watch.

"It was his first game of football ever and he was extremely disappointed.

"He was very confused, constantly asking why and I had few answers for him."

At their training session on Thursday night, Smith, Graham and all the other parents were led to believe their children would be playing in the lone under 8 game.

"My husband is the under 8s coach, after training on Thursday, and discussions with our committee, who were given directive from Group 19, the under 8s were right to play," Smith said.

An email reversing that decision was sent to all clubs from Group junior rugby league at 10.15pm on Friday, April 28 - the night before the commencement of the competition.

"The Group would like to notify clubs that moving forward any club found to not be playing the age groups, the Group has requested will find themselves with a fine and all competitive age groups will be ineligible for points during that around," it said.

It also highlighted that any under 7s player wishing to play under 8s had to have completed the NRL's TackleReady program.

All but one under 7s player had, but there had been no indication as to when the final player could complete the program.

Then three minutes later, another email was sent to the Glen Innes club.

The email said it is "a requirement of the 7s playing in the 8s is playing in the under 7s first. As Glen Innes is not hosting the u7s game this weekend, these children cannot play up. Therefore there will be no under 8s game played at Glen Innes this weekend."

The decision made by Glen Innes to play all under 7 and under 8 players together in the one grade, as they had done up until 2023, was not permitted.

The club was informed all grades through to under 16s and senior league tag would forfeit any competition points should they win their matches.

Smith pointed out that through to under 10s, junior rugby league is non-competitive and they are not playing for competition points or finals spots.

"It is non-competitive anyway so get the safety rules right and then move on with the political rubbish," she said.

"They've broken something that wasn't broken."

But at the bottom of it all were some sad little boys who couldn't play their first game of the year.

Smith, Graham and other parents willing to speak to ACM haven't had any response from Group 19 JRL or NSW Rugby League.

"The reason I am here, in the paper, is because no one is responded," Smith said.

"And I still can't tell my little boy if he is playing on Saturday."

ACM contacted NSWRL who said they are aware of the problem.

"The NSWRL, together with Group 19 JRL, is liaising directly with the Glen Innes Club regarding their concerns," they said.

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