Rebels advance after Macarthur forfeit in NSW Country Championships

This means Saturday's scheduled second-round clash at Cessnock Sportsground has been cancelled.

Newcastle Rugby League made the announcement on Wednesday night, describing it as "incredibly disappointing" and citing Macarthur's "lack of available players"

The Rebels will instead advance to the semis and meet the Northern Tigers at Singleton next Sunday (March 17).

Northern Rivers and Monaro were the other two victors from last weekend's opening round.

Newcastle, including NRL duo Blake Ferguson and Will Smith, beat neighbours Central Coast 26-14 at Cessnock on Saturday while Macarthur overcame Illawarra-South Coast 36-24 at Albion Park's Centenary Field.

Rebels halfback Dylan Phythian was placed on report during the first half but didn't get charged by the match review committee.

A representative decider is scheduled for March 23-24.

The Rebels won last year's title upon returning to the statewide knockout tournament.

Newcastle RL will hold an official season launch on March 22 while action gets underway at No.2 Sportsground with a five-game Magic Round on April 13.