Alleged brawl at Forbes-Wellington match a warning ahead of finals

But this time around we need to talk about something serious.

Crowd behaviour.

The scenes at Spooner Oval on Sunday, July 23 were an embarrassment to rugby league in Western NSW.

We all know it's the greatest game of all and bush footy is an integral part of life in this part of the world, a fact making the events at Forbes even worse.

Sport is so often held up as a positive for the community and we rightly celebrate the achievements of players, clubs and volunteers. But when something negative like this happens we should not shy away from having a conversation.

The alleged incident is just that, alleged. NSW Police are still investigating and the NSWRL is also looking into it so we have to be careful in print about what we mention or imply.

This column is not pointing the finger at either Forbes Magpies or Wellington Cowboys, we are not pointing the finger at any individuals. We still aren't sure what exactly happened and should become clearer in the coming weeks.

But beyond dispute is the fact there was an altercation outside the field of play. Video clearly shows members of the crowd fighting.

It's plenty of evidence to be able to say enough is enough.

As pointed out in the Woodbridge Cup Corner on Tuesday, push and shove on the field is largely harmless and adds to the theatre and spectacle of country rugby league.

Confrontation outside the field of play however cannot be tolerated.

The 2023 Peter McDonald Premiership has been an entertaining one, clubs like Wellington, Orange Hawks and Nyngan Tigers have been surprise packets and while Dubbo CYMS and Mudgee Dragons look the goods there is still a question mark over who will meet in the decider.

In three weeks time we will be off to the finals and it's shaping up as a genuine headscratcher.

Group 10 and Group 11 need to make sure clubs and spectators behave. Any repeat of Spooner Oval would be a devastating blow to footy's credibility and image.

Now that's out of the way let's blow the whistle and get on with it.

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.