GROUP Three Rugby League's season will resume the weekend of September 18 and 19 with a four team semi-final series.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Minor premiers Wauchope will meet the fourth placed Port City in one game, with Port Macquarie (second) to tackle Old Bar (third) in the other in first grade. Minor grades will follow the same format.
Winners will meet in the grand final on Sunday September 26.
This was determined at a meeting of the Group Three management on Tuesday night. Group Three chief executive Mal Drury said this will allow all teams in the semi-finals a fortnight to train providing the area comes out of lockdown this weekend. Mr Drury said there won't be any change to the series if the lockdown is prolonged. He said the grand final is locked in for September 26.
"If the lockdown is extended deep into September we could get down to having the top two teams meeting in the grand final. If it goes further than that, it will be decided first past the post,'' he said.
That would mean the minor premiers in the four grades would then be declared premiers, Mr Drury saying this would be the 'worst case scenario.'
Earlier this week the group received a directive from the NSWRL indicating that teams should be given a least a week to train before competitions resume. That ruled out any possibility of senior games being played this Sunday should the lockdown end.
Mr Drury added due to the junior league semi-finals being played on Sunday, there wouldn't have been enough referees for senior matches even if the group was given the all clear.
Sunday's junior semis were postponed from Sunday, August 15, the day after the State went into lockdown. All matches on Saturday, August 14, were played.
Mr Drury said the junior league is now planning to play grand finals on Saturday September 11. Grand finals were originally scheduled to start this weekend, with games on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.
Mr Drury, group chairman Wayne Bridge, Tony Hardy from the Group Three Referees Association and Group Three Junior Rugby League president Warren Blissett met via Zoom on Monday night to discuss options for resuming the season. The full board of management then met on Tuesday.
Mr Drury agreed it has been a 'difficult season' that started with problems caused by the major flooding in the Mid North Coast in March. He said it would be a disappointing end to the campaign for teams that finished fifth and under normal circumstances would be playing semi-final football.
Mr Drury said playing a month-long five team semi-final format would run the risk of again being interrupted if there are further lockdowns.
Macleay Valley were due to host their indigenous round fixture this weekend which will no longer occur.
Mustangs under 18s finished first on the ladder and are scheduled to play Port City Breakers in their qualifying semi-final.
Also making the news
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @macleayargus
- Follow us on Instagram: @macleayargus