There may be no rugby league played at any level across the Central West and the country in 2020 as the reality of the coronavirus slowdown hits.
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Group 10 president Linore Zamparini said the sport was in dire straits, with grassroots footy "highly unlikely" to be back on the park in May as was initially hoped.
Rugby league at all levels across the state has a total playing ban until May 1 following an announcement from NSWRL a fortnight ago, but Zamparini said he was bracing for the worst.
"At the end of the day we might not end up playing rugby league this year, and that goes right up to the national level in NRL. It's certainly hurting there," he said.
"We're on a total playing ban until May 1, when there will be another announcement, but after that the clubs told us they'll need three weeks of fitness to start back up. That would give us a start date around May 20 but that is looking highly unlikely at the moment," he said.
Having no rugby league - be it across Group 10, Woodbridge Cup or the Wallerawang Landscaping Cup - played at all in 2020 could be financially crippling for the league for "up to three or four years", with fears some clubs may not survive.
"A lot of clubs are doing it tough, a lot of them are sponsored by licensed clubs, hotels and cafes and the like which are all doing it tough," Zamparini said.
"No-one is out and about much ... [clubs'] lifelines have certainly closed on them a fair bit as well.
"We just hope that they can survive."
Zamparini said having a strong, eight club competition was vital for the sport's survival in the region.
"We really need them ... we'll be doing whatever we can as a board to make that time as comfortable as we can," he said.
At the top level in NRL there has been endless discussion about which clubs will be able to emerge alive and well when business returns to normal in a post-coronavirus society.
In the midst of leagues club closures it has dried up a significant revenue stream for some of the nation's biggest teams.
However, Zamparini is hopeful that similar issues won't filter out to the Central West.
"We're seeing how hard the NRL is doing it at the moment, and you'd imagine that lifeline they've given NSWRL to hand out to the grassroots clubs will be coming back to them."
He said should the competition get back on the park, the best-case scenario was to begin at the end of May and still manage to fit an entire season in on a delayed schedule.
However, Zamparini said should the crisis extend beyond May Group 10 would have to explore other options.
"It would be good if we can get the whole competition run but if we don't start it at the end of May I don't see it as an achievable goal. We'd have to look at a shortened competition," he said.
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