No senior Blighty footy

The Blighty seniors and reserves football teams played their last games on Saturday, following the announvement on Wednesday to have ‘‘no game’’ against Tungamah.

C Reserve netball will also not play after an agreed forfeit.

This is the first time in the club’s history that the seniors and reserves have both forfeited.

In a statement, the club said the decision had been made ‘‘after conversations between Blighty and Tungamah presidents, our senior and reserves coaches, our senior netball coaches, senior and reserves players and senior netballers’’.

The club’s confirmation came two days after the Picola and District Football League announced ‘‘Blighty have forfeited C Reserve and Reserves football due to unavailability, resulting from players being outside the New South Wales border bubble’’.

‘‘The league commends the club for mutually negotiating the best possible outcome in very trying, difficult and unfortunate circumstances,’’ the league’s statement continued.

Speaking to the PASTORAL TIMES yesterday afternoon, PDFNL operations manager Shane Railton said he was ‘‘yet to officially receive that information’’ regarding the seniors forfeit, but said the reserves decision in round 15 was due to ‘‘a lack of numbers’’.

‘‘It’s predominantly on the back of Murrumbidgee being locked out (of the border bubble),’’ Railton said.

Blighty’s three junior football teams will still play in Tungamah tomorrow, with the fifths at 9.30am, the fourths at 10.15am, and the thirds at 11.30am.

In netball, the under 15s and minis will play at 9.30am, B grade and the under 13s at 10.40am, A and C Grade will play at 12pm, and the under 17s at 1.30pm.

The PASTORAL TIMES sought comment on the decisions from the Blighty Football and Netball Club but did not receive a response.

Ahead of last week’s reserves football and

C reserve netball forfeits, the club issued a statement which read:

‘‘Due to a large number of our players working or having been to areas in that as of recently are now not included in the New South Wales and Victorian border bubbles, and with current restrictions in place we are unable to field both Reserves and C Reserves sides.

‘‘In no way would we be struggling to fill sides if the New South Wales and Victorian border bubble, and current restrictions weren’t in place.

‘‘It is unfortunate that we are unable to field these two sides, however in the current COVID climate our decision was in the best interest of our club and communities governed by restrictions in place.’’