When Paul Loxley ordered the Group 11 representative kits for the 2020 season a number of months ago he could never imagine what the coming weeks were to bring.
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Excitement was buzzing in the lead-up to the new season but when the Group 11 secretary went and picked them up in the last few days, he did so knowing it was unlikely they would be worn this year.
Uncertainty is rife in bush footy circles, with recent announcements from the Prime Minister only creating more doubt.
Last Friday the national cabinet released a three-step road map for relaxing restrictions put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.
It was then up to the premiers to decide when they would be implemented, with NSW to enter stage one at the end of this week.
Step one allows for outdoor sport and training, up to 10 people, consistent with the AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport.
The second stage has a maximum of 20, while the final step allows for community sport to be considered, again in line with the AIS.
That final step also allows all venues to operate with gatherings up to 100 people.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison believes stage three would not be enacted until July, which has a number of rugby league officials in regional areas concerned.
Like almost every other competition around the state, Group 11 will almost certainly not go ahead should crowds in excess of 100 not be allowed to attend games.
It is believed Group 11 clubs agreed at recent meetings a crowd limit of 500 would be acceptable.
"Like we've said, if there's no crowds there will be no play," Loxley said.
"It's got to be viable and we've said from the start we don't want to play and then debt to wreck one, some, or all clubs ahead of next year."
The timeframe and guidelines have created conjecture in other competitions in the state, with Group 9 chairman Peter McDermott admitting after Friday he had no idea if play would go ahead this year.
"I thought that might have been enough to say this is all too hard," McDermott said of the three-stage plan.