Rugby league's heavy hitters are travelling to Rotorua tonight to try and solve the impasse that continues to jeopardise the start of the rugby league season in Bay of Plenty.
Bay of Plenty district rugby league board met last week to consider barring the two Coastline teams - Otumoetai Eels and Tauranga Whalers - from their competition.
Coastline are still locked out of the competition, which is due to kick off on April 14, but New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Jim Doyle is travelling down from Auckland to meet with the Bay of Plenty board tonight. Marcus Reynolds, general manager of the Upper Central Zone, the governing body for New Zealand Rugby League, and his chairman Earl Rattray, will also be at the meeting to try and end the standoff.
Over the past couple of seasons Otumoetai Eels and Tauranga Whalers have taken part in the Bay of Plenty competition as a precursor to the inter-zonal club championship fought out between Bay of Plenty, Coastline and Waikato clubs, known as WaiCoa Bays premier competition, which starts in June.
Bay of Plenty chairman Bill Liddell said last week it was becoming unworkable to have teams from outside of the zone competing and the board was now at the stage of focusing on their own clubs. "The competition that [Coastline teams] played in last year was a Bay of Plenty competition and we allowed them to play in it. We've had problems with them every time we've had dealings with them and last year our board decided not to include them."
In the early 1990s, league clubs from Western Bay of Plenty and Whakatane broke away from the Bay of Plenty Rugby district and formed their own zone known as Coastline.
Currently there are only two league teams from Coastline in the Bay of Plenty competition, Eels and Whalers, with five Bay of Plenty teams involved - Ngongotaha, Pikiao, Pacific, Central and Taupo. It's understood Ngongotaha's premier team has, or is about to fold, which would leave the Bay of Plenty competition with just four teams. Reynolds said he had heard rumours of Ngongotaha's demise. "That's the talk around the traps but I haven't had official word so until I get notification from Bay of Plenty or someone else I don't know what to make of it."
Reynolds wouldn't speculate on possible outcomes from tonight's meeting but remained hopeful a combined Bay of Plenty/Coastline competition would be kicking off in two-and-a-half weeks.
"From what I understand there's been no progress since last week, so the meeting should provide some clarity around that. Coastline aren't involved; it's just a chat to see where they're at and see where we can find a compromise. Bay of Plenty don't support the inclusion of Coastline at this stage but the door isn't completely shut."
Amalgamation of the Bay of Plenty and Coastline districts into one had also been mooted given the relative lack of clout from both entities at senior level but the NZRL is believed to favour more rather than fewer districts. Eels chairman Stan Nicholas said the remaining Bay of Plenty clubs had signalled they were keen for the competition involving both districts to start. "What's been communicated to us is that it'd be a waste of time without our two clubs in there, and I guess the unfortunate thing is Coastline can't stand on its own which is an issue we've got to address because we can't keep relying on other other districts to prop us up."
Coastline's junior membership was poised to jump from eight to 10-12 clubs this year, with new clubs in Kawerau and Te Puke, although neither was in a position yet to front in senior competitions.
Whalers, the Bay of Plenty premier champions, will on Sunday play Otumoetai Eels for the pre-season Werohia Shield at Mitchell Park in Brookfield at 2pm.