The National Rugby League "is considering replacing the soon-to-be-defunct National Youth Competition with a nine-week tournament as part of a massive overhaul of rugby league pathways," according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The U20s competition "was ushered in with much fanfare" in '08. The Holden Cup "will be scrapped at the end of the current broadcast deal." The governing body "is mulling over what should be installed in its place for youngsters as they make the transition from SG Ball into the NSW and Queensland Cup competitions." NRL Head of Strategy & Game Development Shane Richardson "is poised to address this and other issues by the end of the year as part of his much-vaunted 'whole of game' white paper." It is understood "one idea he is considering is a truncated NYC tournament which would run parallel with the Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions along state-based lines." The implications of any change "will be widespread given Richardson has abandoned his long-held desire to implement a rookie draft." A draft "was viewed as a means of equally spreading talent throughout the league but legal and contractual impediments were viewed as insurmountable." The NRL "is keen to elevate the status of the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup and recently arranged for the winners of each competition to square off in a decider on grand final day" (SMH, 8/4).
