VICTORIAN-based Ovens and Murray players have been banned from taking part in the start of the Riverina and Farrer league seasons.
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The NSW Government decided to close the Victorian border on Monday, a move that comes on the back of a recruitment frenzy from AFL Riverina clubs.
The ban on travel across the border will put a line through any Victorian-based players for the time being, while AFL Riverina has not ruled out extending the ban for the length of the season.
The move is set to impact between 10 and 15 footballers living in or around Wodonga.
AFL Southern NSW regional manager Marc Geppert said a player's residential address would be used to determine eligibility.
"Obviously since the Victorian and the NSW Government announcement this morning, none of those Victorian-based players can travel into NSW to play footy. That's as it stands and that will impact quite a few players across the border," Geppert said.
"The AFL has a national transfer system which allows us to have access to the players personal information.
"So we'll crosscheck any players that are Victorian-based and we can run reports on who resides in Victoria and who are based in NSW,.
"That's a relatively easy thing for us to follow up and yes 100 per cent that's something we will be policing but it's now a government restriction so not only are they not allowed to travel into NSW to play footy by law, the AFL will still be able to monitor these players and they won't be allowed to form part of a team sheet.
"That's as it currently stands, obviously when borders re-open, that's where leagues will look to implement their own measures, if they need to, to protect the general football community because at the end of the day, that's our number one priority. That's just not the players but everyone involved with football and netball clubs and if that means it makes it a lot more difficult for Victorian players to play in a NSW competition then that's what we'll look at."
The ban comes after Wagga Tigers last week put a line through their Melbourne-based players including former coach Shaun Campbell.