That's the message from frustrated Group 3 rugby league chief executive Mal Drury to MidCoast, Port Macquarie-Hastings and Kempsey Shire councils.

It comes after the kick-off to the 2022 rugby league season was pushed back a week from April 30 to May 7 as a result of ongoing ground closures.

Mr Drury said the majority of grounds in the Group 3 competition are unused between September and March.

Only Port Macquarie Regional Stadium is normally used for two separate weekends in December and February for the NSW State Cup touch football carnivals.

He believes there would be an adequate amount of time for any maintenance work to be done on any of the fields in Spring.

"I think what council needs to do is let us play footy; it's only a matter of rolling the grounds after games if they dig them up," he said.

"That gets them played on again the following week. At the end of the year - in Spring - when the grass growing season is, they can do some maintenance for two to three months.

"I do understand in some situations where it's too wet to play, but it is a winter sport and we need to get on the fields."

Mr Drury believes councils are "too precious" about the state of their sporting fields in each of the local council areas from Forster through to Kempsey.

"I think they are," he said.

"We've all played rugby league over the years - when you played in drought, you played on grounds where they weren't allowed to water because of water restrictions. There was no grass on the ground and you were playing in dirt.

"It seems to me now that sporting fields need to look like they're in pristine condition."

Mr Drury said the group planned to have discussions with all three councils in an attempt to wrestle back some control over the grounds.

Otherwise, an incomplete rugby league season would stretch to three-straight years.

"We're going to have some conversations with the different councils to see what we can do and see if we can get a bit of leeway and if they can be a little bit flexible for us," he said.

"The clubs want to play footy, but because they don't have any control over the grounds it makes it very, very difficult."

Should councils refuse to budge, more fixtures could be switched to Forster-Tuncurry, Wauchope or Kempsey.

"Kempsey, Wauchope and Forster-Tuncurry are three grounds that hold water pretty well," Mr Drury said.

"Maybe if grounds like Wingham, Old Bar, Taree and Port Macquarie continue to be unplayable - according to councils - we need to look at moving games to Kempsey, Wauchope and Forster.

"We did it last year for Port Macquarie and it was a tough year for those clubs with COVID, but we got by. Maybe we need to do it again."

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