Twickenham was packed when the two old rivals faced off there last season, as well as other clashes between the two sides at Anzac Park and Harris Park, but protocols have restricted crowds at community sporting events to 500 at any time.

Tumut president Bryan Black admitted he's already received plenty of negative feedback in anticipation of Saturday's blockbuster.

"We're just asking players to come ready to play and then leave straight afterwards," Bryan said.

"As you can imagine I've had a fair few complaints about that with needing to pay $10 to get in and only being there for one game.

"I've been told a few obscenities but it is all we can do as ask them to leave."

Black would love nothing more than to have as many people as possible.

However given the impact of the coronavirus crisis across the world it's something that is not possible.

"If all was normal we would be right but it is not," Black said. "We just have to hope people do what we ask them to do.

"We get the usual crowd who hang around the bar area and interchange bench and we will need them to leave that area and the hill is usually packed but we need people to separate themselves. A few of the Tumut boys will have to break the umbilical cord and get away from each other.

"It is not like you can't see from every area of Twickenham and just hopes everyone spreads themselves out and does the right thing."

Group Nine chairman Peter McDermott admitted the cap on crowds had come as a surprise but doesn't believe it will be a concern for the majority of Group Nine games.

"We weren't expecting that as the last thing we heard it was going to be normal social distancing - one every four square metres and if there was a bit of a grandstand area it would one in every second seat," McDermott said. "Most games would probably not have more than 500 at any one time with the teams coming and going throughout the day."

Group Nine have circulated guidelines for those involve which include

Group Nine have also confirmed games will be held over the usual 80 minutes however drinks breaks have been added in each half as runners are unable to take water onto the field.

"There are two-minute drinks break midway through each half as players can't share water bottles," Group Nine operations manager Bob Hay said.

"They are going to have a drinks break midway through their halves and each player will have to have their own water bottle."

First grade also retains the same eight interchanges as last year.

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