Footy, netball back after regional lockdown lifted

After a few false starts, the Murray Football Netball League will return to play round 17 on Saturday, allowing the Deniliquin Rams to run on against Moama at home.

The round nine match against Mulwala that was to be played last week has been abandoned.

‘‘The home and away season will conclude the week after with finals set to begin the weekend of August 28 and 29,’’ the MFNL said in an online statement on Tuesday.

The MFL grand final is scheduled for September 18, as originally planned.

The Rams will finish the general season, COVID-restrictions permitting, against Cobram in round 18 the following Saturday.

The Picola League will return to play round 16 matches this weekend, the league announced on Tuesday.

It is the final round of the general fixture before the league moves into finals.

League operations manager Shane Railton previously told the Pastoral Times the league would do its best to schedule the season so the grand final would not have to be pushed back.

But the lockdowns, which caused disruptions to at least five PDFNL rounds this season, has forced the league to move the finals rounds back one week after rounds 17 and 18 were already cancelled to fit within the timeline.

Jerilderie will play against Picola United at Mathoura to avoid being locked out by Victoria’s current version of the border bubble — the Murrumbidgee Council area was removed from the bubble on August 5.

The change forced Jerilderie games to be scheduled on the NSW side of the border for the duration of the change, likely to the end of the season.

The Picola draw this weekend will see Mathoura play away against Katandra, the Rovers will play Rennie at Rennie, and Blighty will take on Tungamah at Tungamah.

Blighty’s senior and reserves footballers and the C reserves netballers have also suffered from the removal of Murrumbidgee Council from the bubble, with some players impacted.

The club was meeting last night to determine what grades would play tomorrow.