Bob Walsh knows there's only the slimmest of chances the Group 11 finals could be played this year, but as long as there's hope the competition president is refusing to give up.
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The plan to play finals in 2021 took anther it on Thursday when it was confirmed Dubbo and much of the state's west will remain in lockdown.
As it stands, there would have to be 70 per cent of the state's population with their two vaccinations and no positive COVID cases in the region for 14 days for things to start opening up again.
Even then, the fate of rugby league would be far from certain as deputy premier John Barilaro confirmed on Thursday community sport won't be one of the allowed events for the regions which exit lockdown this weekend.
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"For those areas coming out of lockdown, you are not coming back to a pre-lockdown environment," Barilaro said.
"There's rules around certain activities that won't recommence, community sport won't be permitted."
Barilaro confirmed that community sport will no longer be going ahead in the state until an 80 per cent double vaccination rate is reached.
He also stated it might not be until early to mid November that such a figure is seen.
It doesn't bode well for Group 11 but Walsh said as long as there's any type of chance he won't call for the season to be cancelled.
"We'd have to see a great reduction in [case] numbers and if they stay the way they are we've got no chance," Walsh said on Thursday after the Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) recorded another 24 new cases.
"But hopefully people will get vaccinated and we can, at least, have a bit of a chance of finishing."
The possibility of playing a regular five-team finals series is now all but gone, but Group 11 has previously announced contingency plans.
Organisers would be willing to run Group 11 to the first weekend of November if that's what it takes to complete the season.
"We'll wait and it's no use calling it off and then saying 'we could have played'," Walsh added.
The grand final was originally set down for September 12.
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