Former NSW Country Eagles general manager James Grant has proposed radical changes be made to the NSW Country rugby pathway and the annual NSW Country Championship tournament. Grant, who played for both Central West and Illawarra before representing NSW and Australia, believes the standard of Country Week has declined dramatically in recent years as the overall cost of the tournament has risen. “We’ve got nine zones spending close to $50,000 each to send teams to Country Week and half the sides are filled with players that are not committed to this format of rugby pathway.” Grant told Rugby News. “I know there is a lot of history and tradition associated with Country Week, but we’re spending a huge amount of money each year on one tournament when that money could be far better spent reviving the game in regional areas.” Grant believes Country Week should be replaced by a restructured provincial tournament, with each province to host its own matches to reduce tra