Do The Nationals Need An Overhaul?

ONCE a highlight of the Australian group race calendar, the National Sprint and Distance Championships are increasingly struggling for relevance.

First run in 1965, the National Sprint Championship has been one of the country's premier events, as has the National Distance Championship which was first run in 1969.

For the next half a century, the finals have rotated around the country, attracting the best canine athletes across the land in a bid to be crowned National Champion.

But that is the case no more.

When Tasmania hosted the Championships in 2012, a total of 217 greyhounds were nominated for the sprint and 104 for the distance. Ten years later, nominations plummeted to just 100 for the sprint and 41 for the distance.

Of those, just 13 sprint nominations were received from the home state New South Wales – the least of any state – though the Premier state was one of just two to run a full field of Distance finalists.

There are two key reasons for this decline in interest and participation in the series, both of which are intricately linked.

The first is prizemoney.

Prizemoney for the finals has been $75,000 to the winner – the minimum for the group 1 status – since the current levels were established in 2011. Once one of the country's richest races, there are 27 races programmed in 2022/23 that offers higher stakes.

It's a series that's unlikely to receive an increase given the host state needs to come up with over $200,000 in additional prizemoney to fund the finals at current levels – a significant impost, particularly on the smaller states.

The second issue is timing.

While the Nationals' calendar footprint has decreased in recent years, it still requires a four-week commitment and at least one, possibly two, interstate trips.

Most significantly, the Nationals now overlap with the Million Dollar Chase qualifiers. While it is possible to contest both series, the burden of travel is a major consideration and, as evidenced by the quality of the Victorian runners contesting the Million Dollar Chase Regional Final at Temora, it's clear which series trainers are preferring.

A National Championship that can't attract the nation's best greyhounds is a national championship in name only.

To remain relevant, the Nationals need a major overhaul. Without it, it's relevance will only continue to diminish.