Dragons supporters wanted:
Kotronakis Cup Touch Football one-dayer

24/11/03

Players are urgently required for Kotronakis Cup Charity Touch Football Competition coming up on the 7th December, at Richie Benaud Oval, near Parramatta League Club.

The organisers have drafted an eight team draw but this will need to be confirmed on Wednesday 26th November. So interested players will have to make contact as soon as possible. Contact details are below.

Required are Dragons supporters and other supporters from across the rugby league community - young, old, fit, unfit, male and female...so even if your not the worlds best sports person but want a good day out come along, winning is just a bonus its all about meeting fellow supporters and opposition supporters.

Details of day are as follows:
Location: Richie Benaud Oval, North Parramatta
Date: Sunday, December 7th, 2003, 10am start.

The 8 teams will be divided into two pools, based upon the standings as of the last competition.
Pool A: Raiders (1), Eels (3), Newcastle (5), Penrith (7)
Pool B: Tigers (2), Roosters (4), Manly (6), Dragons (-)

The matches will be played at the following times:
POOL A (referees) POOL B (referees)
10:00am Raiders v Eels (Penrith) Tigers v Roosters (Dragons)
10:40am Newcastle v Penrith (Raiders) Manly v Dragons (Tigers)
11:30am Eels v Newcastle (Penrith) Roosters v Manly (Dragons)
12:10pm Raiders v Penrith (Eels) Tigers v Dragons (Roosters)
1:00pm Raiders v Newcastle (Eels) Tigers v Manly (Roosters)
1:40pm Eels v Penrith (Newcastle) Roosters v Dragons (Manly)

The two highest placed teams after the round robin will then go on to the Finals.
3:00pm
POOL A Winner v POOL B Winner
(Winner into Grand Final)

3:00pm
POOL A Runner-Up v POOL B Runner-Up
(Loser Eliminated)

3:40pm
Loser Final 1 v Winner Final 2

4:30pm Winner Final 1 v Winner Final 3 (Grand Final)

Timetables will be strictly adhered to due to the long running nature of the day. If a team does not have 5 players ready to take the field when the game is scheduled to begin then they will be required to forfeit the match.
Teams not making the finals will still be required to referee finals matches, and thus must have at least 3 players remain behind for the completion of the day.

Rules of the Game:
Please keep in mind when reading the following rules that the utmost priority for these competitions is simply that those who participate have as much fun as possible. Also, please note that as I am in a bit of a rush to get this site up, I may forget a few things that will have to be added at a later date. Cheers.
Team Make-Up Rules:
*Rule 1: 7 players maximum on the field at any time. Teams can have up to 14 players in their squad in total, as long as they fulfil the eligibility rules listed below in Rule 2.
*Rule 2: Each team must be made up of a certain number of players (in total) from the following groups.
*Children 14 years old and under
*Female players of any age
*Players 40 years old and over
*"Large" players. (Sorry, I don't know any way to be politically correct about this group )
The reason for teams being forced to include certain types of players is simple. Normally, when getting together a touch football team, you go for a certain type of player - the young, fit, male speed machine. It is simply not fair that people from other categories, such as those listed above, be excluded from the chance to participate in these competitions, especially since the major idea of the comps are to have fun and enjoy yourself with other league fans.
The number of players required for each team depends on how many players there are in the squad in total:
10 or less players - 4
11 or 12 players - 5
13 or 14 players - 6
It is not necessary to have players from each group listed above. As long as the total number of players that meet the above groups are played, then a team will not be penalised. For example, a team of 12 may have 3 children under 13, and 2 females, but no large players. This is acceptable.
It is important to note that you cannot use a single player to "double up" i.e. a 10-year old female player does not cover two spots (female and under 13) but only one single spot.
Teams who fail to fulfil these requirements may be allowed to still participate (at the discretion of the judges) but they will be penalised. Penalties are 2 points (in a game) for the first player short of the requirements, and an additional point for every other player the team does not have. However, if the judges believe the penalties are not sufficient to even the two teams up, they can rule that the team who does not fulfil the requirements are not allowed to play. This will most especially come into play during finals matches.
Rules of Play:
*Rule 3: Knock-On rules are used, and the normal Drop-Ball rules that are used in touch football are not.
*Rule 4: 5-metres will be kept between teams at all times. This will hold true for penalties as well, even though normal touch rules often stipulate a 10-metre separation for penalty taps.
*Rule 5: Each set of tackles will consist of 6 touches, as per normal League and Touch rules. Touch counts will be restarted after deliberate plays at the ball only, and not when the referee has judged opposition touches of the ball to be accidental.
*Rule 6: Each half of football will run for 15 minutes, with a 5-minute break between halves. The Final of each competition, however, will run with 15-minute quarters if time allows.
*Rule 7: Forward passes will result in a hand over of the ball, and not a penalty as per normal touch rules.
*Rule 8: Kicking is allowed in general play only once per set. If the attacking team regathers they may not kick again during that set. Kicks can be no more than approx 4m high.
*Rule 9: Each try will be worth one point, as per usual touch rules.
Refereeing:
*Rule 10: Games will be refereed by members of teams that are not currently playing a game. As such, each team will need to make sure that they have nominated players to act as both referees and touch judges for when they are not on the field. Also, because we will be refereeing games, please be patient and understand that we are not professionals and will make mistakes. Abuse of referees or touch judges will not be tolerated.
Foul Play
*Rule 11: This is very, very, very simple. Foul play will not under any circumstances be tolerated. Not only will the player found guilty of foul play be sent from the field for the current game, but they will not be allowed to take part in any further matches on the day and it may be decided by the judges that they be banned from any future competitions. Once again, there will be absolutely no leniency in this area. The same goes for abuse of fellow players or referees.
Tied Games:
*Rule 12: If, at the finish of a regular game, the scores are tied, then the match will be declared a draw. However, if the match is a finals match, extra time will be allowed if possible with the first try-scorer claiming victory. If time restraints do not allow the game to continue into extra time, the first scorer of the game will be given victory. Any extra time rules will not count, however, if a team entered into the game with a penalty due to the fact that they could not field the required amount of players from the fields listed in Rule 2. If a team was unable to field said players, then at the finish of a drawn game their opposition will be declared the winners of the match.
Match Gear
*Rule 13: Studded or spiked football boots will not be allowed. Moulded touch football shoes are acceptable.

Cost: $5 per player
Profits will be donated to a charitable body, or any body that the fans present on the day.

Contact details:
All information can be found at: www.nrl-fans.com or by emailing the organisers at general_shafty@hotmail.com