On the back of NSWRL's return to play announcement on Tuesday, Group Seven Rugby League has started discussing when its 2021 season might resume.
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Group Seven, like many other competitions in the Greater Sydney area, aims for a return to the field on July 17, eight days after the COVID-19 enforced lockdown is scheduled to end.
However, Group Seven president Scott McLaurin admits there are many options his competition has to weigh up, including if games scheduled from June 27, July 3-4 and July 10-11 are cancelled or postponed.
"The other Group Seven board members and I are going to sit down and discuss the situation and the best course of action in the next few days because there are so many variables we have to consider," McLaurin said.
"At the end of the day, we have to make the right decision for the group as a whole and not individual clubs."
Other issues McLaurin and his committee are set to discuss in the coming days include the availability of grounds (as some venues such as Rugby Park the Kiama Showground are shared with other weekend sports), the availability of officials, the impact the 2021 Koori Knockout (scheduled for the long weekend in October) might have on a postponed finals series and how to ensure a safe return for all the competition's players, coaches, staff and fans.
McLaurin said his committee would also liaise with its governing body NSWRL before any concrete decisions were made - which could all come unstuck if the public health order lockdown extends past July 9.
"The NSWRL has taken decisions around its major competitions and community football to adhere to the advice from the NSW Government and give the state every chance to get on top of the recent COVID-19 outbreak," NSWRL head of football Robert Lowrie said.
"I would urge all our participants, officials and spectators to observe the guidelines that have been put in place to help us get rugby league back on the field as soon as possible.
"Furthermore, I would like to emphasise for our regional areas and competitions, not in lockdown, our competitions will continue playing, but we need to maintain our vigilance in encouraging COVID safety."
During this time, NSWRL advised only Group Seven junior and senior clubs outside the Greater Sydney area would be allowed to continue to train, although now matches are to go ahead - with training for teams in the Shellharbour area suspended until at least July 9.
"Regional NSW leagues and clubs outside the Greater Sydney area are permitted to continue playing and training but must adhere to COVID-19 safety restrictions and be aware of potential impacts," Lowrie said.
Tuesday's announcement by NSWRL also impacts Group Seven products playing in Sydney-based competitions, including the NSW Cup, Jersey Flegg and NSW women's premiership.
The first two of those competitions will see rounds 16 (3-4 July) and 17 (10-11 July) suspended, with both sides receiving one point for a COVID draw.
While the women's premiership has been forced to change its finals series from a top-six to a top-four, to accommodate the start of the 2021 NRLW competition, scheduled to kick-off in late August.
This means the Helensburgh Tigers, featuring seven Group Seven talents, will now take on minor premiers Central Coast in the semi-final - with the winner taking on either Mounties or Cronulla-Sutherland, headlined by Albion Park-Oak Flats' Kaarla Cowan and Milton-Ulladulla's Lily Murdoch, in the July 24 decider.