The Orange Tigers will have to wait another month before welcoming any Central West AFL rivals to their new jungle due to a small section of Waratahs Sportsground not being fit for play.
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Last Saturday’s respective men’s and women’s clashes with the Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels and Lady Bushrangers were supposed to be the Tigers’ first at their new Waratahs base.
However, but a small section of the upgraded surface was heavily impacted by the recent rain and snow.
It was only an estimated “15-metre area”, new Central West AFL regional development coordinator Casey White said, but with a lack of time to mark and approve a smaller surface, the decision was made to reschedule the game for July 7, although that’s to be confirmed.
White also explained the decision was made in the best interest of the Tigers and Bushrangers clubs, the ground itself and the competition as a whole, because playing on that surface may have caused long-term damage.
“I might be a bit more cautious than others but playing [two full] games on it could have ruined the ground and ruled it out for [much longer]. If that happened it’d make the Tigers’ move to Waratahs irrelevant because they’d have no ground to play on and that’s not what we want,” White said.
“It was only a small section of the ground, the rest was okay and it was really, really close. I had a look last Wednesday, but the rain and snow didn’t help the ground.”