A statement put out by AFL Central West said that it had been decided that both the senior men's and women's matches between the two leagues would not proceed on July 2 as planned.

AFL Central West competition coordinator, Casey White, said: "The partnership between our leagues that began in 2019 with women's rep is one which we all want to continue.

"Unfortunately, without the Shoalhaven Carnival as a middle-ground, one region was going to have to travel significantly more than usual to get a game played.

"This, in addition to the volunteer workload required to coordinate rep footy, made it unreasonable to effectively manage, particularly when considering the number of roles and responsibilities our volunteers are already completing at club level."

READ ALSO:

- Porter predicts the best it yet to come for Spacemen after crushing derby win

- Blue Bullettes dominate grand final and secure title hat-trick

- Extra-time heartbreak ends Central West's dream of country three-peat

The announcement came weeks after it was announced that the 2022 Shoalhaven Junior Carnival scheduled for July 1, 2 and 3, would be postponed.

An already "significant loss" of competition rounds across the Shoalhaven and Illawarra Junior leagues was the driving force behind this decision.

As well as a lack of available grounds, the statement by the AFL Central West cited "added pressures" on players as a reason they games were cancelled for this year.

"Although we understand the value of senior rep footy, and appreciate the commitment of players, this decision was made to allow our clubs and players to focus solely on the season ahead, without having the extra pressure of representative footy," the statement read.

"As leagues continue to be impacted directly or indirectly by COVID and weather events, we determined that a representative match mid season will put too much pressure on each league's local resources.

"Both leagues agreed that they will look at every possible avenue to play these matches this year. By postponing senior rep, the leagues now have the best chance to field strong sides whilst also allowing the opportunity to invite other nearby leagues to participate."

In the 2021 matches, it was the Sapphire Coast who won the women's game 6-7-43 to 3-2-20, while the Central West men lost 15-13-103 to 5-7-37.