Maitland Pickers welcome moves to ensure Newcastle RL grand final is played

Pickers president Frank Lawler said ideally a top five final series will play out, but it was reassuring that all efforts will be made to have a showdown of some sort for the 2021 title.

The Newcastle RL opted to cancel the last round of matches and has set down September 26 as being the latest grand final date in recent discussions with NSW Rugby League.

If left the top five of minor premiers Maitland, Cessnock, Central Newcastle, Macquarie Scorpions and Western Suburbs.

With the NSW Government declaring a statewide lockdown on Saturday, the earliest possible return date for football is Sunday, August 29, given that player welfare has been taken into consideration and teams allowed one week to prepare prior to getting back on the field.

Newcastle RL chief executive officer Charlie Haggett said September 4-5 return would allow the league to get the full four weeks in for a top five competition.

Scenarios would then play out on the basis of the restart date being at least a week after the lockdown provisions are lifted.

This weekend's scrapped fixtures will be called COVID draws, similar to previous rounds impacted by sidelined Central Coast clubs Wyong and The Entrance.

Lawler said it was his understanding that a September 26 grand final could be staged between the top two teams given the lockdown was lifted by September 18-19.

"We would love to see it be five teams and have a normal semi-finals series it would be great," he said.

"We could achieve that with the lockdown being lifted on August 28 and everyone will be back in training for the first semi-finals on September 4-5.

"If we don't get back then and it's another week, the fifth team would drop out and it would be a top four over three weeks with first playing second and third playing fourth in the first week.

"The winner of first and second goes straight into the grand final and the loser plays the winner of third and fourth in the preliminary for the other spot in the grand final.

"I think everyone would just love to see it back on and played out properly.

"I think it would be a hollow victory for us to win it on just being minor premiers."

Lawler said McDonald Jones Stadium grand final had been booked for a couple of dates for the grand final but it could prove cost prohibitive with any restriction on crowd numbers or clubs which draw smaller crowds.

He said Maitland and Cessnock sportsgrounds may be alternatives.

"If you can have 10,000-15,000 people there which you may have with Maitland versus Cessnock then it would be worthwhile at McDonald Jones but if the crowds are very limited the cost would push it to being held at either Maitland or Cessnock," he said.

"We're ok with that as well. We would love it to be at Maitland but if we have to go to Cessnock to play in a grand final then we are happy to do that as well.

"They're probably the best two grounds of the teams that are left."

The Pickers hope to hear from the NSWRL on the future of the Ladies competition by no later than Wednesday.

Other rugby league competitions across the region - Newcastle Hunter, Group 21 (seniors), Newcastle, Maitland, Hunter Valley combined and Group 21 (juniors) - remain on hold with a decision about NSW community sport expected on Monday.

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