FOR the second time this season, the Western NSW Mariners FC outfit will have to try and do some juggling of the calendar after their women’s State League match with Southern Districts was called off early on Sunday morning.

The Mariners were due to host Southern Districts at one of their five home grounds in Lithgow, but there was severe doubt cast over the viability of the fixture due to the weather predictions a few days prior.

Sure enough, with snow falls in and around the Blue Mountains and road closures, the call was made by 7am on game day to postpone the match.

Earlier in the season the Mariners’ first match with St George FC was also delayed courtesy of heavy rain.

They only caught up on that game last Saturday week and suffered a surprise defeat before winning against Gladesville the next day to maintain their lead at the top of the ladder.

Mariners coach Mick Godbier understands the potential for disruption as they try and reschedule the game, but was glad that some of his players will get the chance for an extra week of rest.

“It probably isn’t a bad thing for us to tell the truth,” he said.

“There are a lot of niggles in some of our most important players at the moment, so it won’t do them any harm to have a week off, especially after a big weekend with the double-header.

“The third round of matches is about to start and we’re up against Bankstown again next week, who are right behind us on the ladder, so it is important that we’re ready for that match.”

It is likely that the rescheduled game will be on a Saturday once more, but there is one issue with the lower grades that will also need to be taken into consideration.

“The Southern Districts reserve grade side had actually already forfeited for the game they were supposed to play today,” Godbier said.

“So we’re not sure whether that result stands when we actually end up meeting them or not. There’s a few things that have to be sorted out, we’ve got a certain window in which the game has to be played, so we will try and get it sorted as soon as possible.”

The Mariners’ State League men’s side also had a weekend off as Saturday night’s match against Granville Rage at Proctor Park was washed-out.

They had only just caught up on another fixture that had been washed-out when playing Balmain on Thursday night.

While the Mariners’ Regional Youth League teams were able to get in some game time at Proctor Park earlier in the day, most matches at all levels were called off on the weekend.

An inspection of Police Paddock and Proctor Park will be carried out today to determine whether they will be re-opened.