Country footy: Sunraysia, Ovens and Murray, Murray leagues all battling

Border competitions are being forced to “dog paddle” their way to the end of the season with restrictions still taking hold. Here’s how they’re doing it.

The Sunraysia will move to finals footy from next weekend. Picture: Michael DiFabrizio

Footy competitions on the NSW-Victoria border are battling to keep their seasons alive.

Restrictions in either state are wreaking havoc for some leagues looking to conclude their home and away seasons.

While others aren’t currently able to get their finals series underway.

Ovens and Murray league general manager Craig Millar said his league had been forced to cancel the final round on Saturday.

“We’re going to go straight into our finals series with a Super Sunday on August 29,” he said.

“This means qualifying and elimination finals will all be played on the same day for the first time in league history.

“We’re hopeful NSW is out of lockdown by next weekend and we can get play going again.”

It’s a similar situation for the Sunraysia league.

Executive officer Peter Walker said the NSW lockdown forced the league to “put a line through” the final round of fixtures on Saturday.

The league board will meet again on Monday to determine whether finals can start next weekend, but it will depend on whether the NSW Government lifts the statewide lockdown as planned on Saturday night.

“The landscape is ever-changing so we don’t know whether we can get back and straight into finals,” he said.

“We just need to dog paddle at the moment and roll with the punches.”

Border competitions are at a standstill. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin.

Mr Walker, who is also administrator of the Millewa league, expects this weekend’s finals fixtures to also be postponed.

NSW-based club Gol Gol was due to face Werrimull in a first semi-final while Nangiloc was taking on Bambill in the second semi-final on Saturday.

“At this point in time it has not been determined, the Millewa situation, but I would envisage that they’ll follow what the (Sunraysia) league here is doing,” Mr Walker said.

Murray league general manager Dale Norman said he expected his competition to face a similar fate.

“We’ll meet with clubs tonight and make an official decision,” he said.

“The makeup of our finals system still needs to be decided and we will seek feedback from our clubs.

“Venues are up in the air as well.”

Other competitions including the Picola and District, Golden Rivers and Tallangatta and District leagues also elected to postpone their seasons.

Originally published as Country footy: Sunraysia, Ovens and Murray, Murray leagues all battling