Bush whacked: League’s fight for survival

The record crowd of more than 10,000 attending the recent Wests Tigers versus South Sydney match in Tamworth – a city of 65,500 people with only one rugby league club – is a microcosm of the code in Australia.

The game is prospering at the elite level, demonstrated by the NRL’s increasing attendance and rising TV ratings, but is struggling at the grassroots.

Tamworth’s Scully Park, the venue of the round 22 NRL match, is now mainly…