By Stu Piddington

The Geraldine Rugby Club appears in danger of losing its senior side next season so its administrators have called an emergency meeting for Sunday.

The crisis talks comes as Geraldine is at the cross roads.

Their senior team finished bottom of the competition, with only one win, while their B-team withdrew from their competition early in the season citing a lack of players.

That has left the club in a precarious position of having no sides between the under 16 grade and senior.

A special general meeting is being held at the Geraldine Rugby clubrooms at 4pm to gauge interest in afternoon grade rugby.

An advertisement placed in the Herald states the club is of the view that without considerable new input Geraldine will be unable to field a senior team next season.

"If local support is not forthcoming then unfortunately the committee will have to look at more dire options," the notice states.

The danger for Geraldine is that not many clubs can come back after dropping senior status.

It is likely the experienced players would look to neighbouring clubs, Temuka, Pleasant Point and Mackenzie, to continue to play senior rugby.

Geraldine vice president Brent Patterson said they had been working hard behind the scenes but talking to the same faces.



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"We are struggling in all the afternoon grades and need to turn it around."

"At the end of the senior season their were only 20 committed players, which is not enough."

Patterson said the club had some big calls to make.

"We need to get that buzz back that entices more players out."

Patterson said a senior rugby team in a place like Geraldine was a flagship.

"It is something to rally around in tough economic times."

There were plenty of people willing to go on committees but not enough pulling their boots on, he said.

South Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Wayne Hart said he would be attending the meeting to support the club in anyway he could.

"The committee is doing the right thing, with the focus on the rugby community."

Hart said he was optimistic of a positive outcome.

"I think there is a long way to go before we face the prospect of losing a team."

Hart was hopeful their would be plenty of support for the committee from within rugby and the wider community.

Geraldine is the only senior rugby club that has largely resisted importing players to bolster its senior side, preferring to rely on their local community.

That policy may have to change if it is to survive and follow fellow country clubs Mackenzie, Temuka and Waimate's lead.

Patterson said that was not a deliberate policy preferring locals but even that was up for debate.

It fielded a relatively young senior side which played well at times but leaked an average seven tries a game during the round robin competition.

While they had the class of former New Zealand Heartland player Jared Trevathan, he alone could not turn their fortunes around.

Geraldine is however not the only South Canterbury club to feel the squeeze in the past 15 years.

Just about all at one stage or another have gone close to the wooden spoon with the exception of Harlequins.

South Canterbury is the only Heartland union to have eight senior clubs, with neighbours Mid Canterbury having five and North Otago six.
The Geraldine Rugby Club appears in danger of losing its senior side next season so its administrators have called an emergency meeting for Sunday.

The crisis talks comes as Geraldine is at the cross roads.

Their senior team finished bottom of the competition, with only one win, while their B-team withdrew from their competition early in the season citing a lack of players.

That has left the club in a precarious position of having no sides between the under 16 grade and senior.

A special general meeting is being held at the Geraldine Rugby clubrooms at 4pm to gauge interest in afternoon grade rugby.

An advertisement placed in the Herald states the club is of the view that without considerable new input Geraldine will be unable to field a senior team next season.

"If local support is not forthcoming then unfortunately the committee will have to look at more dire options," the notice states.

The danger for Geraldine is that not many clubs can come back after dropping senior status.

It is likely the experienced players would look to neighbouring clubs, Temuka, Pleasant Point and Mackenzie, to continue to play senior rugby.

Geraldine vice president Brent Patterson said they had been working hard behind the scenes but talking to the same faces.



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"We are struggling in all the afternoon grades and need to turn it around."

"At the end of the senior season their were only 20 committed players, which is not enough."

Patterson said the club had some big calls to make.

"We need to get that buzz back that entices more players out."

Patterson said a senior rugby team in a place like Geraldine was a flagship.

"It is something to rally around in tough economic times."

There were plenty of people willing to go on committees but not enough pulling their boots on, he said.

South Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Wayne Hart said he would be attending the meeting to support the club in anyway he could.

"The committee is doing the right thing, with the focus on the rugby community."

Hart said he was optimistic of a positive outcome.

"I think there is a long way to go before we face the prospect of losing a team."

Hart was hopeful their would be plenty of support for the committee from within rugby and the wider community.

Geraldine is the only senior rugby club that has largely resisted importing players to bolster its senior side, preferring to rely on their local community.

That policy may have to change if it is to survive and follow fellow country clubs Mackenzie, Temuka and Waimate's lead.

Patterson said that was not a deliberate policy preferring locals but even that was up for debate.

It fielded a relatively young senior side which played well at times but leaked an average seven tries a game during the round robin competition.

While they had the class of former New Zealand Heartland player Jared Trevathan, he alone could not turn their fortunes around.

Geraldine is however not the only South Canterbury club to feel the squeeze in the past 15 years.

Just about all at one stage or another have gone close to the wooden spoon with the exception of Harlequins.

South Canterbury is the only Heartland union to have eight senior clubs, with neighbours Mid Canterbury having five and North Otago six.
The Geraldine Rugby Club appears in danger of losing its senior side next season so its administrators have called an emergency meeting for Sunday.

The crisis talks comes as Geraldine is at the cross roads.

Their senior team finished bottom of the competition, with only one win, while their B-team withdrew from their competition early in the season citing a lack of players.

That has left the club in a precarious position of having no sides between the under 16 grade and senior.

A special general meeting is being held at the Geraldine Rugby clubrooms at 4pm to gauge interest in afternoon grade rugby.

An advertisement placed in the Herald states the club is of the view that without considerable new input Geraldine will be unable to field a senior team next season.

"If local support is not forthcoming then unfortunately the committee will have to look at more dire options," the notice states.

The danger for Geraldine is that not many clubs can come back after dropping senior status.

It is likely the experienced players would look to neighbouring clubs, Temuka, Pleasant Point and Mackenzie, to continue to play senior rugby.

Geraldine vice president Brent Patterson said they had been working hard behind the scenes but talking to the same faces.

"We are struggling in all the afternoon grades and need to turn it around."

"At the end of the senior season their were only 20 committed players, which is not enough."

Patterson said the club had some big calls to make.

"We need to get that buzz back that entices more players out."

Patterson said a senior rugby team in a place like Geraldine was a flagship.

"It is something to rally around in tough economic times."

There were plenty of people willing to go on committees but not enough pulling their boots on, he said.

South Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Wayne Hart said he would be attending the meeting to support the club in anyway he could.

"The committee is doing the right thing, with the focus on the rugby community."

Hart said he was optimistic of a positive outcome.

"I think there is a long way to go before we face the prospect of losing a team."

Hart was hopeful their would be plenty of support for the committee from within rugby and the wider community.

Geraldine is the only senior rugby club that has largely resisted importing players to bolster its senior side, preferring to rely on their local community.

That policy may have to change if it is to survive and follow fellow country clubs Mackenzie, Temuka and Waimate's lead.

Patterson said that was not a deliberate policy preferring locals but even that was up for debate.

It fielded a relatively young senior side which played well at times but leaked an average seven tries a game during the round robin competition.

While they had the class of former New Zealand Heartland player Jared Trevathan, he alone could not turn their fortunes around.

Geraldine is however not the only South Canterbury club to feel the squeeze in the past 15 years.

Just about all at one stage or another have gone close to the wooden spoon with the exception of Harlequins.

South Canterbury is the only Heartland union to have eight senior clubs, with neighbours Mid Canterbury having five and North Otago six.