PLAYING a four-week final series is the ideal scenario for South West District Football Netball League.
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The competition, which is in limbo due to COVID-19 restrictions, has detailed its return-to-play options.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said regional Victoria may come out of lockdown next week but did not give details as to whether community sport would be given the green light.
MORE SPORT: Still alive: District league reveals plan
If play can resume, South West District would start its top-five, four-week finals series on Saturday, September 11 and Sunday, September 12.
Under that concept, the grand final would be on Saturday, October 2.
If restrictions don't ease until the following week, it will revert to a top-four, two-week final series.
MORE SPORT: Club leaders react to finals scenarios
The season will be cancelled if restrictions are still in place by September 24.
The league would acknowledge minor premiers in all grades if no finals were played.
South West District media officer Susie Holcombe said it wanted to provide its clubs with a path forward.
She said "as soon as it opens up we want to go bang, bang, bang".
"We spoke to our presidents and put it to them and we all decided we needed an end date," she told The Standard.
MORE SPORT: Mininera and District's finals plan
"Because we play a top-five, we looked around at other leagues and what they had proposed as well, and we just felt the fairest option was, if we could play, that we'd play the full series out.
"If we can't then sadly whoever ended fifth would drop off and we'd just do a two-week final series.
"We are all hoping we'll be able to get back to normal but it's looking highly unlikely."
Holcombe said a decision was yet to be finalised around AFL grand final at on Saturday, September 25.
The AFL decider will be played in Perth at Optus Stadium.
"We would prefer not to play on grand final day so it would either be the Friday night or the Sunday," she said.
"Sunday is probably not ideal for a lot of people, especially if their (AFL) team is playing."
Holcombe said returned off a limited training base wasn't ideal but "everyone would be in the same boat".
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Justine McCullagh-Beasy
Sports journalist with an interest in feature reporting. Email: justine.mc@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Sports journalist with an interest in feature reporting. Email: justine.mc@austcommunitymedia.com.au
