Waiting game for Border teams after lockdown

However Group Nine officials are still waiting on government advice in regards to the impact on their competition.

Albury are set to travel to Twickenham on Saturday to face Tumut and are working on ascertaining the full extent of the border charges.

President Rick O'Connell said the lockdown would have a major impact on the club's teams after the NSW government issued stay at home orders in line with Victoria's stage three restrictions.

After not being able to take part in last year's competition, Group Nine president Andrew Hinchcliffe hopes the impact will be minimal for the Thunder.

"Whatever we do will be in line with government advice," Hinchcliffe said.

Steamers president Mick Raynes revealed around half of the men's first grade team live in Victoria and their women's squad would be reduced to five players.

It is expected they will postpone their games with the June long weekend the likely alternative date.

"If we are in a situation where those teams can't play we will look to postpone it to the June long weekend or a mid-week game at this stage," Southern Inland rugby manager Jack Heffernan said.

READ MORE

The lockdown will also have a minor impact on team selections for this weekend's Riverina League and Farrer League fixtures.

The likes of Kirk Mahon (Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong) and Barellan ruckman Mitch Gorman travel from Victoria, and will therefore be ineligible to play but the situation won't have as big an impact as last year at the height of the COVID pandemic, when a number of players based in the Albury-Wodonga region signed with Riverina-based clubs after their competitions were cancelled.

"We just expect all individuals to do the right thing. If they're based in Victoria and in a lockdown, we don't expect them to be anywhere near a game of footy in NSW on the weekend," ACT and regional NSW community football regional manager Marc Geppert said.

"All of our AFL NSW-ACT community leagues are unaffected, but in the case of individual participants residing in Victoria we will follow any government advice around lockdowns."