COOTAMUNDRA Bulldogs president Stephen Howse says the club is in "survival mode", and isn't willing to put their long term future under strain by committing to this year's Group Nine competition.
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Although the Bulldogs are yet to make an official call, it seems certain that early this week they will follow Temora in withdrawing from the 2020 season due to financial and player welfare reasons.
The Dragons became the first team to pull the plug on 2020 on Friday, and the coronavirus pandemic has presented Cootamundra with similar difficulties that will be too difficult to overcome.
Both towns compete for talent with three other codes and believe disinterest from some players would lead to them being uncompetitive this year.
"In the big picture we're probably in survival mode more than anything, if I risk going down this avenue (playing this year)," Howse said..
"There are players that want to play but they're few and far between.
"We want to be around next year, 100 per cent. We've had no income for six months, nothing. We were talking last night about raising fundraising while the restrictions are lessened, but we're not going to be the only code in this town.
"Coota's got 6000 people, and once the elderly and school kids are taken out it doesn't leave you much to fill four codes of footballers.
"It's a risk we don't need. We're not ashamed to do it and I don't think anyone should be.
"Kudos to Temora for making the decision. I'm good mates with (Dragons secretary) Mark Hughes and he was right on the same page. They've just jumped a bit earlier than us."
Howse believes it's best to look toward where the club wants to be in five years, not five months.
"We would lose out (financially) and if we did potentially put a first grade side in, I don't want to turn up on a Sunday morning and we've got 15 players, I have to find two more and we get a hiding," he said.
"It's just going to decimate what confidence the players coming through have. We've had a pretty ordinary last four years, excluding 2018 when we went all out, but last year we got the spoon.
"If we get hidings the people who come to watch will stop coming, and we're reliant on the gate and canteen.
"We're probably better off just looking forward. But we have explored ways and means of playing this year, don't worry about that."
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