Not sure what the eligibility rules are but he would have had to play more than 1 game against your guys XV. He would have had to play during the season as well. Cross played at Balmain the year before at least as well I believe. Perhaps even before that?
Similarly not sure about all players or teams but a mate plays Div 1 and he said that St Pats, Balmain, Colleagues & Mosman beat each other once & lost the return game this year so its not a matter of stacking is it?
Its not about blow ins at this level or in SS in my opinion. Clubs need to be strong because teams need to win a vast majority of games to make the Finals. So its not just a few super stars. When those clubs do make the Finals they play the best team they have available. If a player is friends with the Club, has friends at the Club or is being given free rent, a car, hookers or a bundle or all of the above from the Club to play then of course he is going to get picked.
There's always rumours like Mosman giving free rent & cars, St Pats contracting 25 players per season, Balmain giving free trips overseas & Colleagues giving ex-Super rugby hookers match payments despite saying its against their DNA.
From my experience it is not always about the coin. I know a player in yesterdays Div 2 Premiership winning team that is being offered $700 a game to switch to the team that came runners-up. He is not going to take it but of course it is enticing.
BTW if Drew drove out to play lower grades at Campbelltown to qualify then fare play to him. 90 minutes drive to qualify must mean that he has something he likes about the set up as if he is getting paid then I am sure he would get just as much at Randwick. Oh that's right Randwick don't pay players but that's why Richard Aho knocked back $20k a season at Penrith to play at Randwick for free