“I was never interested in that,” Sharks coach Michael Babic said.

“The risk of injury’s too high, right before the season starts. It won’t prepare us for the season, the round robin format doesn’t suit us, players are stop-starting, playing short halves, a nine-a-side formation, it’s nothing like the game.”

South Wagga Warriors’ coach Prince Thompson said his team was interested, but they may not enter; Warriors arranged a trial match before the tournament date was set.

On Saturday they played their first trial match and lost 4-2 to Murray United.

Wagga United Crows will enter in the local tourney but president Ian Hardinge fears the FFA Cup schedule, released in early March, will impact the standard of play.

“If it clashes with the FFA Cup it will affect quality,” he said.

“We will certainly put a team in, but the team we enter will be made up of our second-graders.”

Lake Albert and Wagga United have entered the FFA Cup, a national knockout competition, involving amateur and semi-professional clubs until the round of 32, where A League clubs join in.

Babic eagerly awaits the Sharks’ first FFA Cup match.

“I think it’s great clubs have the chance to take part,” he said.

“Someone here might get seen and invited to play somewhere else.”

Babic and Crows’ coach Dave McGowan didn’t want to speculate on how far their squads will progress.

“It’s the luck of the draw, it gives us an opportunity to see how we go against someone quality from out of town,” Babic said.