Dragons axe Jersey Flegg

The St George Illawarra Dragons have unveiled plans to scrap their third grade Jersey Flegg side from the NSWRL competition.

The move is reportedly in anticipation of the introduction of an elite national under-20s competition in 2008. The Dragons have an agreement with Illawarra-based Shellharbour Marlins with the Jim Beam Cup side now set to be the club's 'third tier' team. The Dragons will field a second grade premier league team in 2007 comprising of juniors and some senior players.

Reports indicate that the arrangement may be extended should the premier league competition be axed.

"In 2008 we contemplate that there will be a national youth competition and an NRL competition so we're preparing for that in 2007," Dragons Chief Executive Peter Doust is reported as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The reason we are having a premier league team [instead of Jersey Flegg] is that we still have some players that are on contract that would be over age but the majority of our side will be under 20s, which is what we had this year anyway.

"We prefer that structure because we think it prepares them for first grade more readily than playing in a Jersey Flegg competition and in fact a number of our players that played first grade this year and a lot of our premier league players could have played Jersey Flegg."

A national youth competition was first discussed over a year ago with Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald being chairman of a committee to investigate various competition models.

The proposal would see all NRL teams with an under-20s side that would play as a curtain raiser to the first grade (NRL) fixture each week. The plan extends to scrapping the premier league fixture with a NSW league similar to the Queensland Cup.

"I think there needs to be a restructure of NSW competitions as well, which I think will be contemplated on the back of this national youth competition being introduced," Doust added.