Ovens & Murray Football Netball League will know this week if 2021 season can be completed

Member for Benambra, Bill Tilley, has lobbied the Minister for Sport on the league's behalf for permission to play its entire finals series in Wodonga.

The Victorian Government's announcement that 'crossing the border will no longer be permitted to attend physical recreation facilities' was at the centre of discussions over the weekend.

"On Friday, we were still speaking with the Cross-Border Commissioner to get some clarification as to exactly what that means and whether there can be any change made to that for this region by the weekend," Ovens and Murray chairman David Sinclair said.

"We've been talking to Bill Tilley's office, they've put in a submission on our behalf to the Minister for Sport and that submission is around playing all our finals at the two Wodonga grounds, staying as close to Albury as we can and away from any regions that have been COVID-affected.

"We're still hoping to play next weekend and for us, that's the last roll of the dice.

"There's evidence to suggest regional Victoria and NSW will open up towards the end of the week and we're hoping community sport will be a reason you can cross the border so we can get the season finished."

A decision, one way or the other, is set to be made by Wednesday night.

"We're clutching at straws, I get that, but we're not going to die wondering," Sinclair said.

"If it's death by a thousand cuts, we're up to about 950.

"I'm certainly not confident but we need to have one more roll of the dice and see where it lands.

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"We're desperate to get this finals series played and we just want a four-week window to get these finals played in an environment we believe will be perfectly safe for the participants."

If the O and M does get the green light to play, Wangaratta will face Wangaratta Rovers in the senior football qualifying final while the eliminator pits Myrtleford against Wodonga Raiders.

Kicking off finals any later than next weekend and playing a truncated series isn't going to happen.

"Our rules speak to playing a final five," Sinclair said.

"They were the rules at the start of the season and we're not changing rules on the run.

"It's got to be a final five and we need four weeks to get that completed."

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