FRIDAY, June 26 - that is the crunch date which has been set by the Central West Rugby Union board to make a decision on whether or not its senior competitions will go ahead in season 2020.
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On the Tuesday evening as Group 10 and Group 11 rugby league clubs voted to cancel their senior competitions for the year, the CWRU board opted to delay its decision.
It could prove to be a fortuitous move as on Wednesday morning came an announcement from the state government that senior community sport could resume as of July 1. That approval came eight days after juniors were given the green light.
Tink said the board wouldn't reconvene any earlier in the wake of that news.
"July 18 was the start date we'd initially set and after the announcement we're another step closer to that," he said.
"A number of clubs said they'd be prepared to play with restrictions, but the board's made the decision to wait and I'm happy we've made that decision.
"We're glad the restrictions have been lifted and we're keen to give clubs the opportunity to play rugby.
"We understand how frustrated our clubs, our players and our supporters are, but as a board we are determined to give our players every opportunity to play meaningful competitions this year."
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Tink said he'd give clubs a few days to look over restrictions and "let the dust settle" and begin calling around next week to gauge the interest of all 28 CWRU clubs in playing in 2020 before reconvening in three weeks.
In April Rugby Australia announced a July target for a resumption of community rugby competition and since then many clubs - including Bulldogs and CSU - have been holding training sessions, albeit it with restrictions.
Only 10 people have been allowed to attend sessions, social distancing measures must be adhered to and no physical contact is permitted.
Last week all 28 senior clubs in the CWRU fold, including Bathurst Bulldogs and CSU, were surveyed to see if they would be interested in forging ahead with a shortened 2020 season.
Tink revealed that "several clubs reported their frustration with the current lack of information and are eager for certainty" when they were surveyed.
"The Central West Rugby Union shares this frustration and the absolute lack of clarity regarding senior sport currently coming from the NSW Government and the NSW Office of Sport remains a critical issue in determining our 2020 season," he said.
Even with Wednesday morning's announcement from the state government, CWRU clubs will still need to consider things such as return to play protocols and spectators.
It is hoped by June 26 they will have made a decision.
"We ask our loyal rugby community to support this position and understand that the board remains committed to providing rugby to our region," Tink said.
Tink admitted not all of the member clubs indicated they were interested in a 2020 competition when surveyed, but that enough interest was shown to delay a final decision until June 26.
"At this stage we are encouraging our clubs to keep training as if they will be playing rugby this year," Tink said.
"We have some clubs that are not overly keen to play at this stage, but there are also clubs that are extremely keen to play. We would not be doing our duty as a board if we did not explore every opportunity to give those people a chance to play.
"We understand that this may cause frustration, however, this decision has been made to give our rugby community every opportunity available to participate and support rugby in 2020."
