AFL North Coast have scheduled their season deciders for this coming weekend.

The AFL North Coast scheduled this season’s senior grand finals to be played on Saturday, 11 September, depending on if the lockout is lifted this week as part of the revised Public Health Order.

The grand finals will feature the two top teams of the home and away season who will go straight into a premiership decider rather than having a normal finals series.

The Coffs Harbour Breakers and Sawtell/Toormina Saints will play off for the ultimate prize in both the seniors and reserves grand finals at the Ce.x Coffs International Stadium.

The Coffs Harbour Breakers and Northern Beaches Blues meet in the women’s grand final in a rematch of the 2020 premiership decider won by the Breakers.

Grafton Tigers and the Sawtell/Toormina Saints clash for the flag in the under 17s grand final.

The grand finals will only be able to proceed if a return to community sport is included as part of the revised Public Health Order that the State Government announces on Thursday, 9 September.

To reduce the risk of injury to players that won’t have trained or played for a number of weeks up to the premiership deciders, quarter lengths will be reduced by 20% in all grades meaning 20 minute quarters in seniors, 12 minute quarters in women’s and reserves, and 16 minute quarters in Under 17’s.

This season’s junior grand finals are also tentatively scheduled to be played this weekend, on Sunday, 12 September.

AFL North Coast and its clubs have agreed this will be the latest date that the grand finals will be postponed to, having already been postponed from their original date in mid-August due to the lockdown.

The Coffs Harbour Breakers under 11s and under 13s are scheduled to meet the Port Macquarie Flyers and Port Macquarie Swoopers in their respective grand finals at the Ce.x Coffs International Stadium.

The Sawtell/Toormina Saints and Bellingen Bulldogs face off in the Youth Girls grand final, while the Port Macquarie Magpies and Nambucca Valley Lions play off for the big prize in the Under 15s premiership decider.

 

By Aiden BURGESS