WINTER sports across Bathurst and the Central West have been thrown into uncertainty following Saturday afternoon's snap one-week lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
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The timing is especially unfortunate considering many competitions had either begun their finals series or were on the verge of wrapping up their regular seasons.
Competitions such as Central West Rugby Union and AFL Central West had already cancelled their rounds on Saturday prior to the announcement, while Bathurst's Group 10 teams were fortunate enough to get their games completed before the lockdown came into effect.
Some local competitions, such as Bathurst Netball Association were also lucky enough to get their games completed before the 5pm lockdowns, but others like Bathurst District Football were not so fortunate and saw their Sunday games cancelled.
Now the question on everyone's lips is will we get things back underway next weekend?
That would require a significant drop in the number of cases coming out of Dubbo and surrounding areas, and the next few days will be very telling in whether next weekend's games are a realistic prospect of going ahead.
Because of that, organisers are hesitant to rush into a decision early in the week.
AFL Central West development co-ordinator Casey White said it's incredibly unlikely the last round of senior competitions will be taking place at any point this weekend.
"All community football managers across regional NSW will be meeting on Monday morning, as we always do, to discuss a consistent approach to a return to play," he said.
"In an absolutely perfect world, from any time past 12:01am on Sunday we'll be able to play but at this meeting we'll be working on a solution that is consistent across regions.
"I don't think we'd consider moving senior games from Saturday to Sunday. It's more about whether we can get games played or not beyond that."
Central West Rugby Union president Matt Tink isn't adverse to the idea of Sunday matches (should the lockdown stay at its original one-week length) but he'll be in consultation with clubs about the best way to move forward throughout the week.
"We're locked down to Sunday midnight so we've had a couple of different thoughts but we haven't discussed things with anyone. The idea of Sunday football popped up in my mind, and my mind's a pretty cluttered place at the moment," he laughed.
"We're stuck with uncertainty at this stage. We have a number of Dubbo teams involved in finals and they're cases are still up at the moment so they could be ruled out for a lot longer than just this week. We have to make sure we do something that's fair and equitable for everybody.
"I think once a bit more information comes to light that's when we'll be able to map a path forward."
Meanwhile, Group 10 chairman Linore Zamparini said committee members will weigh up options for the competition's final round of the regular season, which is set to take place Sunday August 22.
As it stands, the Central West will emerge from its lock down at midnight on Sunday, meaning clubs gearing up for meaningful contests won't be allowed to train during the week.
While it would certainly be logistically possible to have all the teams run out and play on Sunday, Zamparini is mindful of the hampered preparation, especially for teams who are playing for their season.
"It's a bit harsh that no one can train," he said.
"A lot of these clubs are playing in really important games in all of the grades.
"We're going to Zoom in next week and come to some sort of decision. We still have to wait and see, though."
Seven days was the initial time frame given by the NSW government, but Zamparini thinks it could stretch longer than that.
"I can't see us playing next week," he said.
"It's been a season from hell, but in saying that, the health and safety of everyone is paramount.
"We've also got the option of pushing the season back a week."
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