Another week in the AFL Central West, another thumping Bathurst Bushrangers win.
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This time it was the Dubbo Demons that felt the sting of a Bushrangers' flogging, as the hosts won the tier one clash 30.8 (188) to 4.6 (30) at George Park 2.
The Bushrangers have won their games this year by an average of 116 points and the only time the Bathurst-based team failed to win by more than 100 points was in round two, when they beat cross-town rivals Bathurst Giants by 70.
Their percentage is a whopping 542.93.
So the question remains, are the Bathurst Bushrangers too good for the AFL Central West?
Well by going off those numbers alone, yes.
But what can we do, to make the competition more competitive?
It's not like the Bathurst Bushrangers can go play in Sydney.
The first grade competition would be way too competitive and players wouldn't be keen on that amount of travelling.
But what the AFL Central West should be looking at is bringing in two teams for the Bushrangers.
We had that from 2016 to 2019, when the Bushrangers were split into the Outlaws and Rebels, with the best players spread across the two teams.
It wasn't like it stopped the Bushrangers juggernaut during that period, as at least one team made the grand final.
The Bushrangers have also never missed a grand final since the club was formed in 2004, following a merge of the Bathurst Eagles and CSU Bulldogs.
That's 18 consecutive grand final appearances.
Talk about domination.
We need another team
Four teams is just not enough for a first grade competition.
Since reverting back to a single tier in 2020, only the Bushrangers, Giants, Orange Tigers and Dubbo Demons have played in the competition.
And since 2022, clubs have played 15 regular season games, meaning everyone plays each other five times.
The draw and competition is bland and repetitive.
We need to change the competition structure, but make the season more exciting.
The Cowra Blues - who won the premiership in 2016 before dropping out of tier one in the off-season - should be brought into the top grade.
They've won eight games from as many matches this season, with a percentage of 532.26.
Cowra only lost one game last year, on the way to winning the tier two premiership, downing Parkes Panthers.
I know Australian rules doesn't have the player pool of rugby league, soccer and rugby union out here, but surely we could get a club in AFL Central West tier one in 2025?
