THE Wagga Tigers are confident taking the patient approach in setting up a women's side will prove fruitful in the long run after opting to withdraw from the AFL Southern NSW Women's competition.
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The Tigers were one five clubs who lodged an official expression of interest in joining the league, which will expand from eight teams to 12 this year.
Tigers president Paul Lucas said the club decided it's best to wait another 12 months to ensure they're in a position to be competitive.
A women's side is one of the criteria to be considered for entry into the 'Premier League', which will begin in 2023.
Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes, Coolamon, Marrar and Turvey Park are all preparing for their maiden season.
"We were a bit late to the party getting organised, we'll be a lot more organised going into next year," Lucas said.
"Brendon Post took on the coaching role and he's still very keen to make it happen.
"We were in contact with the uni and the RAAF. We tried a few different ways to attract players, but not with enough success.
"The teams who have been playing a couple of years have told us you probably need a base of about 30 players, and we're a far cry from that.
"We'll be watching with much interest to see how they go about it, and see what we can learn going forward."
The competition will start on February 4 and will be played on Friday nights, bar round three where all games will take place at Narrandera on a Sunday.
Six regular season rounds will be followed by a three-week finals competition. The four new teams, plus last year's bottom two sides Collingullie-Glenfield Park and Narrandera, are in one conference, with more established teams in the other.
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