All options are being kept on the table within Group 11 ahead of any potential 2020 season.
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The Group 11 board met with officials from all seven clubs via Zoom on Monday night to discuss the structure of any competition played this year.
A full regular season and five-team finals series playing through to a November 15 grand final is one option while a half-season, where each club only plays each other once, was also discussed.
Group 11 is also keeping the combined western league idea, initially proposed by Forbes president Matt Coleman, on the table and that will be put forward when Group 10 meets on Wednesday night.
Having a reduced Group 11 season with less clubs should any not be in a position to play in 2020 isn't being ruled out while the competition could still be cancelled altogether pending any more government advice.
"Clubs can only start training from July so there's no rush to it," Group 11 secretary Paul Loxley said.
"We're going to try and get it right and have as many people play football as possible.
"We still want to play football but there's two demons in the room. The first is whether we can have crowds because without that at a game clubs won't raise money at all and the other is sponsorship.
The crowd and sponsorship issues have been the two most commonly raised since the NSWRL announced last week it was planning for community competitions to start from mid-July.
Many clubs in Group 11 and other bush competitions throughout the state have licenced premises as major sponsors and with those venues currently shut amid the lockdown there is questions about financial support and the viability of clubs in 2020.
The Group 3 competition on the mid-north coast has already been abandoned for 2020 but Loxley said he wants to give those players and clubs who are keen every chance to take to the field in this region.
Officials from a number of Group 11 clubs stated they would be waiting on the result of the Group 10 meeting on Wednesday before making any decision of their own.
"From our discussions nothing is being ruled out," Loxley said. "There could be the two rounds, one round, a Western Challenge, or no play at all.
"We'll wait on individual club responses and if one club wants to pull out we'll go from there.
"It will all be looked at. But I think nearly all the clubs want to play so we'll look at options, pick one, propose it, and hopefully it's one which the most clubs want to participate in.
"I feel there may not be the two full rounds, that's my gut feel, but it's all still on the table."
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
