CHARLES Sturt University netball coordinator Gab Goldsworthy says the club had no option but to pull the pin on this season to avoid any chance of jeopardising the education of players.
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The Wagga campus has been closed for some time with classes being conducted online, and several Bushsows players are stranded in Victoria or Border town and unable to travel for games.
Goldsworthy said the team was eager to play after such a long break due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the closure of the NSW-Victoria border effectively left them with little choice.
Also a player, Goldsworthy is herself in Victoria and awaiting word on when she can return to Wagga.
CSU were beaten in the Farrer League grand final by The Rock-Yerong Creek for the second straight year in last year's grand final.
Both clubs have confirmed they won't play football or netball this year, but AFL Riverina is exploring the possibility of running combined Farrer and Riverina League competitions.
"What we need to be mindful of is our players are really there for uni, and if anything occurred and we put our players at risk, that potentially jeopardises their education," Goldsworthy said.
"That's the main thing we need to consider. The uni is already on top of what the league put out with safety regulations, and we do extra things the uni put out.
"We've continued to stay together as a unit over the break. The coaches were doing a good job, and the players were doing their fitness and ball skills.
"Everyone was really excited about getting back to play, but once the border was shut down it put everything up in the air and a number of players were unable to come."
Goldsworthy said the club was unable to access the volunteer numbers required to run a season smoothly.
"We already struggle for volunteers and given there's no extra hands around, I was getting a bit overwhelmed on how we were going to make game days work," she said.
"In the end it was a financial and safety stance we had to take, and all the players were in that decision. We'll look to continue training even without games, and stay involved as a club."
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