Club president Nathan Holahan made the announcement in a prepared statement sent to the Pastoral Times yesterday.
“It is with tremendous regret that the Deniliquin Rugby Union Football Club has decided to withdraw from the 2024 Southern Inland Rugby Union (SIRU) season,” it said.
“This decision was not taken lightly.
“However, for reasons outside of the club’s control, the uncertainty surrounding the availability of our playing group was simply not sustainable.
“Many of our players are now working weekends and are therefore unavailable to play rugby on Saturdays.”
Last year the Drovers were highly competitive in the SIRU first grade competition after securing a number of overseas players working in the Tongala area.
Most of those players have been relocated for work this year.
Other players have been impacted by work demands on Saturdays.
This, combined with the insufficient current local player pool which also affects other teams in the league, was a catalyst for the Drovers pulling out of the third-grade competition.
Holahan thanked the organisational bodies - SIRU, the Southern Inland Rugby Referees Association (SIRRA) - and opposition clubs for their support in the opening rounds.
“We know this news also disappoints you and that you did what you could to assist us in these unfortunate circumstances,” the statement said.
The club also thanked sponsors and former players for their support, and expressed a desire to work with them into the future.
“We have this week contacted our loyal sponsors to explain the situation and will work with them over coming weeks to present options for existing financial commitments.”
“On a personal note, I would like to thank our committee, coach Joe Gogarty and other volunteers for contributing to what is such a healthy off-field environment.
“The club wouldn’t exist without you.”
Despite the unfortunate position the Drovers find themselves in this year, Holahan said the focus would now be on fostering engagement ahead of the 2025 season.
He said some ideas to engage the potential pool of players going forward are already being developed.
“Our club’s focus now turns to 2025; in particular, our key objectives are to recruit more local players and support our talented juniors.
“Our ultimate goal is to ensure the mighty Deniliquin Drovers return to the on-field force we once were.”
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