The option to have an under 18s competition, aligned with the junior clubs, but played as part of senior football on Saturdays is being considered for 2022.

Southern Inland rugby manager Jack Heffernan is hoping to establish a better pathway between juniors and seniors.

"It's filling that pathway between juniors and seniors," Heffernan said.

"There are players that do make that jump but there are players who aren't up to that level and don't want to make that jump straight out of under 16s.

"This just provides an opportunity for more people to be playing rugby and they are ready they can jump back into the senior competition.

"We will have players raring to go when they are 17 and we will work with them to make sure it is appropriate for them to do so but the focus will be getting this underage competition up and running."

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It has been nine years since Southern Inland's under 17s competition was disbanded.

Aligned completely with the senior competition it ran from 2004 to 2013 with Leeton the last premiers.

Southern Inland's junior competition currently goes up to under 16s.

Heffernan hopes having an under 18s competition on Saturday, but based on junior clubs will have a broad enough reach to allow for the season to get off the ground.

"They are going to be involved with their junior clubs for a couple of reasons," Heffernan said.

"One is there are four senior clubs here locally (in Wagga) and I don't see us having four under 18s teams, or even two, so it makes more sense for them to be affiliated with the Wagga Crows.

"It also means we can involve the teams who are involved in our junior comp who aren't involved in the senior comp but would like to see under 18s form.

"Clubs such as Temora, Young, Cootamundra, West Wyalong and Grenfell."

Heffernan believes there needs to be a minimum of four teams for a competition to be held in 2022.

With the potential to combine junior clubs to form an under 18s side, he's confident there are enough numbers for a competition to form.

"I'd imagine Griffith and Leeton would be able to form their own standalone teams, Wagga would go pretty close, I'd like to think between Albury and Tumut they might be able to form something and then whether it is a Barbarians teams from up north or two teams from up there but it all comes down to player numbers," Heffernan said.

"The clubs are all in support of it, whether it is juniors or seniors."