The AFL Central West is aiming to for a July 18 start date after the NSW government announced on Wednesday community sport could return from July 1.
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The ruling came the morning after Group 11 and Group 10 clubs cancelled their seasons, but most other sporting leagues in the region are aiming for a mid-to-late July start date.
AFL Central West general manager Rebecca Marshall said clubs would look to play a 10-week season with finals following on afterwards, meaning the competition was slated to finish just before the October long weekend.
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However, the finals structure for the two tiered men's competitions aren't set in stone.
"We're aiming two weeks of finals but that may change depending on what clubs want the finals series to look like," she said.
Marshall said the league had July 18 pencilled in as a start date before the announcement, but getting the all-clear means clubs have the chance to get some match fitness under players' belts.
"We discussed with clubs getting back onboard by July 18 and we'll work towards that," Marshall said.
"That'll give us two to three weeks of full contact training before we have the first game."
She also indicated the two men's tiers would likely proceed as planned, with four in the top flight and five in the lower tier, while the women's competition would also continue.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
